“The basis on which good repute in any highly organized industrial community ultimately rests is pecuniary strength; and the means of showing pecuniary strength, and so of gaining or retaining a good name, are leisure and a conspicuous consumption of goods.”
Thorstein Veblen“The basis on which good repute in any highly organized industrial community ultimately rests is pecuniary strength; and the means of showing pecuniary strength, and so of gaining or retaining a good name, are leisure and a conspicuous consumption of goods.”
Thorstein Veblen“Labor wants pride and joy in doing good work, a sense of making or doing something beautiful or useful - to be treated with dignity and respect as brother and sister.”
Thorstein Veblen“All business sagacity reduces itself in the last analysis to judicious use of sabotage.”
Thorstein Veblen“It is always sound business to take any obtainable net gain, at any cost and at any risk to the rest of the community.”
Thorstein Veblen“In order to stand well in the eyes of the community it is necessary to come up to a certain somewhat indefinite conventional standard of wealth.”
Thorstein Veblen“Born in inquity and conceived in sin the spirit of nationalism has never ceased to bend human institutions to the service of dissension and distress.”
Thorstein Veblen“Conservatism is the maintenance of conventions already in force.”
Thorstein Veblen“All business sagacity reduces itself in the last analysis to a judicious use of sabotage.”
Thorstein Veblen“The quasi-peaceable gentleman of leisure, then, not only consumes of the staff of life beyond the minimum required for subsistence and physical efficiency, but his consumption also undergoes a specialisation as regards the quality of the goods consumed. He consumes freely and of the best, in food, drink, narcotics, shelter, services, ornaments, apparel, weapons and accoutrements, amusements, amulets, and idols or divinities.”
Thorstein Veblen