Quotes by 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 spec...”

“The ceremonial differentiation of the dietary is best seen in the use of intoxicating beverages and narcotics. If these articles of consumption are costly, they are felt to be noble and honorific. ...”

“The addiction to sports, therefore, in a peculiar degree marks an arrested development in man's moral nature.”

“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 goo...”

“All business sagacity reduces itself in the last analysis to a judicious use of sabotage.”

“Conservatism is the maintenance of conventions already in force.”

“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.”

“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.”

“It is always sound business to take any obtainable net gain, at any cost and at any risk to the rest of the community.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“All business sagacity reduces itself in the last analysis to judicious use of sabotage.”