I like to live my life so that my loved ones give me the things I need as gifts and I give them the things they need. Frankly a society built around consumerism is hell
Vandana ShivaRead
I think the American people should see that the corporations abandoned them long ago. That people will have to build their own economies and rebuild democracy as a living democracy. The corporations belong to no land, no country, no people. They have no loyalty to anything apart from the base-line - their profits. And the profits today are on an unimaginable scale; it has become illegitimate, criminal profit - profits extracted at the cost of life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Corporations prioritize profits over people's needs and loyalty, urging individuals to take charge of their economic and democratic futures.
In this quote, Vandana Shiva highlights the disconnect between large corporations and the communities they operate in. She argues that these entities have forsaken their commitments to the people and the environment, primarily seeking profits without regard for the consequences of their actions. Shiva calls for individuals to reclaim their economic power and actively participate in the democratic process to create a system that genuinely serves their needs.
Themes
CorporationsProfitsDemocracyEconomyLoyalty
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a rally addressing the need for community-driven economic initiatives.
More from Vandana Shiva
All quotes →In nature's economy the currency is not money, it is life.
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Cultivating and conserving diversity is no luxury in our times: it is a survival imperative.
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We are either going to have a future where women lead the way to make peace with the Earth or we are not going to have a human future at all.
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We've moved from wisdom to knowledge, and now we're moving from knowledge to information, and that information is so partial – that we're creating incomplete human beings.
Vandana ShivaRead
Earth Democracy connects people in circles of care, cooperation, and compassion instead of dividing them through competition and conflict, fear and hatred.
Vandana ShivaRead
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