The real problems of our planet are not economic or technical, they are philosophical. The philosophy of unbridled materialism is being challenged by events.
E. F. SchumacherRead
An entirely new system of thought is needed, a system based on attention to people, and not primarily attention to goods. . . .
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the need for a mindset that prioritizes human needs and relationships over material possessions.
E. F. Schumacher suggests that our current way of thinking focuses too much on material goods and not enough on human beings and their needs. He advocates for a new system that puts people at the forefront, recognizing that lasting happiness and fulfillment come from prioritizing human connections and well-being instead of the accumulation of material wealth.
Themes
AttentionPeopleGoodsSystemThoughtRelationship
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about economic reform focused on social well-being.
More from E. F. Schumacher
All quotes βThe substance of man cannot be measured by Gross National Product.
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The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of modern times, sometimes one forgets which it is.
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By means of trees, wildlife could be conserved, pollution decreased, and the beauty of our landscapes enhanced. This is the way, or at least one of the ways, to spiritual, moral, and cultural regeneration.
E. F. SchumacherRead
We still have to learn how to live peacefully, not only with our fellow men but also with nature and, above all, with those Higher Powers which have made nature and have made us; for, assuredly, we have not come about by accident and certainly have not made ourselves
E. F. SchumacherRead
The heart of the matter, as I see it, is the stark fact that world poverty is primarily a problem of two million villages, and thus a problem of two thousand million villagers.
E. F. SchumacherRead
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The philosophy which is so important in each of us is not a technical matter; it is our more or less dumb sense of what life honestly and deeply means. It is only partly got from books; it is our individual way of just seeing and feeling the total push and pressure of the cosmos.
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There are no heroes...in life, the monsters win.
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May we look upon our treasure, the furniture of our houses, and our garments, and try to discover whether the seeds of war have nourishment in these our possessions.
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I emphasize in it [my Orientalism] accortdingly that neither the term Orient nor the concept of the West has any ontological stability; each is made up of human effort, partly affirmation, partly identification of the Other.
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