Home / Authors / Thorstein Veblen

Thorstein Veblen Quotes

Economist

Thorstein Veblen was an American economist known for his sociological perspective on economics and his critical analysis of economic theories. His work, 'The Theory of the Leisure Class,' had a profound impact on later economics and sociology.

Filter quotes by topic

All Leisure Conspicuous Consumption Class Mean Aesthetic Goods Habit Waste Wealth Beautiful Business Community Consumption Effort Eye Individual Self Standards Use Apprehension

Famous Thorstein Veblen Quotes

“The changing styles are the expression of a restless search for something which shall commend itself to our aesthetic sense; but as each innovation is subject to the selective action of the norm of conspicuous waste, the range within which innovation can take place is somewhat restricted. The innovation must not only be more beautiful, or perhaps oftener less offensive, than that which it displaces, but it must also come up to the accepted standard of expensiveness.”

Action Beautiful Subjects Fashion Style Expression Waste Standards Innovation Come Up Accepted Range Aesthetic Offensive Norm Restless Selective

Book:A Veblen Treasury: From Leisure Class to War, Peace, and Capitalism

Source: A Veblen Treasury: From Leisure Class to War, Peace, and Capitalism

“The individual's habits of thought make an organic complex, the trend of which is necessarily in the direction of serviceability to the life process. When it is attempted to assimilate systematic waste or futility, as an end in life, into this organic complex, there presently supervenes a revulsion.”

Ends Individual Process Habit Waste Complexes Trends Systematic Futility Revulsion

Book:The Theory of the Leisure Class

Source: The Theory of the Leisure Class

“While the proximate ground of discrimination may be of another kind, still the pervading principle and abiding test of good breeding is the requirement of a substantial and patent waste of time.”

Kind May Stills Principles Waste Tests Discrimination Wasting Time Requirements Abiding Breeding Patents Good Breeding

Book:A Veblen Treasury: From Leisure Class to War, Peace, and Capitalism

Source: A Veblen Treasury: From Leisure Class to War, Peace, and Capitalism

“With the exception of the instinct of self-preservation, the propensity for emulation is probably the strongest and most alert and persistent of the economic motives proper. In an industrial community this propensity for emulation expresses itself in pecuniary emulation; and this, so far as regards the Western civilized communities of the present, is virtually equivalent to saying that it expresses itself in some form of conspicuous waste.”

Self Form Community Economic Waste Regard Instinct Western Motive Exception Civilized Strongest Preservation Persistent Self Preservation Propensity Emulation

Author:Thorstein Veblen

“English orthography satisfies all the requirements of the canons of reputability under the law of conspicuous waste. It is archaic, cumbrous, and ineffective; its acquisition consumes much time and effort; failure to acquire it is easy of detection.”

Law Language Easy Effort Waste Acquire Requirements Acquisition Canon Detection

Book:The Theory of the Leisure Class

Source: The Theory of the Leisure Class