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Materialism Quotes

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Materialism Quotes

“The open frontier, the hardships of homesteading from scratch, the wealth of natural resources, the whole vast challenge of a continent waiting to be exploited, combined to produce a prevailing materialism and an American drive bent as much, if not more, on money, property, and power than was true of the Old World from which we had fled.”

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Book:Practicing History: Selected Essays
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“A US Department of Education; implementation of a scientific materialist philosophy; studies, being cleansed of religious, patriotic and other features of the bourgeois ideology; students taught on the basis of Marxian dialectical materialism, internationalism and general ethics of a new socialist society; present obsolete methods of teaching will be superseded by a scientific pedagogy. The whole basis and organization of capitalist science will be revolutionized. Science will become materialistic, hence truly scientific. God will be banished from the laboratories as well as from the schools.”

WellsPhilosophyWholeSchoolReligiousStudyTeachingStudentsTaughtEthicsOrganizationBasesMethodGods WillIdeologyFeaturesDepartmentMaterialismPatrioticCapitalistSocialistLaboratoryBourgeoisObsoleteMaterialisticImplementationPedagogyInternationalismMethods Of Teaching
Author:William Z. Foster
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“Modern education is premised strongly on materialistic values. It is vital that when educating our children's brains that we do not neglect to educate their hearts, a key element of which has to be the nurturing of our compassionate nature.”

InspirationalHeartChildrenWisdomValuesBrainEducationCompassionTeachingModernChildhoodHuman NatureBuddhismKeysWise WordsWords Of WisdomElementsEmpathyOur ChildrenBuddhistMaterialismNeglectSympathyCompassionateEducateNurtureMonkRaising ChildrenNurturingWise Man Once SaidMaterialisticTibetanTeaching ChildrenModern Education
Author:Dalai Lama
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“The truth is that things matter. They have to, they are what we live with and touch each and every day. They represent what we've seen, who we've loved and where we hope to go next. They remind us of the good times and the rough patches and everything in between that's made us who we are.”

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Book:The Things That Matter
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“These days, in our materialistic culture, many people are led to believe that money is the ultimate source of happiness. Consequently, when they don’t have enough of it they feel let down. Therefore, it is important to let people know that they have the source of contentment and happiness within themselves, and that it is related to nurturing our natural inner values.”

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Author:Dalai Lama
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“Many Christians and Christian leaders have been neutralized by the love of money and materialism. The homage paid to affluence becomes a burden that saps our energy as well as our love for God and other people...Like Jesus and Paul, we can learn to be content with what we have, living modestly in order that we may give liberally to the work of the kingdom and to meet the needs of others.”

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Author:John Wimber
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“Our world, so we see and hear on all sides, is drowning in materialism, commercialism, consumerism. But the problem is not really there. What we ordinarily speak of as materialism is a result, not a cause. The root of materialism is a poverty of ideas about the inner and the outer world. Less and less does our contemporary culture have, or even seek, commerce with great ideas, and it is that lack that is weakening the human spirit. This is the essence of materialism. Materialism is a disease of the mind starved for ideas.”

WorldMindHumansDoeIdeasProblemSpiritCultureSpeakCausesSidesResultsPovertyDiseaseRootsEssenceContemporaryMaterialismOur WorldCommerceConsumerismHuman SpiritDrowningGreat IdeaWeakeningOuter WorldsCommercialism
Book:The American Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders
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“Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you to remember that you are here in this very physical world where Spirit has materialized. You cannot separate yourself from the aspect of yourself that is Spiritual, and while you are here in these bodies you cannot separate yourselves from that which is physical or material. All of the magnificent things of a physical nature that are surrounding you are Spiritual in nature.”

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Book:Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness: Easyread Large Edition
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“Spirituality brings a class of men who lay exclusive claim to the special powers of the world. The immediate effect of this is a reaction towards materialism, which opens the door to scores of exclusive claims, until the time comes when not only all the spiritual powers of the race, but all its material powers and privileges are centred in the hands of a very few; and these few, standing on the necks of the masses of the people, want to rule them. Then society has to help itself, and materialism comes to the rescue.”

PeopleMenWorldWantHelpingHandsSpiritualSpiritualityRaceClassDoorsSpecialEffectsMaterialsMassStandingClaimsLaysPrivilegeReactionsNecksScoreMaterialismRescueExclusiveSpiritual Power
Book:The Complete Works of the Swami Vivekananda, Comprising All His Lectures, Addresses and Discourses Delivered in Europe, America and India: All His Writings in Prose and Poetry, Together with Translations of Those Written in Bengali and Sanskrit; Reports of His Interviews and His Replies to the Various Addresses of Welcome; His Sayings and Epistles,--private and Public--original and Translated; with an Index; Carefully Revised & Edited
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“That intense faith in another world, that intense hatred for this world, that intense power of renunciation, that intense faith in God, that intense faith in the immortal soul, is in you. I challenge anyone to give it up. You cannot. You may try to impose upon me by becoming materialists, by talking materialism for a few months, but I know what you are; if I take you by the hand, back you come as good theists as ever were born. How can you change your nature?”

IfsKnowsWorldGivingTryingMaySoulHandsBornChallengesTalkingThis WorldMonthsBecomingHatredIntenseImmortalMaterialismFaith In GodAnother WorldRenunciationTheistImmortal Soul
Author:Swami Vivekananda
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“What is the idea of God in heaven? Materialism. The Vedantic idea is the infinite principle of God embodied in every one of us. God sitting up on a cloud! Think of the utter blasphemy of it! It is materialism - downright materialism. When babies think this way, it may be all right, but when grown - up men try to teach such things, it is downright disgusting - that is what it is. It is all matter, all body idea, the gross idea, the sense idea. Every bit of it is clay and nothing but clay. Is that religion?”

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Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
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“Whether on the ground of materialism, or of intellect, or of spirituality, the compensation that is given by the Lord to every one impartially is exactly the same. Therefore we must not think that we are the saviours of the world. We can teach the world, a good many things, and we can learn a good many things from it too. We can teach the world only what it is waiting for.”

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Book:The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
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“For a time it seemed inevitable that the surging tide of agnosticism and materialism would sweep all before it. There were those who did not dare utter what they thought. Many thought the case hopeless and the cause of religion lost once and for ever. But the tide has turned and to the rescue has come - what? The study of comparative religions. By the study of different religions we find that in essence they are one.”

DifferentLostCausesCasesStudyEssenceDareInevitableMaterialismHopelessTidesRescueAgnosticismComparative ReligionDifferent Religions
Author:Swami Vivekananda
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“I am not talking about what every one of us means by love. Little namby-pamby love is lovely. Man rails in love with woman, and woman goes to die for man. The chances are that in five minutes John kicks Jane, and Jane kicks John. This is a materialism and no love at all. If John could really love Jane, he would be perfect that moment.”

IfsMenMeanLittlesMomentsWould BeDiesChancePerfectLove IsTalkingFiveMinutesMen And WomenLovelyKicksMaterialismThat MomentFive MinutesJaneChances AreNot TalkingRailNo LoveLovely Man
Author:Swami Vivekananda
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“Life is called Samsara - it is the result of the conflicting forces acting upon us. Materialism says, "The voice of freedom is a delusion." Idealism says, "The voice that tells of bondage is but a dream." Vedanta says, "We are free and not free at the same time." That means that we are never free on the earthly plane, but ever free on the spiritual side. The Self is beyond both freedom and bondage. We are Brahman, we are immortal knowledge beyond the senses, we are Bliss Absolute.”

MeanSelfDreamSpiritualLife IsForceSidesVoiceResultsActingAbsolutesSensesPlanesBlissDelusionImmortalMaterialismIdealismBondageVedantaBrahmanSamsara
Book:Complete Works
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“Man stands in materialism; you and I are materialists. Our talking about God and Spirit is good; but it is simply the vogue in our society to talk thus: we have learnt it parrot-like and repeat it. So we have to take ourselves where we are as materialists, and must take the help of matter and go on slowly until we become real spiritualists, and feel ourselves spirits, understand the spirit, and find that this world which we call the infinite is but a gross external form of that world which is behind.”

MenWorldFeelsRealMatterHelpingFormSpiritBehindsTalkingThis WorldGoes OnInfiniteRepeatsOur SocietyMaterialismGrossVogueParrots
Book:Complete Works
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“Materialism has come to the rescue of India in a certain sense by throwing open the doors of life to everyone, by destroying the exclusive privileges of caste, by opening up to discussion the inestimable treasures which were hidden away in the hands of a very few who have even lost the use of them. Half has been stolen and lost; and the other half which remains is in the hands of men who, like dogs in the manger, do not eat themselves and will not allow others to do so.”

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Author:Swami Vivekananda
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“Since science is essentially objective, involving the study of how things actually are, "materialism" would therefore seem to be its antithesis, since its starting point is the desire to impose upon the natural world a particular and limited way of looking at it.”

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Book:The World Turned Upside Down: The Global Battle over God, Truth, and Power
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“We call it keeping up with the Joneses. They buy a boat and we buy a bigger one. They get a new TV and we get a big screen. They start a business and we start planning our articles of incorporation and the first stock release. And while we're so busy keeping up, we ignore our soul, the inner voice, that's telling us that it really wants to teach children to read. While it helps to identify with each other, we're not the same. So why compare ourselves on the basis of material things? Are you walking a path with heart in your own life, regardless of what others have?”

WantFirstsHeartChildrenSoulHelpingBigsVoiceTeachPathMaterialsTvsWalkingBasesBiggerBusyScreensPlanningBoatReleaseCompareMaterialismArticlesInner VoiceMaterial ThingsBig ScreenIncorporation
Book:More Language of Letting Go: 366 New Daily Meditations
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“We know that material things don't offer contentment, but we still buy more-more of the props and gadgets our culture tells us we must have in order to be happy and "happening." Our addiction to consumption distracts us from seeing that we are disconnected from ourselves, from our truth and from one another. Any euphoria we gain from our material gains is fleeting at best.”

KnowsStillsOrderCultureSeeingMaterialsOffersHappeningsGainsAddictionContentmentMaterialismConsumptionFleetingPropsDisconnectedGadgetsMaterial ThingsEuphoria
Book:Lessons in Living
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“Countries like ours are full of people who have all of the material comforts they desire, yet lead lives of quiet (and at times noisy) desperation, understanding nothing but the fact that there is a hole inside them and that however much food and drink they pour into it, however many motorcars and television sets they stuff it with, however many well-balanced children and loyal friends they parade around the edges of it. . . it aches!”

PeopleWellsChildrenCountryFactsDesireStuffUnderstandingCarFoodTelevisionMaterialsTvsDrinkComfortQuietDespairMetaphorEdgesHolesBritainMaterialismMelancholyLoyalBalancedDesperationAnguishAcheGloomPouringParadesNoisyNot Good EnoughColumnistsFood And DrinkBroadcastersLoyal Friend
Author:Bernard Levin
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“One of the problems we have is that we cannot just be content to admire and enjoy, we have to possess and feel we own what we see. That can become for many of us an addiction which adds a complication to our life and takes away our peace of mind. Craving things becomes after a while a serious distraction and an obsession.”

FeelsMindProblemEnjoyOur LivesSeriousAddAddictionObsessionAdmireMaterialismPeace Of MindDistractionCravingComplication
Author:Joseph Girzone
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“When a person's primary objective is to maximize material pleasures while minimizing discomforts, then life becomes a constant process of "pushing" (trying to push away from discomforts) and "grabbing" (trying to acquire or hold on to that which gives pleasure). With the loss of inner balance that accompanies a habitual "pushing and grabbing" approach to life, a deeper pain ensues-that of becoming aware of the ultimate unsatisfactoriness of the pleasure-seeking/pain-avoiding process itself.”

GivingTryingPersonsPainProcessLossPleasureMaterialsBecomingBalanceApproachUltimateConstantSeekingDeeperObjectivesPrimariesAcquirePushingMaterialismAvoidingDiscomfortAccompanyHabitualGrabbingMinimizingPleasure Seeking
Author:Duane Elgin
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“And I, a materialist who does not believe in the starry heaven promised to a human being, for this dog and for every dog I believe in heaven, yes, I believe in a heaven that I will never enter, but he waits for me wagging his big fan of a tail so I, soon to arrive, will feel welcomed.”

FeelsBelieveHumansDoeBigsI BelieveHeavenWaitingHuman BeingsFansDogI Believe InMaterialismAfterlifeTailsWait For Me
Book:The Poetry of Pablo Neruda
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