Thorstein Veblen Quotes

To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization.

…it is only after our physical and political needs are supplied, and when we are free from necessary duties and cares, that we are in a condition for desiring to see, to hear, and to learn.

I'm going to do as much as I can with this life, and then I'm going to make sure to take some time off and be simple and ride my bike and hang out with friends.

I worked so hard all my life, and all I want to do now is read.

Leisure is the Mother of Philosophy.

Not too much hard work, plenty of time to read, good society, etcetera.

I'm not looking to be a trophy. When not acting, I spend my time studying metaphysics and quantum mechanics to keep my life as grounded as I can.

Increased means and increased leisure are the two civilizers of man.

The individual - man as a man, man as a brain, if you like - interests me more than what he makes because I've noticed that most artists only repeat themselves.

I'm less worried about accomplishment - as younger people always can't help but be - and more concerned with spending my time well, spending time with my family, and reading, learning things.

If I don't need the money, I don't work. I'm going to spend time with my family and friends, and I'm going to travel and read and listen to music and try to learn a little bit more about how to be a human being, as opposed to learning how to be somebody else.

If my idea was just to maintain a certain lifestyle, there would be no need to get a Ph.D. But I do care very deeply about the idea side as well.

Education is the process in which we discover that learning adds quality to our lives. Learning must be experienced.

The ultimate end of education is happiness or a good human life, a life enriched by the possession of every kind of good, by the enjoyment of every type of satisfaction.

If you want to get out of medicine the fullest enjoyment, be students all your lives.

Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good plays, good company, good conversation - what are they? They are the happiest people in the world.

Only as we live, think, feel, and work outside the home, do we become humanly developed, civilized, socialized.

Consider any individual at any period of his life, and you will always find him preoccupied with fresh plans to increase his comfort.

I read a lot; fiction and non-fiction are the mediums I find most edifying and inspiring. I watch movies and listen to music and take lots and lots of walks. Nature is a nice reset button for me, it's how I get a lot of thinking done.

Always keep learning. It keeps you young.

The best intelligence test is what we do with our leisure.

As we get rich, the basics of life - food, clothing and shelter - become a very small part of total expenditure. And people have enough money to purchase things that enhance them spiritually, and I mean the word 'spiritual' not necessarily in a religious sense but in the sense that it adds to your feeling of well-being.

People don't want to suffer. They want to sound good immediately, and this is one of the biggest problems in the world.

Next to acquiring good friends, the best acquisition is that of good books.

The civilized are those who get more out of life than the uncivilized, and for this we are not likely to be forgiven.