Study how a society uses its land, and you can come to pretty reliable conclusions as to what its future will be. E. F. Schumacher More Quotes by E. F. Schumacher More Quotes From E. F. Schumacher From a Buddhist point of view, this is standing the truth on its head by considering goods as more important than people and consumption as more important than creative activity. It means shifting the emphasis from the worker to the product of work, that is, from the human to the sub-human, surrender to the forces of evil. E. F. Schumacher buddhistviewsmean The fundamental task is to achieve smallness within large organisation. E. F. Schumacher achievetasksfundamentals From the point of view of the employer, it is in any case simply an item of cost, to be reduced to a minimum if it cannot be eliminated altogether, say, by automation. From the point of view of the workman, it is a "disutility"; to work is to make a sacrifice of one's leisure and comfort, and wages are a kind of compensation for the sacrifice. E. F. Schumacher sacrificeviewscomfort No one is really working for peace unless he is working primarily for the restoration of wisdom. E. F. Schumacher restorationpeace Our task is to look at the world, and see it whole. E. F. Schumacher taskslooksworld I certainly never feel discouraged. I can't myself raise the winds that might blow us or this ship into a better world. But I can at least put up the sail so that when the winds comes, I can catch it. E. F. Schumacher blowwindworld I have no doubt that it is possible to give a new direction to technological development, a direction that shall lead it back to the real needs of man, and that also means: to the actual size of man. Man is small, and, therefore, small is beautiful. E. F. Schumacher realbeautifulmean Our task - and the task of all education - is to understand the present world, the world in which we live and make our choices. E. F. Schumacher taskschoicesworld Call a thing immoral or ugly, soul-destroying or a degradation to man, a peril to the peace of the world or to the well-being of future generations: as long as you have not shown it to be "uneconomic" you have not really questioned its right to exist, grow, and prosper. E. F. Schumacher soulmenlong Much of the economic decay of southeast Asia (as of many other parts of the world) is undoubtedly due to a heedless and shameful neglect of trees. E. F. Schumacher decaytreeworld To organize work in such a manner that it becomes meaningless, boring, stultifying, or nerve-racking for the worker would be little short of criminal; it would indicate a greater concern with goods than with people, an evil lack of compassion and a soul-destroying degree of attachment to the most primitive side of this worldly existence. E. F. Schumacher attachmentcompassionpeople You can either read something many times in order to be assured that you got it all, or else you can define your purpose and use techniques which will assure that you have met it and gotten what you need E. F. Schumacher readingorderbook It is amazing how much theory we can do without when work actually begins. E. F. Schumacher theorycan-do The technology of mass production is inherently violent, ecologically damaging, self-defeating in terms of non-renewable resources, and stultifying for the human person. E. F. Schumacher renewable-resourcestechnologyself Many have no desire to be in it, because their work does not interest them, providing them with neither challenge nor satisfaction, and has no other merit in their eyes than that it leads to a pay-packet at the end of the week. E. F. Schumacher eyechallengesdesire Scientific and technological "solutions" which poison the environment or degrade the social structure and man himself are of no benefit, no matter how brilliantly conceived or how great their superficial attraction. E. F. Schumacher benefitspoisonmen Without ... the creative imagination rushing in where bureaucratic angels fear to tread - without this, life is a mockery and a disgrace. E. F. Schumacher rushingangelbusiness The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of modern times, sometimes one forgets which it is. E. F. Schumacher readingfunnybook An ounce of practice is generally worth more than a ton of theory. E. F. Schumacher small-is-beautifultheorypractice Man is small, and, therefore, small is beautiful. E. F. Schumacher growthbeautifulmen
