The institutions are, in substance, coercive and are grounded on the habit of invidious comparison.Thorstein Veblen
The standard of reputability underlies the pecuniary standard of decency.Thorstein Veblen
No class of society, not even the most abjectly poor, forgoes all customary conspicuous consumption.Thorstein Veblen
The higher learning, as it stands arranged in the scheme of reputability handed down from the past, is very intimately bound up with the institution of a leisure class.Thorstein Veblen
The life of man in society, just like the life of other species, is a struggle for existence.Thorstein Veblen
Conspicuous leisure under the quasi-peaceable manner of life passes into a secondary place in the regard of men.Thorstein Veblen
The machine process exhibits in an eminent degree the elements of impersonality, uniformity, and precision.Thorstein Veblen
Savagery is a hard school, and the shiftless ne'er-do-wells of primitive society are not graduates of this school.Thorstein Veblen
The end is itself and the attainment of the end in its full normal measure is success.Thorstein Veblen
It is noticeable that the professorial office is somewhat on its defense before the court of public sentiment in any modern community.Thorstein Veblen