96 Quotes by E. F. Schumacher

Work and leisure are complementary parts of the same living process and cannot be separated without destroying the joy of work and the bliss of leisure.

It is amazing how much theory we can do without when work actually begins.

Perhaps we cannot raise the winds. But each of us can put up the sail, so that when the wind comes we can catch it.

If greed were not the master of modern man, how could it be that the frenzy of economic activity does not abate as higher standards of living are attained, and that it is precisely the richest societies which pursue their economic advantage with the greatest ruthlessness?

We still have to learn how to live peacefully, not only with our fellow men but also with nature...

If I limit myself to knowledge that I consider true beyond doubt, I minimize the risk of error but I maximize, at the same time, the risk of missing out on what may be the subtlest, most important and most rewarding things in life.

We think work with the brain is more worthy than work with the hands. Nobody who thinks with his hands could ever fall for this.

We must do what we conceive to be the right thing, and not bother our heads or burden our souls with whether we are going to be successful. Because if we don't do the right thing, we'll be doing the wrong thing, and we will just be part of the disease, and not a part of the cure.

The richer a society, the more impossible it becomes to do worthwhile things without immediate pay-off.