E. F. Schumacher

“Our task is to look at the world and see it whole.”

“Production from local resources for local needs is the most rational way of economic life.”

“The system of nature, of which man is a part, tends to be self-balancing, self-adjusting, self-cleansing. Not so with technology.”

“An ounce of practice is generally worth more than a ton of theory.”

“Infinite growth of material consumption in a finite world is an impossibility.”

“Small is beautiful.”

“Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology toward the organic, the gentle, the non-violent, the elegant and beautiful.”

“An attitude to life which seeks fulfillment in the single-minded pursuit of wealth is shallow, barren, and ultimately destructive.”

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction.”

“The modern economy is propelled by a frenzy of greed and indulges in an orgy of envy, and these are not accidental features but the very causes of its expansion.”

“How could we even begin to disarm greed and envy? Perhaps by being much less greedy and envious ourselves.”

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.”

“Call a thing immoral or ugly, soul-destroying or a degradation of 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.”

“The greatest resource is the human mind.”

“The purpose of work is to give people a chance to develop their faculties.”