Human happiness is diverse; wanting to shop is just the cheapest form of it.

There are many things we truly want—achievement, respect, the desire to do something for others, to be remembered by history, to let our lives merge into a grand epic, and to find meaning. These are all far more refined forms of fulfillment than consumerism.

Long ago, in an earlier era, so many heroes emerged—each shaping their fate in more elevated ways and experiencing richer, more complete lives.