Bryant H. McGill Quotes

We live in a materialist world, and materialism appeals so strongly to humanity, no matter where.

Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns.

People like their handbag more than their sofa, and I hate it.

It's horrible when people are only interested in buying labels, because it doesn't bring them the happiness they think it will.

In our rich consumers' civilization we spin cocoons around ourselves and get possessed by our possessions.

We are such materialists that all our metaphors are going to be material.

As human beings, we're very materialistic and have all this stuff - furs and cars and diamonds and money.

We live in a material world. I'm not saying that beautiful things don't enhance our lives. But, in our culture, we're never happy.

In a consumer society, people wallow in things, fascinating, enjoyable things. If you define your value by the things you acquire and surround yourself with, being excluded is humiliating.

There's nothing wrong with having a desire to want nice things. It's when we place that as a measure of the value of ourselves that it goes askew.

Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.

Materialism isn't the panacea that so many people think it is.

We humans are more concerned with having than with being.

We only need so much to survive, but this world we live in tells us we need more stuff to be happy. We're inundated with our televisions, the Internet and advertising that says in order to be happy you have to have these things. When you say, 'Gimme, gimme, gimme,' you will always be in short supply.

I just don't like conspicuous consumption. I find it distasteful.

Fashion isn't me, even though I work in it. It's just materialistic stuff.

I'm not attracted to expensive things.

I think fashion is repulsive. The whole idea that someone else can make clothing that is supposed to be in style and make other people look good is ridiculous. It sickens me to think that there is an industry that plays to the low self-esteem of the general public. I would like the fashion industry to collapse.

Philosophically, I don't like doing commercials.

If I am what I have and if I lose what I have who then am I?

The media is convincing people that if you have that 'next thing,' that diamond, the right car, then you'd be happier.

Too many people today know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

I understand the human instinct to want to create a nest and possess things, to show them off, but for me personally, it became less and less interesting.

Culture and possessions, there is the bourgeoisie for you.

The great question of our time is, 'Will we be motivated by materialistic philosophy or by spiritual power?'