I claim that in losing the spinning wheel we lost our left lung.We are, therefore, suffering from galloping consumption. The restoration of the wheel arrests the progress of the†disease.

-[great soul]
  Speech,13 Oct.

Current nationalism is merely the affirmation of the right of colonial elites to repeat historyand follow the road travelled by the rich toward the universal consumption of internationally marketed packages, a road which can ultimately lead only to universal pollution and universal frustration.

-Illich, Ivan
  Celebration of  Awareness, ch.12.

In both rich and poor nations consumption is polarized while expectation is equalized.

-Illich, Ivan
  Celebration of  Awareness, ch.12.

We take it as a fundamental psychological rule of any modern community that, when its real income is increased, it will not increase its consumption by an 466 equal absolute amount.

-Keynes (of Tilton),John Maynard, 1st Baron
  The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money.

The employment of the poor in roads and public works, and a tendencyamong landlords and persons of property tobuild,toimproveand beautify theirgrounds, and to employ workmen and menial servants, are the means most within our power and most directly calculated to remedy the evils arising from disturbance in the balance of produce and consumption.

-Malthus,Thomas Robert
  Principles of Political Economy.

   Assume a particular state of development in the productive facilities of man and you will get a particular form of commerce and consumption. Assume particular stages of development in production, commerce and consumption and you will have a corresponding social constitution, a corresponding organisation of the family, of orders or of classes, in a word, a corresponding civil society. Assume a particular civil societyand you will get particular political conditions which are only the official expression of civil society.

-Marx, Karl Heinrich
  Letter to P  V Annenkov, 26 Dec.

Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production.

-Smith, Adam
  An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of theWealth of Nations, bk.4, ch.8.

Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.

-Veblen,Thorstein
  Theory of the Leisure Class.

'Tisjust likea summerbirdcageinagarden; thebirdsthat are without despair toget in, and thebirdsthat are within despair, and are in a consumption, for fear they shall never get out.

-Webster,John
  TheWhite Devil, act1, sc.2.