The Pursuit of the Material | Marlon Brando, 1994

Edward Clark, Marlon Brando preparing for his film debut in The Men, 1949

“In the United States we think we have at our disposal virtually everything—and I emphasize the word “think.” We have big houses and cars, good medical treatment, jets, trains and monorails; we have computers, good communications, many comforts and conveniences. But where have they gotten us? We have an abundance of material things, but a successful society produces happy people, and I think we produce more miserable people than almost anyplace on earth. I’ve traveled all over the world, and I’ve never seen people who are quite as unhappy as they are in the United States. We have plenty, but we have nothing, and we always want more. In the pursuit of material success as our culture measures it, we have given up everything. We have lost the capacity to produce people who are joyful. The pursuit of the material has become our reason for living, not enjoyment of living itself.”

Marlon Brando, Songs My Mother Taught Me, 1994

Also:
On [:] Wuthering Heights | Emily Brontë, 1847 / Marlon Brando, 1924-2004