The truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering

The choice to live a less commodity-intensive existence simultaneously satisfies altruistic and self-interested motives: to consume less is to try and improve one’s own experience of life and reduce one’s negative impact on the wider world, or, rather, it is to recognise that these two things – care for the self and care for others – are intertwined.

The observed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes

Shopping is articulating oneself through one’s choices. Writing is articulating oneself through one’s choices—choices made while writing.

Designers are conduits of style, and their work is valued precisely for its ability to move through the circuits of consumer society and engage an endless variety of commodities and substrates. The successful employment of a style fuels attention, generating financial returns for clients and cultural capital for the designer in question.

We are designing surface. Surface multiplies, beyond any measure of necessity, beyond the laws of demand and supply, beyond reason.

We are leaving branded lifestyles behind, and stepping into a new world of belief, faith, and meaning.

Metahaven, Anja Kaiser, the Design Displacement Group and The Rodina all frequently take an overwhelming, maximalist approach as a direct critique of the lingering system of modernism and its aim of “objectivity.