In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.
Ivan IllichRead
To hell with the future. It's a man-eating idol.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that the obsession with the future can be detrimental to our present lives.
Ivan Illich critiques society's fixation on the future, portraying it as an idol that consumes our present awareness and passion. By saying 'to hell with the future,' he advocates for embracing the present and warns against allowing societal pressures and expectations about the future to dominate our lives, possibly leading to a loss of personal agency and authentic experience.
Themes
FuturePresentPhilosophyLifeIdols
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about living in the now, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of the present moment.
More from Ivan Illich
All quotes βSchool is the advertising agency which makes you believe that you need the society as it is.
Ivan IllichRead
School prepares for the alienating institutionalization of life by teaching the need to be taught. Once this lesson is learned, people lose their incentive to grow in independence; they no longer find relatedness attractive, and close themselves off to the surprises which life offers when it is not predetermined by institutional definition.
Ivan IllichRead
The pupil is ... 'schooled' to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new.
Ivan IllichRead
The myth of unending consumption has taken the place of the belief in life everlasting.
Ivan IllichRead
Effective health care depends on self-care; this fact is currently heralded as if it were a discovery.
Ivan IllichRead
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