Thorstein Veblen：The Theory of the Leisure Class, Excerpt 26

What has just been said must not be taken to mean that there are no other incentives to acquisition and accumulation than this desire to excel in pecuniary standing and so gain the esteem and envy of one's fellow-men. The desire for added comfort and security from want is present as a motive at every stage of the process of accumulation in a modern industrial community; although the standard of sufficiency in these respects is in turn greatly affected by the habit of pecuniary emulation. To a great extent this emulation shapes the methods and selects the objects of expenditure for personal comfort and decent livelihood.

Source： https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/833
Locator：Excerpt 26 · Verified：2026-10-19 · Verification：Short excerpt

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