Barbara Ehrenreich Quotes

A collection of quotes by Barbara Ehrenreich.

Barbara Ehrenreich is an American author, journalist, and political activist, known for her groundbreaking works in social commentary and feminist literature. She was born on August 26, 1941, in Butte, Montana. Ehrenreich earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Reed College and later pursued a Ph.D. in cellular immunology from Rockefeller University. However, she abandoned her scientific career to become a writer.

Ehrenreich's work often focuses on issues of social justice, poverty, and economic inequality. One of her most notable books, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America," published in 2001, chronicles her experiences in low-wage jobs and explores the challenges faced by the working class. This award-winning book showcases her dedication to shedding light on the struggles faced by marginalized individuals in society.

Throughout her career, Ehrenreich has written numerous best-selling books, including "Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream" and "Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America." Her work has been widely praised for its rigorous research, thought-provoking analysis, and her ability to engage readers in important social and political debates.

Barbara Ehrenreich is an influential figure in American literature, focusing on pressing issues affecting society. Her writing and activism continue to challenge mainstream narratives and advocate for greater understanding and compassion.

That's free enterprise, friends: freedom to gamble, freedom

That's free enterprise, friends: freedom to gamble, freedom to lose. And the great thing -- the truly democratic thing about it -- is that you don't even have to be a player to lose.

Barbara Ehrenreich

In matters of the heart as well, a certain level of negativi

In matters of the heart as well, a certain level of negativity and suspicion is universally recommended. You may try to project a thoroughly positive outlook in order to attract a potential boyfriend, but you are also advised to Google him.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Love Positive Thinking

I have a Ph.D. in cell biology. And that's really manual lab

I have a Ph.D. in cell biology. And that's really manual labor. I mean, experimental science, you do it with your hands. So it's very different. You're out there in a lab, cleaning test tubes, and it just wasn't that fascinating.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Yes. I think the anti-Wal-Mart is Costco, which pays much be

Yes. I think the anti-Wal-Mart is Costco, which pays much better and has much better health benefits and which is profitable and offers low prices.

Barbara Ehrenreich

It was a real surprise to me to come across the evidence tha

It was a real surprise to me to come across the evidence that Christianity might once have been a danced religion. Certainly, some of the early church leaders thought this was great and spoke of what seems to have been circle dancing, perhaps around an altar.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Some of us still get all weepy when we think about the Gaia

Some of us still get all weepy when we think about the Gaia Hypothesis, the idea that earth is a big furry goddess-creature who resembles everybody's mom in that she knows what's best for us. But if you look at the historical record -- Krakatoa, Mt. Vesuvius, Hurricane Charley, poison ivy, and so forth down the ages -- you have to ask yourself: Whose side is she on, anyway?

Barbara Ehrenreich

In economics, we borrowed from the Bourbons; in foreign poli

In economics, we borrowed from the Bourbons; in foreign policy, we drew on themes fashioned by the nomad warriors of the Eurasian steppes. In spiritual matters, we emulated the braying intolerance of our archenemies, the Shite fundamentalists.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Twentieth Century

Thus will the fondest dream of Phallic science be realized:

Thus will the fondest dream of Phallic science be realized: a pristine new planet populated entirely by little boy clones of great scientific entrepreneurs free to smash atoms, accelerate particles, or, if they are so moved, build pyramids -- without any social relevance or human responsibility at all.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Those Romans who perpetrated the rape of the Sabines, for ex

Those Romans who perpetrated the rape of the Sabines, for example, did not work themselves up for the deed by screening Debbie Does Dallas, and the monkish types who burned a million or so witches in the Middle Ages had almost certainly not come across Boobs and Buns or related periodicals.

Barbara Ehrenreich

It seems to me that there must be an ecological limit to the

It seems to me that there must be an ecological limit to the number of paper pushers the earth can sustain, and that human civilization will collapse when the number of, say, tax lawyers exceeds the world's total population of farmers, weavers, fisherpersons, and pediatric nurses.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Heads of state are notoriously ill prepared for their mature

Heads of state are notoriously ill prepared for their mature careers; think of Adolf Hitler (landscape painter), Ho Chi Minh (seaman), and our own Ronald Reagan.

Barbara Ehrenreich

In sci-fi convention, life-forms that hadn't developed space

In sci-fi convention, life-forms that hadn't developed space travel were mere prehistory -- horse-shoe crabs of the cosmic scene -- and something of the humiliation of being stuck on a provincial planet in a galactic backwater has stayed with me ever since.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Science Fiction

My Turn is the distilled bathwater of Mrs. Reagan's life. It

My Turn is the distilled bathwater of Mrs. Reagan's life. It is for the most part sweetish, with a tart edge of rebuke, but disappointingly free of dirt or particulate matter of any kind.

Barbara Ehrenreich

No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundr

No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.

Barbara Ehrenreich

If men were equally at risk from this condition -- if they k

If men were equally at risk from this condition -- if they knew their bellies might swell as if they were suffering from end-stage cirrhosis, that they would have to go nearly a year without a stiff drink, a cigarette, or even an aspirin, that they would be subject to fainting spells and unable to fight their way onto commuter trains -- then I am sure that pregnancy would be classified as a sexually transmitted disease and abortions would be no more controversial than emergency appendectomies.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Surely there must be some way to find a husband or, for that

Surely there must be some way to find a husband or, for that matter, merely an escort, without sacrificing one's privacy, self-respect, and interior decorating scheme. For example, men could be imported from the developing countries, many parts of which are suffering from a man excess, at least in relation to local food supply.

Barbara Ehrenreich

America is addicted to wars of distraction.

America is addicted to wars of distraction.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Personally, I have nothing against work, particularly when p

Personally, I have nothing against work, particularly when performed, quietly and unobtrusively, by someone else. I just don't happen to think it's an appropriate subject for an ethic.

Barbara Ehrenreich

So why do people keep on watching? The answer, by now, shoul

So why do people keep on watching? The answer, by now, should be perfectly obvious: we love television because television brings us a world in which television does not exist. In fact, deep in their hearts, this is what the spuds crave most: a rich, new, participatory life.

Barbara Ehrenreich

If that's how it all started, then we might as well face the

If that's how it all started, then we might as well face the fact that what's left out there is a great deal of shrapnel and a whole bunch of cinders (one of which is, fortunately, still hot enough and close enough to be good for tanning).

Barbara Ehrenreich