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The walking stick serves the purpose of an advertisement that the bearer's hands are employed otherwise than in useful effort, and it therefore has utility as an evidence of leisure.

Thorstein Veblen

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Thorstein Veblen
Age: 72 †
Born: 1857
Born: July 30
Died: 1929
Died: August 3
Economist
Sociologist
University Professor
Writer
Manitowoc County
Wisconsin
Thorstein Bunde Veblen
Therefore
Serves
Walking
Employed
Effort
Leisure
Purpose
Stick
Hands
Useful
Bearer
Sticks
Advertisement
Otherwise
Advertisements
Evidence
Utility

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Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.
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A standard of living is of the nature of habit. ...it acts almost solely to prevent recession from a scale of conspicuous expenditure that has once become habitual.
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