Blakes trash English Quotes Flashcards
- Ryan Nicodemus (Minimalism)
‘I had everything I ever wanted. I had everything I was supposed to have. Everyone around me said you’re successful. But, really I was miserable.’
this is amongst the first things said to us by Ryan, it is in the introduction. He is explaining his life prior to becoming a minimalist, the way he felt miserable because he had so much.
- Ryan Nicodemus (Minimalism)
‘There was this gaping void in my life. So, I tried to fill that void the same way many people do. With stuff. Lots of stuff. I was filling the void with consumer purchases. I was spending money faster than I was earning it; attempting to buy my way to happiness. I thought I’ll get there one day.’’
He thought that the way to eradicate his ‘gaping void’ was to buy more things. This is followed up straight away after the prior quote, he was following the crowd that claimed that money was the way to buy happiness - though for him, it just didn’t work.
- Ryan Nicodemus (Minimalism)
Eventually, I mean, happiness had to be somewhere just around the corner. I was living paycheck to paycheck. Living for a paycheck. Living for stuff. But, I wasn’t living at all.’
This is said with a VoiceOver of him riding a skateboard with no shoes on. Also a segment in the introduction, giving an insight into why he became a minimalist. Why minimalism can help so many.
- Ryan Nicodemus (Minimalism)
‘Imagine a life with less. Less stuff, less clutter, less stress, and debt, and discontent. A life with fewer distractions. Now imagine a life with more. More time. More meaningful relationships. More growth, and contribution and contentment.’
Said at the festival of books at a talk. He is explaining to people (the audience) why they should become minimalists.
- Jesse Jacobs, Entrepreneur (Minimalism)
‘It’s why lottery winners are miserable. It’s why homeowners have three car garages. The first car creates an exponential awesome rush of happiness and joy and utility. The second car comes about because we tire of the first car, and as humans, we are wired to become dissatisfied. It’s an addiction really. And we are encouraged to maintain the addiction through technology and information.’
**‘as humans, we are wired to be dissatisfied’. **
^ extract from above.
when talking about the cars, a mini montage of cars is shown. He is talking about the route cause as to why we as humans are always longing for more - because we are ‘wired to be dissatisfied’.
^ awesome quote to remember !
He also mentions the fact that we are influenced to buy more and long for more through the technology (advertising) and vast array amount of information available today.
Juliet Schor: Ph.D. Economist and Sociologist (Minimalism)
‘Advertising has polluted and infiltrated culture.’
can be related to the aforementioned.
‘It’s in our… (use what she said)’ its everywhere. Advertising, can be found everywhere. Think of pollution.
Joshua Fields Milburn (Minimalism)
‘All of these things that I brought into my life without questioning. But, when I started letting go, I started feeling freer and happier and lighter. And now, as a minimalist, every possession serves a purpose or brings me a joy brings me joy.’
This is said during his house tour, why him becoming a minimalist was so good. He values everything, showing pictures of simply just a chair and table, a dinner table with nothing on it and nothing around except for a few chairs with vibrant colours, a kitchen with nothing on the counter top except for a couple appliances.
Joshua Fields Milburn (Minimalism)
‘Everything that I look around, I have to go and justify to myself, not to anyone else, justify to myself, does this add value to my life? And if not, I have to be willing to let go.’
Joshua’s thought process into how he determines if he wants to keep something or not.
Joshua Fields Milburn (Minimalism)
‘We want to promote a message we really believe in: A simple living message of living more deliberately with less.’
Joshua Fields Milburn (Minimalism)
‘Love people and use things. Because the opposite never works.’
Joshua Fields Milburn (Minimalism)
‘Minimalism is not a radical lifestyle. Yeah, I absolutely believe in quality over quantity.’
Sam Harris: Author and Neuroscientist (Minimalism)
‘I think we’re confused about what is going to make us happy. Many people think that material possessions are really the center of the bull’s-eye, and expect that you gratifying each desire as it arises will somehow lead to a satisfying life.’
techniques n examples
- voice overs through most of intro (first 5-6 quotes)
- montage of advertising (especially around NY)
- archival footage - picture of josh and Ryan together when they were younger
- Archival footage - the parents and family of josh and Ryan both went through some very rough times. Ryan claims as an archival picture is on the screen, that ‘by the 8th grade, the swat team was kicking down our door. Busting my mother for selling drugs.’
- Both parents were drug and alcohol addicts. Both of their parents were divorced.
- montage when Joshua is reading the book in the desert, about what they need, showing all the different Ikea furniture.
emotive language
when Joshua is talking about why he quit his job. ‘I was the director of operations for over 150 retail stores’. He was in a meeting when his mum called him, he couldn’t answer so she was left to leave a voicemail. When he got out of work he listened to the voicemail, the voicemail mentioned that the doctors have found something bad in his mum, found out that she had stage 4 lung cancer. ‘it was probably the first time that I had cried in my adult life’. ‘I really wish I could have spent more time with her.’
more emotive language is towards the start when Ryan and Joshua are giving insights into their childhood.
Joshua
‘my mother’s death still hangs in the air around me, and now, during the same month, my 6 year marriage is ending. But even when Rome is burning, there is still time for shopping at Ikea.’
this is said when he is standing in a desert.
