Quality is Always the Best Value

I am a believer in the importance of well-made and beautiful objects. There used to be a belief that exposure to ugliness could itself corrupt the soul and deaden the senses as visitors to the former Soviet Socialist Republics might appreciate. I came across this quote by Stickley and think it is both true and well-put. Something to ponder the next time you are browsing commodity furniture:

"...I felt that the badly-constructed, over-ornate, meaningless furniture that was turned out in such quantities by the factories was not only bad in itself, but that its presence in the homes of the people was an influence that led directly away from sound qualities which make an honest man and a good citizen. It seemed to me that we were getting to be a thoughtless, extravagant people, fond of show and careless of real value, and that one way to counteract this national tendency was to bring about, if possible, a different standard of what was desirable in our homes."