Seven Quotes by George MacDonald on the Topic of Materialism

This is the second in my series of quotes from George MacDonald taken from the anthology: "George MacDonald: 365 Readings" edited and with a preface by C.S. Lewis. Lewis called MacDonald his "master" and claimed that all of his books were directly influenced by this Scottish preacher, poet, and scholar. George MacDonald lived from 1824-1905 and is known today for being the author of such fairy tale classics as "At the Back of the North Wind", "The Princess and the Goblin", and "The Princess and Curdie."

Here are some of George MacDonald's thoughts on materialism, money, and possessions.

George MacDonald Quote #1:
"If it be things that slay you, what matter whether things you have, or things you have not?"

George MacDonald Quote #2:
"What riches and fancied religion, with the self-sufficiency they generate between them, can make man or woman capable of, is appalling... To many of the religious rich in that day, the great damning revelation will be their behavior to the poor to whom they thought themselves very kind."

George MacDonald Quote #3:
"Let me, if I may, be ever welcomed to my room in winter by a glowing hearth, in summer by a vase of flowers; if I may not, let me think how nice they would be, and bury myself in my work. I do not think that the road to contentment lies in despising what we have not got. Let us acknowledge all good, all delight that the worlds holds, and be content without it."

George MacDonald Quote #4:
"The heart of man cannot hoard. His brain or his hand may gather into its box and hoard, but the moment the things has passed into the box, the heart has lost it and is hungry again. If a man would have, it is the Giver he must have;... therefore all that He makes must be free to come and go through the heart of His child; he can enjoy it only as it passes, can enjoy only its life, its soul, its vision, its meaning, not itself."

George MacDonald Quote #5:
"A man is in bondage to whatever he cannot part with that is less than himself."

George MacDonald Quote #6:
"He had a great respect for money and much overrated its value as a means of doing even what he called good: religious people generally do."

George MacDonald Quote #7:
"Happily for our blessedness, the joy of possession soon palls."

Blessings!

Source
C.S. Lewis (editor). George MacDonald. 365 Readings