[We are] persuaded to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need to create impressions that won’t last on people we don’t care about.

The line is a compact critique of consumerism and status competition. It suggests that modern economies and advertising cultures push people into debt-financed consumption (“money we don’t have”) for goods that add little real welfare (“things we don’t need”), largely to signal identity or success (“create impressions”) in ways that are fleeting (“won’t last”) and socially hollow (“people we don’t care about”). Read this way, the quote challenges the idea that ever-rising consumption equals progress, and points instead toward values like sufficiency, durable well-being, and social meaning beyond market display—themes commonly associated with sustainability-oriented critiques of growth.