“We think we have to work because the advertising industry has elevated wants into needs. The newspapers and the television batter us incessantly with the latest 'must-haves', whether that's shoes, videogames or patio heaters. As a result, mums think they 'have' to work at Tesco in order to buy expensive trainers.”

British writer and editor

Tom Hodgkinson is a British writer and editor, best known as the founder and editor of The Idler magazine. He established it in 1993 with his friend Gavin Pretor-Pinney. His writing and editing promote a relaxed way of living, with an emphasis on enjoying life as it comes rather than laboring for a better future that may never arrive. The magazine’s name comes from the essays Samuel Johnson wrote between 1758 and 1760 under the title The Idler.