Sayings about Desires
Large desire is endless poverty. ~ Indian Proverb
What the eye does not admire the heart does not desire. ~ Traditional Proverb
The greatest tranquility is when we desire nothing. ~ Arabian Proverb
Unbridled gratification produces unbridled desire. ~ Traditional Proverb
First deserve, and then desire. ~ English Proverbs
Opportunity creates desire. ~ Dutch Proverbs
The greatest hero is one who has control over his desires. ~ Sanskrit Proverb
What is much desired is not believed when it comes. ~ Spanish Proverb
Covetousness is the father of unfulfilled desires. ~ Yoruba Proverb
To pretend to satisfy one’s desires with worldly goods is like using straw to put out a fire. ~ Chinese Proverb
Who is poor? He who is troubled with too many desires. Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot. ~ Indian Proverb
Love is a crocodile in the river of desire. ~ Sanskrit Proverb
What one desires is always better than what one has. ~ Ethiopian Proverb
He that flatters you more than you desire either has deceived you or wishes to deceive. ~ Italian Proverbs
Hunger goes in a straight line, desire turns in circles. ~ Romanian Proverbs
Limit your desires and you will improve your health. ~ Spanish Proverb
Who chooses will always have desires. ~ Zanzibar Proverb
Much pleasure and little grief is every man’s desire.~ Spanish Proverbs
He who curbs his desires will always be rich enough.~ French Proverb
Quotations about Desire
Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing? ~ William Shakespeare Quotes
While we desire, we do not enjoy; and with enjoyment desire ceases. ~ William Hazlitt
Where perception is, there also are pain and pleasure, and where these are, there, of necessity, is desire. ~ Aristotle Quotes
Whenever we confront an unbridled desire we are surely in the presence of a tragedy-in-the-making. ~ Quentin Crisp
When you believe, or are led to believe, you are unable to act upon the greatest desires of the soul, the result is mental and spiritual enslavement. ~ Iyanla Vanzant
When we have the means to pay for what we desire, what we get is not so much what is best, as what is costliest. ~ Christian Nestell Bovee
When it comes to desiring, we are all experts. If there were an Olympics of desiring, we would all make the team. ~ William Braxton Irvine
When I desire you a part of me is gone. ~ Anne Carson
Whatsoever is the object of any man’s Appetite or Desire; that is it which he for his part calleth Good: and the object of his Hate and Aversion, evil. ~ Thomas Hobbes
What desire can be contrary to nature, since it was given to man by nature itself? ~ Michel Foucault
Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat. ~ Napoleon Hill
We trifle when we assign limits to our desires, since nature has set none. ~ Christian Nestell Bovee
We should not desire the impossible. ~ Leonardo Da Vinci Quotes
We grow like flowers, and bear desire, The odor of the human flowers. ~ Richard Henry Stoddard
We do not succeed in changing things according to our desire, but gradually our desire changes. ~ Marcel Proust
We are puppets of our subconscious desires. ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon
To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves. ~ Federico Garcia Lorca
To be desired by those who are themselves highly desirable is in itself an aphrodisiac. ~ Tobsha Learner
Tis easier to suppress the first Desire, than to satisfy all that follow it. ~ Benjamin Franklin Quotes
Thoughts are to the Desires as Scouts and Spies, to range abroad, and find the way to the things Desired. ~ Thomas Hobbes
Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained. ~ William Blake
Things desired are oftentimes of less value than our present possessions. ~ Edward Counsel
There is no natural desire of what is unnatural. ~ Benjamin Whichcote
There is no fulfillment that is not made sweeter for the prolonging of desire. ~ Jacqueline Carey
There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless. ~ Plato
There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart’s desire. The other is to get it. ~ George Bernard Shaw Quotes
The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. ~ Confucius Quotes
The very urge to get rid of desire is still desire, is it not? ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
The strongest of all psychic forces in the world is unsatisfied desire. ~ John Cowper Powys
The object of man’s desire is not to enjoy once only, and for one instant of time; but to assure for ever, the way of his future desires. ~ Thomas Hobbes
The starting point of all achievement is desire. ~ Napoleon Hill Motivational
The more wild and incredible your desire, the more willing and prompt God is in fulfilling it, if you will have it so. ~ Coventry Patmore
The man’s desire is for the woman; but the woman’s desire is rarely other than for the desire of the man. ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The man of desire needs the promise of reward to urge him to action. He is as a child working for the possession of a toy. ~ James Allen
The grave is sooner cloy’d than men’s desire. ~ Francis Quarles
The desire to appear clever often prevents our being so.~ Francois De La Rochefoucauld
The desire that is satisfied is not a great desire, nor has the shoulder used all its might that an unbreakable gate has never strained. ~ William Butler Yeats
The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.~ Bible
The curtailing of one’s desires is the beginning of wisdom; their entire mastery its consumption. ~ James Allen
The child who desires education will be bettered by it; the child who dislikes it disgraced.~ John Ruskin
The central fire is desire, and all the powers of our being are given us to see, to fight for, and to win the object of our desire. Quench that fire and man turns to ashes. ~ Basil W. Maturin
The beginning of wisdom is to desire it.~ Ibn Gabirol
Some desire is necessary to keep life in motion, and he whose real wants are supplied must admit those of fancy. ~ Samuel Johnson
So long as there is desire or want, it is a sure sign that there is imperfection. A perfect, free being cannot have any desire. ~ Vivekananda
Slaves lose everything in their chains, even the desire of escaping from them.~ Jean Jacques Rousseau
Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.~ Frank Herbert
Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire.~ James Montgomery
Plant the seed of desire in your mind and it forms a nucleus with power to attract to itself everything needed for its fulfillment. ~ Robert J. Collier
People who constantly find new disguises for their desires can easily lie to themselves. ~ Hans-Ulrich Rieker
Passing into higher forms of desire, that which slumbered in the plant, and fitfully stirred in the beast, awakes in the man. ~ Henry George
Our visions begin with our desires.~ Audre Lorde
Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires, but according to our powers.~ Henri Frederic Amiel
Our Desires snort and press forward like giddy stallions, but our Means creep sulkily along like snails. ~ Abraham Miller
Our desires cut across one another, and in this confused existence it is rare for happiness to coincide with the desire that clamoured for it. ~ Marcel Proust
One of the most difficult things everyone has to learn is that for your entire life you must keep fighting and adjusting if you hope to survive. No matter who you are or what your position is you must keep fighting for whatever it is you desire to achieve.~ George Allen
Nothing so much prevents our being natural as the desire to seem so.~ Francois De La Rochefoucauld
Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.~ Patti Smith
Natural desires are within bounds; but unnatural lust is infinite. ~ Benjamin Whichcote
Naked I seek the camp of those who desire nothing. ~ Horace
Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand. ~ Neil Armstrong
Men quickly find a theory that adapts itself to their desires. ~ Lewis F. Korns
Many pray with their lips for that for which their hearts have no desire.~ Jonathan Edwards
Man’s many desires are like the small metal coins he carries about in his pocket. The more he has the more they weight him down. ~ Satya Sai Baba
Man is the only animal whose desires increase as they are fed; the only animal that is never satisfied. ~ Henry George
Man is a creation of desire, not a creation of need.~ Gaston Bachelard
Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.~ Robert Frost
Life contains but two tragedies. One is not to get your heart’s desire; the other is to get it.~ Socrates
Let us train our minds to desire what the situation demands.~ Marcus Annaeus Seneca
Let reason govern desire.~ Marcus T. Cicero
Let him who desires peace prepare for war.~ Vegetius
Large natures have usually large desires, and only the small are satisfied with the small. ~ Christian Nestell Bovee
Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul.~ William J. Durant
It’s the soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires.~ Rebecca West
It will not do, my friend, to grant an easy indulgence to natural appetite and desire, for they ever seek to be our masters. ~ T.S. Arthur
It is said that desire is a product of the will, but the converse is in fact true: will is a product of desire. ~ Denis Diderot
It is only by frequent deaths of ourselves and our self-centered desires that we can come to live more fully. ~ Mother Teresa Quotes
It is of the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it. ~ Aristotle
It is not poverty which produces sorrow, but desire. ~ Epictetus
It is a miserable state of mind to have few things to desire and many things to fear.~ Francis Bacon
It belongs to the imperfection of everything human that man can only attain his desire by passing through its opposite. ~ Soren Kierkegaard
Is it the gods who set this fire in our hearts, or do we each make our fierce desire into a god? ~ Ursula K. Le Guin
In the end there is no desire so deep as the simple desire for companionship. ~ Graham Greene
In moderating, not satisfying desires, lies peace.~ Ben Hecht
Ignore what a man desires and you ignore the very source of his power. ~ Walter Lippmann
If your desires be endless, your cares and fears will be so too.~ Thomas Fuller
If you real desire is to be good, there is no need to wait for the money before you do it; you can do it now, this very moment, and just where you are.~ James Allen
If you desire faith, then you have faith enough.~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning
If we go down into ourselves, we find that we possess exactly what we desire.~ Simone Weil
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. ~ C. S. Lewis
If any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies. ~ Thomas Hobbes
I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires.~ Kahlil Gibran Quotes
Human psychology has a near universal tendency to let belief be coloured by desire. ~ Richard Dawkins
Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. ~ Plato
How long can you suppress your own desires? Until you understand that in doing so will destroy yourself. ~ Ivan Klima
He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence. ~ William Blake
He is a king who fears nothing; he is a king who desires nothing!~ Marcus Annaeus Seneca
Have the courage of your desire.~ George Robert Gissing
From the unknown, profound desires enter in upon us, and … the fulfilling of those desires is the fulfilling of creation. ~ D. H. Lawrence
From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate.~ Socrates
Forbid us something, and that thing we desire; but press it on us hard, and we will flee. ~ Geoffrey Chaucer
Everything is perfect in the universe — even your desire to improve it.~ Wayne Dyer
Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.~ Rumi
Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire.~ Jean De La Fontaine
Every time I look at you I get a fierce desire to be lonesome.~ Oscar Levant
Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.~ Zig Ziglar
Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old.~ Jonathan Swift
Every crisis offers you extra desired power.~ William Moulton Marston
Events are influenced by our very great desires.~ William James
Energy is equal to desire and purpose.~ Sheryl Adams
Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire. ~ Confucius
Do not desire what you can’t acquire. ~ Ken Alstad
Desires satisfied are but as seeds sown a second time. ~ Edward Counsel
Desires increase as they are fulfilled.~ Michel Eyquem De Montaigne
Desires are the pulses of the soul; as physicians judge by the appetite, so may you by desires.~ Thomas Manton
Desires are central to the soul’s unfolding and should not be dismissed before giving them careful attention. ~ Thomas Moore
Desire: the starting point of all achievement. ~ Napoleon Hill
Desire, like the atom, is explosive with creative force.~ Paul Vernon Buser
Desire, both the whispers and the shouts, is the map we have been given to find the only life worth living. ~ John Eldredge
Desire will in due time externalize itself as concrete fact.~ Thomas Troward
All movement, of every creature, comes from the desire after something better. ~ Charles Buxton
Desire makes everything blossom; possession makes everything wither and fade. ~ Marcel Proust
Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek. ~ Mario Andretti
Desire is the ingredient that changes the hot water of mediocrity to the steam of outstanding success. ~ Zig Ziglar
Desire is the essence of a man.~ Baruch Benedict de Spinoza
Desire is the creator; desire is the destroyer. ~ Hari Das Baba
Desire is proof of the availability…~ Robert Collier
Desire is a powerful force that can be used to make things happen.~ Marcia Wieder
Desire is a pain which seeks easement through possession. ~ Jack London
Desire creates the power.~ Raymond Holliwell
Concentrated thoughts produce desired results.~ Zig Ziglar
Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.~ Muhammad Ali
Boredom: the desire for desires.~ Count Leo Tolstoy
Before we passionately desire a thing, we should examine the happiness of its possessor. ~ FranÇOis De La Rochefoucauld
Because they had a vision, a desire, and they took action.~ Thomas J. Vilord
As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death. ~ George Bernard Shaw
As all-consuming as a young girl’s fancies were … a woman’s desires could be twice as dangerous. ~ Teresa Medeiros
Almost every desire a poor man has is a punishable offence.~ Louis-Ferdinand Celine
All men by nature desire to know.~ Aristotle
All human activity is prompted by desire.~ Bertrand Russell
All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion,desire.~ Aristotle
A wish is a desire without an attempt.~ Farmer Digest
A single spark of occasion discharges the child of passions into a thousand crackers of desire. ~ Johann Caspar Lavater
A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of man.~ John Adams
A desire scorned and neglected is an enemy lying in wait with bared dagger. ~ Abraham Miller
A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. ~ Ayn Rand
