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About this quote

What does it mean?
Missing some desires is essential for happiness.
In plain terms
Not getting everything you want is part of being happy.
What can you take from it?
Accepting lack can increase contentment.

Where it applies

  • when facing unmet goals
  • in everyday life

Putting it to work

  • practice gratitude for what you have

Questions to consider

  • How does scarcity shape joy?
  • Can desire be a source of growth?

Another view

Some aspirations can be motivating rather than detrimental.

More from Bertrand Russell

  1. A man may feel so completely thwarted that he seeks no form of satisfaction, but only distraction and oblivion. He then becomes a devotee of 'pleasure.' That i…

    Permalink to quote #115
  2. The habit of looking to the future and thinking that the whole meaning of the present lies in what it will bring forth is a pernicious one. There can be no val…

    Permalink to quote #117
  3. Men who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact.

    Permalink to quote #114

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