No one lusting for blood is ever innocent. Or satisfied. I have not been innocent. Or satisfied. Just as the man who wants silver will not be satisfied with silver, a man who wants the blood of another will not be satisfied with having that blood, nor the woman with jewels be satisfied with jewels, and the man who wants women will not be satisfied with women. Don't try telling me different. Haven't I looked about me in the city and seen how all labor is for the mouth, yet the appetite is not filled? Don't I know myself that no want is ever satisfied? Wishes are granted, goals attained. But wants? Forget them. They live as long as the person they inhabit.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Those driven by violent or material cravings remain perpetually unfulfilled because desire itself is insatiable.
- In plain terms
- People who want blood or wealth are never truly satisfied.
- What can you take from it?
- Desire is a cycle that cannot be completed.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What want do you have that remains unsatisfied?
- Is satisfaction possible if desire is human?
Another view
The quote generalizes all human wants as equally destructive.
More from Joseph Heller
'If God was dead, how could I feel this bad?'
Permalink to quote #58 Vanity. What's wrong with vanity? It doesn't satisfy.
Permalink to quote #60 All is vanity, you know, ALL in the long run is but vanity and vexation of spirit.
Permalink to quote #57
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