Skip to content

Materialism Quotes

Naval Ravikant Quote on Desire and How It Works Against Your Pursuit of Happiness

    “Desire is a contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”

    Naval Ravikant, Medium

    Beyond the Quote (272/365)

    How many contracts of unhappiness have you signed? And how lengthy are the terms for each? Is the contract of your desire going to take you a week to obtain? A month? 12 months? 48 months? 72 months? Or is the contract you signed more like a 30 year mortgage? Are you really okay with being unhappy for that amount of time? …For any amount of time? And for what? A fancy car? A luxury watch? A playboy mansion? How much of your life are you willing to sacrifice for these things?

    Read More »Naval Ravikant Quote on Desire and How It Works Against Your Pursuit of Happiness

      “The less expensive stuff you have, the less there is to worry about.”

      Ryan Holiday, Medium

      Witt Lowry Quote on Happiness and Why You Need To Free Yourself From Materialism

        “If you’re not happy, you’re forever in debt.”

        Witt Lowry, Debt

        Beyond the Quote (228/365)

        Debt is something, typically money, that’s owed. When you borrow $20 from your friend, you’re in debt to them. Until you pay them back, you will have that debt weighing on your shoulders. That’s why repaying a debt is such a gratifying, lightening feeling. You’re lightening the worry of your load. But, what about the debts that we imaginarily create in our minds? Sounds ridiculous, right? But, think about it.

        Read More »Witt Lowry Quote on Happiness and Why You Need To Free Yourself From Materialism

          “We’ve fast become a world of things. And most people are being buried in the profusion. What most people need, then, is a place of community that has purpose, order, and meaning. A place in which being human is a prerequisite, but acting human is essential. A place where the generally disorganized thinking that pervades our culture becomes organized and clearly focused on a specific worthwhile result. A place where discipline and will become prized for what they are: the backbone of enterprise and action, of being what you are intentionally instead of accidentally. A place that replaces the home most of us have lost.”

          Michael Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited (Page 207)

            “Nobody is interested in the commodity. People buy feelings. And as the world becomes more and more complex, and the commodities more varied, the feelings we want become more urgent, less rational, more unconscious. How your business anticipates those feelings and satisfies them is your product.”

            Michael Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited (Page 155)

            Mark Manson Quote on How Being Desperate For Something Doesn’t Help You Get It

              “The more you desperately want to be rich, the more poor and unworthy you feel, regardless of how much money you actually make.  The more you desperately want to be sexy and desired, the uglier you come to see yourself, regardless of your actual physical appearance.  The more you desperately want to be happy and loved, the lonelier and more afraid you become, regardless of those who surround you.  The more you want to be spiritually enlightened, the more self-centered and shallow you become in trying to get there.”

              Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

              Beyond the Quote (177/365)

              The more desperate you are, the more intense your feelings of lack become. Sometimes desperation comes from a lack of a need. These intense feelings are legitimate survival mechanisms designed to keep you alive. When you are desperately hungry, it implies that you would do just about anything for food. When you are desperately ill, it means that you would sacrifice almost anything for health. When you’re desperately sad, it means you would likely try anything for happiness again. But, desperation can be self-imposed from a lack of a want, too.

              Read More »Mark Manson Quote on How Being Desperate For Something Doesn’t Help You Get It

                “Nothing out there will ever satisfy you except temporarily and superficially, but you may need to experience many disillusionments before you realize that truth. Things and conditions can give you pleasure, but they will also give you pain. Things and conditions can give you pleasure, but they cannot give you joy. Nothing can give you joy. Joy is uncaused and arises from within as the joy of Being.”

                Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 187)

                  “Monks and priests take vows of poverty because it will mean fewer distractions, and more room (literally) for the spiritual pursuit to which they have committed. No one is saying we have to go that far, but the more we own, the more we oversee, the less room we have to move and, ironically, the less still we become. Start by walking around your house and filling up trash bags and boxes with everything you don’t use. Think of it as clearing more room for your mind and your body. Give yourself space. Give your mind a rest. Want to have less to be mad about? Less to covet or be triggered by? Give more away.”

                  Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 210)

                    “Mo’ money, mo’ problems, and also mo’ stuff, less freedom.”

                    Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 209)

                      “More does nothing for the one who feels less than, who cannot see the wealth that was given to them at birth, that they have accumulated in their relationships and experiences. Solving your problem of poverty is an achievable goal and can be fixed by earning and saving money. No one could seriously claim otherwise. The issue is when we think these activities can address spiritual poverty.“

                      Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 124)

                        “The drive for trading up, wanting the new and improved, may fuel humanity’s progress, but it also creates a lot of dissatisfaction and anxiety.” ~ John Leland, Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 84)

                          “What you get will never make you happy; who you become will make you very happy or very sad.” ~ Jim Rohn, via Money: Master the Game

                            “Always remember the ultimate truth: life is not about money, it’s about emotion.  The real goal is to have the lifestyle you want, not the things.  When you die, someone else gets those things anyway.  They’re not yours.  I have no illusions: as much as I cherish and enjoy ‘my’ resort in Fiji, I know I’m just the caretaker.  Someday someone else will own this property.” ~ Tony Robbins, Money: Master the Game

                              “You don’t possess the stars; still you can enjoy them.  Or do you first have to possess them, and only then will you be able to enjoy them?  You don’t possess the birds in the sky, but you can enjoy them.  What you need is not more possessions.  What you need is more sensitiveness, more aesthetic sensibility, more musical ears, more artistic eyes.  What you need is a vision that transforms everything into something significant and meaningful.” ~ Osho, Fame, Fortune, and Ambition