It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it. The beginning of reform is not so much to equalize property as to train the noble sort of natures not to desire more, and to prevent the lower from getting more.

Aristotle

Politics

Buy Politics at Amazon Buy Politics at Amazon
Read Politics at MIT's classics department website

More information about this quote

Topic

Acquisitiveness Desire Materialism Attachment (Buddhism) Redistribution of resources

Author

Aristotle

Source

Politics

Genre

Political literature Philosophical literature

Language

Greek

Time

350 BC 350s BC 4th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Occupation

Philosopher Writer

From

Greece Europe Ancient Greece

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Aristotle. Politics. 4th century BC, bk. 2.

Current Citation

Aristotle. Politics, translated by R. F. Stalley and Sir Ernest Barker. Oxford University Press, 2009, bk. 2.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Aristotle about acquisitiveness: “It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live…”
Download
A quote by Aristotle about acquisitiveness: “It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live…”
Download
A quote by Aristotle about acquisitiveness: “It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live…”
Download

Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote by Aristotle

Hope is a waking dream.

Aristotle

Quoted in The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, by Diogenes Laërtius

Buy The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers at Amazon Buy The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers at Amazon
Read The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Hope
Speaker
Aristotle

Author

Diogenes Laërtius
Source
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
Genre
Historical literature
Language
Greek
Time
400 400s 3rd century
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Aristotle. Quoted in Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, written by Diogenes Laertius. c. 240 AD, bk. 5, ch. 1, sect. 18.

Current Citation

Aristotle. Quoted in The Lives of Eminent Philosophers, written by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Pamela Mensch, edited by James Miller. Oxford University Press, 2018, bk. 5, ch. 1, sect. 18.

Another quote from Classical antiquity

Happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous.

Pericles

Quoted in Funeral Oration, by Thucydides

Buy History of the Peloponnesian War at Amazon Buy History of the Peloponnesian War at Amazon
Read History of the Peloponnesian War at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Happiness Freedom Courage
Speaker
Pericles

Author

Thucydides
Source
Funeral Oration History of the Peloponnesian War
Genre
Historical literature
Language
Greek
Time
430 BC 430s BC 5th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Pericles. Quoted in The History of the Peloponnesian War. c. 431 BC, bk. 2.

Current Citation

Pericles. Quoted in The Peloponnesian War, translated by Martin Hammond. Oxford University Press, 2009, bk. 2.

Another quote originally in Greek

Of all wild creatures, the child is the most intractable.

Plato

Laws

Buy Plato's Laws at Amazon Buy Plato's Laws at Amazon
Read Laws at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Man and animals Boys Teaching children Children

Author

Plato
Source
Laws
Medium
Philosophical dialogue Dialogue
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
Greek
Time
346 BC 340s BC 4th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Plato. Νόμοι [Laws]. c. 346 BC, bk. 7.

Current Citation

Plato. Laws, translated by Tom Griffith, edited by Malcolm Schofield. Cambridge University Press, 2016, bk. 7.