--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wealth is a relative thing since those…" description: "\"Wealth is a relative thing since those who have little and want less are richer than those who have much but want more.\" — Charles Caleb Colton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/charles-caleb-colton-270_littles_wealth-is-a-relative-thing-since-those-w_1875169.png" --- # Wealth is a relative thing since those who have little and… ![“Wealth is a relative thing since those who have little and want less are richer than those who have much but want more.” quote by Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/charles-caleb-colton-270_littles_wealth-is-a-relative-thing-since-those-w_1875169.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/charles-caleb-colton-270_littles_wealth-is-a-relative-thing-since-those-w_1875169.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/charles-caleb-colton-270_littles_wealth-is-a-relative-thing-since-those-w_1875169.png) > “Wealth is a relative thing since those who have little and want less are richer than those who have much but want more.” [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wealth depends on desire; contentment makes modest means feel richer. **In simple terms:** Desire defines wealth. Key Takeaway Cultivate contentment. Themes wealth desire contentment Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - finance - lifestyle - personal growth Key Concepts Relative value psychology of happiness Questions to Reflect On - How can you reduce desire? - What does true wealth mean to you? A Different Perspective Societal pressure pushes desire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Relative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relative/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Richer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richer/) [Richer Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richer-want-2613591/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Richer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-richer-1382823/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Wealth Relative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth-relative-633433/) ## Related quotes > [Wealth after all is a relative thing since he that has little and wants less is richer than he that has much and wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/wealth-after-all-is-a-relative-thing-since-he-that-has-little-and/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Our incomes should be like our shoes, if too small, they will gall and pinch us, but if too large, they will cause us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/our-incomes-should-be-like-our-shoes-if-too-small-they-will-gall-and/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [In my mind, Atlanta is a city where people are constantly trying to come up. They want to be richer than they were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-glover/in-my-mind-atlanta-is-a-city-where-people-are-constantly-trying-to/) [Stephen Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-glover/) > [“You should know this about the rich: they always want to get richer. It is never boring, getting your hands on more money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-jenkins-reid/you-should-know-this-about-the-rich-they-always-want-to-get-richer-it/) [Taylor Jenkins Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-jenkins-reid/) > [The less you want, the richer you are. The more you need in order to be happy, the more miserable you’ll be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/the-less-you-want-the-richer-you-are-the-more-you-need-in-order-to-be/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) > [If you want to get richer quicker, then solve bigger problems!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-you-want-to-get-richer-quicker-then-solve-bigger-problems/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“Wealth... is a relative thing since he that has little and wants less is richer than he that has much but wants more. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/wealth-is-a-relative-thing-since-he-that-has-little-and-wants-less-is/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [All wealth is relative; and so is its absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybille-bedford/all-wealth-is-relative-and-so-is-its-absence/) [Sybille Bedford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybille-bedford/) > [People who are rich want to be richer, but what's the difference? 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Some people aren’t really rich; they just have poor neighbors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/wealth-is-relative-some-people-aren-t-really-rich-they-just-have-poor/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I didn't grow up with great privilege, nor did I grow up wanting for anything. I was a middle-class kid and, relative to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/i-didn-t-grow-up-with-great-privilege-nor-did-i-grow-up-wanting-for/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [Gross and vulgar minds will always pay a higher respect to wealth than to talent; for wealth, although it be a far less efficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/gross-and-vulgar-minds-will-always-pay-a-higher-respect-to-wealth/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [If I had a quarter for every time I have Googled the difference between 'then' and 'than'...I wouldn't be rich, but I would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-underwood/if-i-had-a-quarter-for-every-time-i-have-googled-the-difference/) [Sara Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-underwood/) ## More by Charles Caleb Colton > [Villainy that is vigilant will be an overmatch for virtue, if she slumber at her post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/villainy-that-is-vigilant-will-be-an-overmatch-for-virtue-if-she/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/to-dare-to-live-alone-is-the-rarest-courage-since-there-are-many-who/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is doubtful whether mankind are most indebted to those who like Bacon and Butler dig the gold from the mine of literature, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-doubtful-whether-mankind-are-most-indebted-to-those-who-like/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/none-are-so-fond-of-secrets-as-those-who-do-not-mean-to-keep-them/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Mental pleasures never cloy; unlike those of the body, they are increased by reputation, approved by reflection, and strengthened by enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/mental-pleasures-never-cloy-unlike-those-of-the-body-they-are/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Ignorance lies at the bottom of all human knowledge, and the deeper we penetrate, the nearer we arrive unto it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/ignorance-lies-at-the-bottom-of-all-human-knowledge-and-the-deeper-we/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Heroism, self-denial, and magnanimity, in all instances where they do not spring from a principle of religion, are but splendid altars on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/heroism-self-denial-and-magnanimity-in-all-instances-where-they-do/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [We ought not to be over-anxious to encourage innovation in cases of doubtful improvement, for an old system must ever have two advantages over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-ought-not-to-be-over-anxious-to-encourage-innovation-in-cases-of/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed, but to those who have differed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-owe-almost-all-our-knowledge-not-to-those-who-have-agreed-but-to/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Metaphysicians have been learning their lessons for the last four thousand years, and it is high time that they should now begin to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/metaphysicians-have-been-learning-their-lessons-for-the-last-four/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Faith and works are necessary to our spiritual life as Christians, as soul and body are to our natural life as men; for faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/faith-and-works-are-necessary-to-our-spiritual-life-as-christians-as/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [When all moves equally (says Pascal), nothing seems to move as in a vessel under sail; and when all run by common consent into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-all-moves-equally-says-pascal-nothing-seems-to-move-as-in-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Explore all 778 Charles Caleb Colton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) ## More Littles quotes > [You gotta have a little kid in you to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-edwards/you-gotta-have-a-little-kid-in-you-to-play-football/) [Herman Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-edwards/) > [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [I was very lucky to get well known much later in life. You need to have flopped quite a few times to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-was-very-lucky-to-get-well-known-much-later-in-life-you-need-to/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. 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