--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All our discontents about what we want…" description: "\"All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.\" — Daniel Defoe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/daniel-defoe-1971_gratitude_all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-a_1746983.jpg" --- # All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring… ![“All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.” quote by Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/daniel-defoe-1971_gratitude_all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-a_1746983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/daniel-defoe-1971_gratitude_all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-a_1746983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/daniel-defoe-1971_gratitude_all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-a_1746983.jpg) > “All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.” [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often forget to appreciate what we have, leading to endless cravings for more. **In simple terms:** Lack of gratitude fuels desire. Key Takeaway Cultivate thankfulness daily. Themes gratitude contentment desire Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal finance - relationships - mental health - goal setting Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What are you grateful for today? - How does gratitude change your priorities? A Different Perspective Gratitude alone may not solve systemic inequities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discontents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discontents-614760/) [Discontents Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discontents-want-1570667/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Thankfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thankfulness/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Appeared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-appeared-1570668/) [Want Thankfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-thankfulness-1570666/) ## Related quotes > [“All our discontents about what we want appeared to me to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-appeared-to-me-to-spring-from/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Those people cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given them because they see and covet what He has not given them. All of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/those-people-cannot-enjoy-comfortably-what-god-has-given-them-because/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [And which I take notice of here, to put those discontented people in mind of it, who cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/and-which-i-take-notice-of-here-to-put-those-discontented-people-in/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/i-learned-to-look-more-upon-the-bright-side-of-my-condition-and-less/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [ “\[He\] embodies this tension between civilization and its discontents, between the longing for a rational and cultured life and the bad luck and regrets… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-menaker/he-embodies-this-tension-between-civilization-and-its-discontents/) [Daniel Menaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-menaker/) > [“Words are the mirrors of our discontents merely; they contain all the huge unhatched eggs of the world's sorrows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/words-are-the-mirrors-of-our-discontents-merely-they-contain-all-the/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Let thy discontents be thy secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/let-thy-discontents-be-thy-secrets/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Round pegs in square holes tend to have dangerous thoughts about the social system and tend to infect others with their discontents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/round-pegs-in-square-holes-tend-to-have-dangerous-thoughts-about-the/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Neither deficiencies nor disappointments, losses nor crosses, can cause disquieting discontents in that bosom where faith is commander in chief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/neither-deficiencies-nor-disappointments-losses-nor-crosses-can-cause/) [Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/) > [“Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents’, on April 23, 1770: ‘When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/97-edmund-burke/thoughts-on-the-cause-of-the-present-discontents-on-april-23-1770/) [97 Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/97-edmund-burke/) > [Civilization creates discontents; barbarism creates quick endings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/civilization-creates-discontents-barbarism-creates-quick-endings/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Our pleasures and our discontents, Are rounds by which we may ascend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/our-pleasures-and-our-discontents-are-rounds-by-which-we-may-ascend/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Discontents are sometimes the better part of our life. I know not well which is the most useful; joy I may choose for pleasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/discontents-are-sometimes-the-better-part-of-our-life-i-know-not-well/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Far from being the basis of the good society, the family, with its narrow privacy and tawdry secrets, is the source of all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-leach/far-from-being-the-basis-of-the-good-society-the-family-with-its/) [Edmund Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-leach/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) ## More by Daniel Defoe > [“Strah od opasnosti je deset tisuća puta snažniji nego sama opasnost kad se pojavi pred očima.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/strah-od-opasnosti-je-deset-tisu-a-puta-sna-niji-nego-sama-opasnost/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“He told me it was for men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortune on the other, who when abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/he-told-me-it-was-for-men-of-desperate-fortunes-on-one-hand-or-of/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“From this moment I began to conclude in my mind that it was possible for me to be more happy in this forsaken, solitary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/from-this-moment-i-began-to-conclude-in-my-mind-that-it-was-possible/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Wit is the Fruitful Womb where Thoughts conceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/wit-is-the-fruitful-womb-where-thoughts-conceive/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Wherever God erects a house of prayer the Devil always builds a chapel there; And 't will be found, upon examination, the latter has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/wherever-god-erects-a-house-of-prayer-the-devil-always-builds-a/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Wit, like the Belly, if it be not fed, Will starve the Members, and distract the Head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/wit-like-the-belly-if-it-be-not-fed-will-starve-the-members-and/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“was to prepare more land, for I had now seed enough to sow above an acre of ground. Before I did this, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/was-to-prepare-more-land-for-i-had-now-seed-enough-to-sow-above-an/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Justice is always Violence to the Party offending, for every Man is Innocent in his own Eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/justice-is-always-violence-to-the-party-offending-for-every-man-is/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“and in that one night's wickedness I drowned all my repentance,all my reflections upon my past conduct,and all my resolution for the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/and-in-that-one-night-s-wickedness-i-drowned-all-my-repentance-all-my/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“Thus fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than danger itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/thus-fear-of-danger-is-ten-thousand-times-more-terrifying-than-danger/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [As for women that do not think their own safety worth their thought, that impatient of their present state, resolve as they call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/as-for-women-that-do-not-think-their-own-safety-worth-their-thought/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“It is as reasonable to represent one kind of imprisonment by another as it is to represent anything that really exists by that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/it-is-as-reasonable-to-represent-one-kind-of-imprisonment-by-another/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [So possible is it for us to roll ourselves up in wickedness, till we grow invulnerable by conscience; and that sentinel, once dozed, sleeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/so-possible-is-it-for-us-to-roll-ourselves-up-in-wickedness-till-we/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Now, said I aloud, My dear Father's Words are come to pass: God's Justice has overtaken me, and I have none to help or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/now-said-i-aloud-my-dear-father-s-words-are-come-to-pass-god-s/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“I stood still an hour or thereabouts without trespassing on our orders (for so long the caravan was in passing the gate), to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/i-stood-still-an-hour-or-thereabouts-without-trespassing-on-our/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) [Explore all 173 Daniel Defoe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) ## More Gratitude quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [“A treacherous President stood in the way; and it can be easily seen how reluctant good men might be to admit an apostasy which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-treacherous-president-stood-in-the-way-and-it-can-be-easily-seen/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [“Thanks for teaching us to talk. Thanks for teaching us to be of the world and in the world and to make our way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-isay/thanks-for-teaching-us-to-talk-thanks-for-teaching-us-to-be-of-the/) [Dave Isay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-isay/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I want to thank each and every one of you for having extinguished yourselves this session.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gib-lewis/i-want-to-thank-each-and-every-one-of-you-for-having-extinguished/) [Gib Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gib-lewis/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“and man, though idiotic, and knowing not what he does, yet full of the sweet things of love and gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-man-though-idiotic-and-knowing-not-what-he-does-yet-full-of-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) [Browse all 9,111 Gratitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Defoe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-appeared-to-spring-from-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gratitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-appeared-to-spring-from-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/daniel-defoe-1971_gratitude_all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-a_1746983.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/daniel-defoe-1971_gratitude_all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-a_1746983.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/daniel-defoe-1971_gratitude_all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-a_1746983.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.” — Daniel Defoe", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Daniel Defoe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All our discontents about what we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-appeared-to-spring-from-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/all-our-discontents-about-what-we-want-appeared-to-spring-from-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```