--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, here is the point about the self: it…" description: "\"Now, here is the point about the self: it is insatiable. It is always, always hankering. It is what you might call rapacious to a fault. The great flam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/donald-barthelme-2980_ego_now-here-is-the-point-about-the-self-it_2683100.png" --- # Now, here is the point about the self: it is insatiable… ![“Now, here is the point about the self: it is insatiable. It is always, always hankering. It is what you might call rapacious to a fault. The great flaming mouth to the thing is never in this world going to be stuff full.” quote by Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/donald-barthelme-2980_ego_now-here-is-the-point-about-the-self-it_2683100.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/donald-barthelme-2980_ego_now-here-is-the-point-about-the-self-it_2683100.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/donald-barthelme-2980_ego_now-here-is-the-point-about-the-self-it_2683100.png) > “Now, here is the point about the self: it is insatiable. It is always, always hankering. It is what you might call rapacious to a fault. The great flaming mouth to the thing is never in this world going to be stuff full.” [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The self is never satisfied, constantly craving more, making true contentment elusive. **In simple terms:** Self is always wanting more. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage endless cravings. Themes desire insatiability self craving contentment Mood critical analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - marketing - personal finance - habit formation - relationship dynamics Key Concepts psychology philosophy consumerism Questions to Reflect On - What cravings drive your decisions? - Can you find contentment without endless wanting? A Different Perspective May ignore healthy ambition and growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Faults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faults/) [Hankering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hankering/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Insatiable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insatiable/) [Insatiable Hankering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insatiable-hankering-2596875/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Mouths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouths/) [Point Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-self-2596874/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Insatiable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-insatiable-2596873/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Why is erasing desire seen as so important? If the subjugation of the self is the point of the self what's the point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-fischer/why-is-erasing-desire-seen-as-so-important-if-the-subjugation-of-the/) [Tibor Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-fischer/) > [...a point is reached where the self is so completely aligned with the still-point that it can no longer be moved, even in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/a-point-is-reached-where-the-self-is-so-completely-aligned-with-the/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [I think that there must be a point of self-immersion in a story that is a point of no return. You get far enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/i-think-that-there-must-be-a-point-of-self-immersion-in-a-story-that/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [The critic's hankering to be law-giver rather than servant of literature is irrepressible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-jameson/the-critic-s-hankering-to-be-law-giver-rather-than-servant-of/) [Storm Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-jameson/) > [Wasted is when you have a hankering for ice cream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/wasted-is-when-you-have-a-hankering-for-ice-cream/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [So where did these cravings come from? I concluded it's the baby ordering in. Prenatal takeout. Even without ever being in a restaurant, fetuses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reiser/so-where-did-these-cravings-come-from-i-concluded-it-s-the-baby/) [Paul Reiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reiser/) > [I have a hankering to go back to the Orient and discard my necktie. Neckties strangle clear thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/i-have-a-hankering-to-go-back-to-the-orient-and-discard-my-necktie/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [The disciple is not hankering for knowledge; he wants to see, not to know. He wants to be. He is no longer interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-disciple-is-not-hankering-for-knowledge-he-wants-to-see-not-to/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I've never had a "hankering" to direct. I can perform, but I can't write on that level. I tend to go off on tangents.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/i-ve-never-had-a-hankering-to-direct-i-can-perform-but-i-can-t-write/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I'd always had this hankering to try some opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ball/i-d-always-had-this-hankering-to-try-some-opera/) [Michael Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ball/) > [Oh mortal man, is there anything you cannot be made to believe?. Of all the means I know to lead men, the most effectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-weishaupt/oh-mortal-man-is-there-anything-you-cannot-be-made-to-believe-of-all/) [Adam Weishaupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-weishaupt/) > [Spirituality is the science that teaches us how to achieve peace of mind and supreme satisfaction. Right now we are hankering after many, many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/spirituality-is-the-science-that-teaches-us-how-to-achieve-peace-of/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [You have to establish your love. You should feel a hankering for others. Now the competition has to change, the style of competition among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/you-have-to-establish-your-love-you-should-feel-a-hankering-for/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [The wise say that it is not an iron, wooden or fiber fetter which is a strong one, but the besotted hankering after trinkets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-wise-say-that-it-is-not-an-iron-wooden-or-fiber-fetter-which-is-a/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [The people who are always hankering loudest for some golden yesteryear usually drive new cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/the-people-who-are-always-hankering-loudest-for-some-golden/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) ## More by Donald Barthelme > [And I sat there getting drunker and drunker and more in love and more in love...And you can never touch a girl in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/and-i-sat-there-getting-drunker-and-drunker-and-more-in-love-and-more/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-story-ends-it-was-written-for-several-reasons-nine-of-them-are/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“INTERVIEWER Why don’t you write tragedy? BARTHELME I’m fated to deal in mixtures, slumgullions, which preclude tragedy, which require a pure line. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/interviewer-why-don-t-you-write-tragedy-barthelme-i-m-fated-to-deal/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Do I want to be loved in spite of?Do you? Does anyone? But aren't we all to some degree? 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A few people accumulate big piles, but most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/capitalism-places-every-man-in-competition-with-his-fellows-for-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“You came and fell upon me, I was sitting in the wicker chair. The wicker exclaimed as your weight fell upon me. You were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/you-came-and-fell-upon-me-i-was-sitting-in-the-wicker-chair-the/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Mother, have you noticed that this society we’re in tends to be a little…repressive?” “What does that mean, Eugenie? What does that mean, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/mother-have-you-noticed-that-this-society-we-re-in-tends-to-be-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [I keep wondering if, say, there is intelligent life on other planets, the scientists argue that something like two percent of the other planets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/i-keep-wondering-if-say-there-is-intelligent-life-on-other-planets/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“This muck heaves and palpitates. It is multi-directional and has a mayor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/this-muck-heaves-and-palpitates-it-is-multi-directional-and-has-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“They were heading I judged for the Sixth Precinct. Had I had the black hat with me, and sufficient men and horses and lariats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/they-were-heading-i-judged-for-the-sixth-precinct-had-i-had-the-black/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“art is a meditation upon external reality rather than a representation of external reality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/art-is-a-meditation-upon-external-reality-rather-than-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“the hinder portion scalding-house good eating Curve B in addition to the usual baths and ablutions military police sumptuousness of the washhouse risking misstatements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-hinder-portion-scalding-house-good-eating-curve-b-in-addition-to/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [Any genuine work of art generates new work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/any-genuine-work-of-art-generates-new-work/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) [Explore all 142 Donald Barthelme quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) ## More Ego quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [I love playing ego and insecurity combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/i-love-playing-ego-and-insecurity-combined/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I'm a straight shooter, and most of the time my ego doesn't interrupt my relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-macht/i-m-a-straight-shooter-and-most-of-the-time-my-ego-doesn-t-interrupt/) [Gabriel Macht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-macht/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“There are two kinds of people: goal-oriented and ego-oriented. Goal-oriented people work together and get things gone. Ego-oriented people don’t work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charbel-tadros/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-goal-oriented-and-ego-oriented-goal/) [Charbel Tadros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charbel-tadros/) > [Heart surgeons do not have the world's smallest egos: when you ask them to name the world's three leading practitioners, they never can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/heart-surgeons-do-not-have-the-world-s-smallest-egos-when-you-ask/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I hate acting when I see it. 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Our true nature is vast, all-comprehensive, and intangible as empty space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anagarika-govinda/our-real-nature-is-not-our-imaginary-limited-ego-our-true-nature-is/) [Anagarika Govinda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anagarika-govinda/) > [The man of wisdom is devoid of ego even though he may appear to use it. His vacant or fasting mind is neither doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramesh-s-balsekar/the-man-of-wisdom-is-devoid-of-ego-even-though-he-may-appear-to-use/) [Ramesh S Balsekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramesh-s-balsekar/) > [Show me success without ego!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivana-trump/show-me-success-without-ego/) [Ivana Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivana-trump/) [Browse all 3,462 Ego quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now, here is the point about the self: it is insatiable. 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