--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is this not the collector's exquisite…" description: "\"“Is this not the collector's exquisite pleasure, that his desire should know no bounds, should reach out into the infinite, should never know full poss..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/georges-rodenbach-9570_collecting_is-this-not-the-collector-s-exquisite-pl_3102726.jpg" --- # Is this not the collector's exquisite pleasure, that his… ![“Is this not the collector's exquisite pleasure, that his desire should know no bounds, should reach out into the infinite, should never know full possession which disappoints by its very completeness. O what joy to be able to postpone the fulfillment of desire to infinity!” quote by Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/georges-rodenbach-9570_collecting_is-this-not-the-collector-s-exquisite-pl_3102726.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/georges-rodenbach-9570_collecting_is-this-not-the-collector-s-exquisite-pl_3102726.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/georges-rodenbach-9570_collecting_is-this-not-the-collector-s-exquisite-pl_3102726.jpg) > ““Is this not the collector's exquisite pleasure, that his desire should know no bounds, should reach out into the infinite, should never know full possession which disappoints by its very completeness. O what joy to be able to postpone the fulfillment of desire to infinity!”” [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire that never ends fuels endless yearning, turning fulfillment into a perpetual, unfulfilled longing. **In simple terms:** Infinite desire keeps longing alive. Key Takeaway Embrace the chase, not the capture. Themes desire longing infinity pleasure postponement Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - Art criticism - personal ambition - collecting - creative projects - spiritual practice Key Concepts Existentialism psychology hedonism Questions to Reflect On - Can you find contentment without full possession? - Does endless longing enrich or diminish life? A Different Perspective Endless desire can lead to chronic dissatisfaction and burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collectors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectors/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ## Related quotes > [There was a redemption of some kind, he believed, in such complete fulfillment of a desire so long deferred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-frazier/there-was-a-redemption-of-some-kind-he-believed-in-such-complete/) [Charles Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-frazier/) > [Most people think happiness comes from experiences in the world. The fulfillment of desire causes a type of happiness. But as soon as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/most-people-think-happiness-comes-from-experiences-in-the-world-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Disregard appearances, conditions, in fact all evidence of your senses that deny the fulfillment of your desire. Rest in the assumption that you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/disregard-appearances-conditions-in-fact-all-evidence-of-your-senses/) [Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/) > [The desire for riches is simply the capacity for a larger life seeking fulfillment; every desire is the effort of an unexpressed possibility come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/the-desire-for-riches-is-simply-the-capacity-for-a-larger-life/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [Fulfillment of desire - may not make one successful. Sacrifice of desre will definitly make one successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haamid-qureshi/fulfillment-of-desire-may-not-make-one-successful-sacrifice-of-desre/) Haamid Qureshi > [The fulfillment of desire does not necessarily make you happy because there is a satiation factor. You can get some apple pie and eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-fulfillment-of-desire-does-not-necessarily-make-you-happy-because/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The fulfillment of every desire only reveals its inadequacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-prabhavananda/the-fulfillment-of-every-desire-only-reveals-its-inadequacy/) [Swami Prabhavananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-prabhavananda/) > [Fulfillment of desire taken to extremes doesn't necessarily make us happy. It tends to make us rather cynical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/fulfillment-of-desire-taken-to-extremes-doesn-t-necessarily-make-us/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [THE FIRST STEP in changing the future is Desire, that is, define your objective - know definitely what you want. SECOND: construct an event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/the-first-step-in-changing-the-future-is-desire-that-is-define-your/) [Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/) > [Your desire is your prayer. Picture the fulfillment of your desire now and feel its reality and you will experience the joy of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/your-desire-is-your-prayer-picture-the-fulfillment-of-your-desire-now/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [“Actively, we are motivated by the never-ending desires of the self. We are compelled to pursue whatever the self imagines will satisfy its desires.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharma-publishing/actively-we-are-motivated-by-the-never-ending-desires-of-the-self-we/) [Dharma Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharma-publishing/) > [“—that exquisite sensual pleasure of collectors, who are a tactile species—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/that-exquisite-sensual-pleasure-of-collectors-who-are-a-tactile/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [The smallest task, well done, becomes a miracle of achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/the-smallest-task-well-done-becomes-a-miracle-of-achievement/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [God's power under us, in us, surging through us, is exactly what turns dependence into unforgettable experiences of completeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/god-s-power-under-us-in-us-surging-through-us-is-exactly-what-turns/) [Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/) > [“Complete - Yourself! Others may only enhance your completeness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lashauna-d-hinton/complete-yourself-others-may-only-enhance-your-completeness/) Lashauna D. Hinton ## More by Georges Rodenbach > [“Mevr. Cadzand feared for her son who, with his responsive nature, as sensitive as a hothouse plant, was more exposed. Fortunately religion is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/mevr-cadzand-feared-for-her-son-who-with-his-responsive-nature-as/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“A great melancholy was hanging in the air, giving their love a more languid, more tender feeling. It was like the love one feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/a-great-melancholy-was-hanging-in-the-air-giving-their-love-a-more/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Oh, the sudden change of perspective brought about by travel and absence! How different everything was here: the people in the streets, the houses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/oh-the-sudden-change-of-perspective-brought-about-by-travel-and/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“All lovers desire solitude in order to possess each other more completely. They create for each other a new universe inhabited by the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/all-lovers-desire-solitude-in-order-to-possess-each-other-more/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Now Borluut was seeing it from close to. And to its very end, it seemed, from the way the line of the horizon merged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/now-borluut-was-seeing-it-from-close-to-and-to-its-very-end-it-seemed/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“He felt alone, prey to the tedium, to the dreariness of time, especially at the approach of twilight which, during those late-autumn days, came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/he-felt-alone-prey-to-the-tedium-to-the-dreariness-of-time-especially/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [Can there be anything more sad than a girl dying on the day of her first communion, in her new dress. A little bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/can-there-be-anything-more-sad-than-a-girl-dying-on-the-day-of-her/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Dead towns are the Cathedrals of Silence. They, too, have their gargoyles, singular figures, exaggerated, dubious, set in high profile. They stand out from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/dead-towns-are-the-cathedrals-of-silence-they-too-have-their/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Is it not strange how quickly one can become detached from everything? How empty life appears when one is close to death!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/is-it-not-strange-how-quickly-one-can-become-detached-from-everything/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“(We) fell out of love with life for having learnt too much of death. ("At School")”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/we-fell-out-of-love-with-life-for-having-learnt-too-much-of-death-at/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Does it not sometimes happen in life that our actions are solely for an enemy, so as to stand up to him, to confound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/does-it-not-sometimes-happen-in-life-that-our-actions-are-solely-for/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“That is the way it is, we always fall in love because of a detail, a nuance. It is a marker we set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/that-is-the-way-it-is-we-always-fall-in-love-because-of-a-detail-a/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“In Bruges he had carried out a work which was anonymous and brought no glory, but was seen as admirable once it had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/in-bruges-he-had-carried-out-a-work-which-was-anonymous-and-brought/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“—that exquisite sensual pleasure of collectors, who are a tactile species—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/that-exquisite-sensual-pleasure-of-collectors-who-are-a-tactile/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“The widower reviewed his past in a sunless light which was intensified by the greyness of the November twilight, whilst the bells subtly impregnated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/the-widower-reviewed-his-past-in-a-sunless-light-which-was/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) [Explore all 70 Georges Rodenbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) ## More Collecting quotes > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [Taking photos is a form of collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/taking-photos-is-a-form-of-collecting/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [If you're feeling fancy free, come wander through the world with me, and any place we chance to be, will be a rendezvous. Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mancini/if-you-re-feeling-fancy-free-come-wander-through-the-world-with-me/) [Henry Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mancini/) > [I found so-called great art too pompous, too stiff. What at this time was called minor art was freer, more imaginative, more open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lipchitz/i-found-so-called-great-art-too-pompous-too-stiff-what-at-this-time/) [Jacques Lipchitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lipchitz/) > [My real first job was delivering newspapers with I was 15. I would ride my bike around and chuck papers at people's houses. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/my-real-first-job-was-delivering-newspapers-with-i-was-15-i-would/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [I didn't really grow up a comic book fanatic. I was a big baseball player, and my passion in life, in third grade, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ritchson/i-didn-t-really-grow-up-a-comic-book-fanatic-i-was-a-big-baseball/) [Alan Ritchson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ritchson/) > [I don't know who had the training of you," he continued doggedly, "but your morals are shocking. You spent a night in my bed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/i-don-t-know-who-had-the-training-of-you-he-continued-doggedly-but/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) > [...You can go your whole life collecting days, and none will outweigh the one you wish you had back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-can-go-your-whole-life-collecting-days-and-none-will-outweigh-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Instead of collecting things and staying in one space, I want to collect experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesh/instead-of-collecting-things-and-staying-in-one-space-i-want-to/) [Kesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesh/) > [I started collecting couture when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and the very first piece I bought was a Balenciaga suit from 1962.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamish-bowles/i-started-collecting-couture-when-i-was-about-10-or-11-years-old-and/) [Hamish Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamish-bowles/) > [I imagine the wave of water colliding with the rock and spilling over the tile floor, collecting around my shoes. Doing a little at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-imagine-the-wave-of-water-colliding-with-the-rock-and-spilling-over/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I needed more knowledge in rigging and knotting. I started collecting books on knots and really learning more and more. That's how it started.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-needed-more-knowledge-in-rigging-and-knotting-i-started-collecting/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [Physics is the only real science. The rest are just stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/physics-is-the-only-real-science-the-rest-are-just-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Some prescient American collectors, including Vicki and Kent Logan and Mera and Donald Rubell, began collecting Chinese art before 2000 with a genuine passion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-glimcher/some-prescient-american-collectors-including-vicki-and-kent-logan-and/) [Arne Glimcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-glimcher/) > [If I collected all the diamonds in the world, I'd have no 'income' but I'd have a lot of 'assets'. Would my company be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/if-i-collected-all-the-diamonds-in-the-world-i-d-have-no-income-but-i/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) Browse all 493 Collecting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Is this not the collector's exquisite pleasure, that his desire should know no bounds, should reach out into the infinite, should never know full possession which disappoints by its very completeness. 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