--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Where there is no desire or pursuits…" description: "\"Where there is no desire or pursuits, there is no wholeness. But there are satisfying lesser states, fragments.\" — Gore Vidal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/gore-vidal-466_desire_where-there-is-no-desire-or-pursuits-the_953233.jpg" --- # Where there is no desire or pursuits, there is no… ![“Where there is no desire or pursuits, there is no wholeness. But there are satisfying lesser states, fragments.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/gore-vidal-466_desire_where-there-is-no-desire-or-pursuits-the_953233.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/gore-vidal-466_desire_where-there-is-no-desire-or-pursuits-the_953233.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a9/gore-vidal-466_desire_where-there-is-no-desire-or-pursuits-the_953233.jpg) > “Where there is no desire or pursuits, there is no wholeness. But there are satisfying lesser states, fragments.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire fuels wholeness; without it, life fragments into lesser satisfactions. **In simple terms:** Without desire, life feels incomplete. Key Takeaway Cultivate meaningful desires to achieve wholeness. Themes desire wholeness fulfillment Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - relationship building - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What desires give your life meaning? - How can you balance desire with contentment? A Different Perspective Desire can also lead to dissatisfaction if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Satisfying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfying/) [Wholeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wholeness/) ## Related quotes > [A man of science rises ever, in seeking truth; and if he never finds it in its wholeness, he discovers nevertheless very significant fragments;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/a-man-of-science-rises-ever-in-seeking-truth-and-if-he-never-finds-it/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [Sometimes I perceive that there is a stillness and a wholeness in the world or in some portion or corner or fragment of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bass/sometimes-i-perceive-that-there-is-a-stillness-and-a-wholeness-in-the/) [Rick Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bass/) > [Trust allows you to follow your feelings through your defenses to their sources, and to bring to the light of consciousness those aspects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/trust-allows-you-to-follow-your-feelings-through-your-defenses-to/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Once you accept and rejoice in your authenticity, you begin to see things as YOU are. You begin to see the authentic self is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/once-you-accept-and-rejoice-in-your-authenticity-you-begin-to-see/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [Psychosynthesis brings the matter to a point of extreme simplicity, seeing the self as the most elementary and distinctive part of our beings -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piero-ferrucci/psychosynthesis-brings-the-matter-to-a-point-of-extreme-simplicity/) [Piero Ferrucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piero-ferrucci/) > [There is in all visible things an invisible fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious unity and integrity is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/there-is-in-all-visible-things-an-invisible-fecundity-a-dimmed-light/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is not our heads or our bodies which we must bring together, but our hearts. . . . Humanity. . . is building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/it-is-not-our-heads-or-our-bodies-which-we-must-bring-together-but/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [“In every atom, there is a reflection of the whole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/in-every-atom-there-is-a-reflection-of-the-whole/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [We live in a fractured world. I've always seen it as my role as an artist to attempt to make wholeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anish-kapoor/we-live-in-a-fractured-world-i-ve-always-seen-it-as-my-role-as-an/) [Anish Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anish-kapoor/) > [“As the connections have been broken by the fragmentation and isolation of work, they can be restored by restoring the wholeness of work. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/as-the-connections-have-been-broken-by-the-fragmentation-and/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“I am afraid I am going to drift into fiction, truthful but incomplete, for lack of some details which I cannot conjure up today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonora-carrington/i-am-afraid-i-am-going-to-drift-into-fiction-truthful-but-incomplete/) [Leonora Carrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonora-carrington/) > [“Paradoxically, we achieve true wholeness only by embracing our fragility and sometimes, our brokenness. Wholeness is a natural radiance of Love, and Love demands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalaja-bonheim/paradoxically-we-achieve-true-wholeness-only-by-embracing-our/) [Jalaja Bonheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalaja-bonheim/) > [What the nostalgic past and the imaginary future seem to share in common is a form of idealism, perhaps a dream of wholeness. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/what-the-nostalgic-past-and-the-imaginary-future-seem-to-share-in/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [“Our first teacher is our own heart. When we begin to tune in and listen to our heart we can bring our thoughts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-l-white/our-first-teacher-is-our-own-heart-when-we-begin-to-tune-in-and/) Victoria L. White > [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Where there is no desire or pursuits, there is no wholeness. 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