---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are many objects of desire, and…"
description: "\"There are many objects of desire, and therefore many desires. Some are born with us, hunger, yearning, and pride of place, and some are of the foolishn..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/guy-davenport-14485_athlete_there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-the_2081168.jpg"
---

#  There are many objects of desire, and therefore many…

![“There are many objects of desire, and therefore many desires. Some are born with us, hunger, yearning, and pride of place, and some are of the foolishness of the world, such as the desire to eat off silver plates. Desire is a wild horse to be tamed. Virtue is habit long continued. The taming of…” quote by Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/guy-davenport-14485_athlete_there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-the_2081168.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/guy-davenport-14485_athlete_there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-the_2081168.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/guy-davenport-14485_athlete_there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-the_2081168.jpg)

> “There are many objects of desire, and therefore many desires. Some are born with us, hunger, yearning, and pride of place, and some are of the foolishness of the world, such as the desire to eat off silver plates. Desire is a wild horse to be tamed. Virtue is habit long continued. The taming of desire is like the training of an athlete. Discipline is not the restraint but the use of energy.”

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Desire is abundant and varied; some are innate, others societal. Taming desire requires disciplined, purposeful energy like athletic training.

**In simple terms:** Desire needs disciplined control.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate disciplined habits to manage desire.

Themes

desire discipline self‑control

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal finance
- dietary choices
- career planning
- relationship boundaries

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy habit formation

Questions to Reflect On

- Which desires are essential versus superficial?
- How can you channel desire constructively?

A Different Perspective

Discipline can become rigid, stifling flexibility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desires/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Foolishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolishness/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Objects of desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects-of-desire/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Restraint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restraint/) [Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silver/) [Taming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taming/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Wild horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-horses/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Yearning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yearning/)

## Related quotes

> [There are many objects of desire, and therefore many desires. Some are born with us, hunger, yearning, and pride of place, and some are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-therefore-many-desires-some-are-2/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [People, when they are frustrated with worldly desires, start changing the object: they start making otherworldly objects of desire - heaven, paradise, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/people-when-they-are-frustrated-with-worldly-desires-start-changing/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [People are distracted by objects of desire, and afterward repent of the lust they've indulged, because they have indulged with a phantom and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/people-are-distracted-by-objects-of-desire-and-afterward-repent-of/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [And so it is, that both the Devil and the angelic Spirit present us with objects of desire to awaken our power of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/and-so-it-is-that-both-the-devil-and-the-angelic-spirit-present-us/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [“I am Desire, am I not? That is what I am; that is what I do. I make things want things. Where I touch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-am-desire-am-i-not-that-is-what-i-am-that-is-what-i-do-i-make/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Though there's something more tender, beneath our vanity, our will to become objects of desire: we sweat the mark of our presence onto the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/though-there-s-something-more-tender-beneath-our-vanity-our-will-to/)

[Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/)

> [By far the greatest part of those goods which are the objects of desire, are procured by labour and they may be multiplied, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/by-far-the-greatest-part-of-those-goods-which-are-the-objects-of/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [“There are objects you may desire but cannot explain. There are objects that are not nouns, there are actions that are not verbs. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/there-are-objects-you-may-desire-but-cannot-explain-there-are-objects/)

[Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/)

> [“Your body is made of two things: your will to do, your ego, and the physical form you have received from the prakriti, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/your-body-is-made-of-two-things-your-will-to-do-your-ego-and-the/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [There are urges and urges; you are exploding with urges, desires. You don't have one desire, you have many desires. Not only that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-urges-and-urges-you-are-exploding-with-urges-desires-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Desire nothing, give up all desires and be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/desire-nothing-give-up-all-desires-and-be-happy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Boredom: the desire for desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/boredom-the-desire-for-desires/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Always ask God to give you what you deserve, not what you desire. It's because your desires may be few, but you deserve a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/always-ask-god-to-give-you-what-you-deserve-not-what-you-desire-it-s/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“A desire of desires: the melancholy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-desire-of-desires-the-melancholy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [All you can possibly need or desire is already yours.Call your desires into being by imagining and feeling your wish fulfilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/all-you-can-possibly-need-or-desire-is-already-yours-call-your/)

[Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/)

## More by Guy Davenport

> [Art knows neither doctrine nor idea; its nature is to show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/art-knows-neither-doctrine-nor-idea-its-nature-is-to-show/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [I was thought to be retarded as a child, and all the evidence indicates that I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/i-was-thought-to-be-retarded-as-a-child-and-all-the-evidence/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [“Sometimes when reading Goethe I have a paralyzing suspicion that he is trying to be funny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/sometimes-when-reading-goethe-i-have-a-paralyzing-suspicion-that-he/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [The poet is at the edge of our consciousness of the world, finding beyond the suspected nothingness which we imagine limits our perception another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/the-poet-is-at-the-edge-of-our-consciousness-of-the-world-finding/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [“The poet and poetess have always had a rough time of it in the Republic. It has ever been their endemic luck to starve,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/the-poet-and-poetess-have-always-had-a-rough-time-of-it-in-the/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [Something of the previous state, however, survives every change. This is called in the language of cybernetics (which took it form the language of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/something-of-the-previous-state-however-survives-every-change-this-is/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [I’ve carved the puppet, and I manipulate the strings, but while it’s on stage, the show belongs to the puppet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/i-ve-carved-the-puppet-and-i-manipulate-the-strings-but-while-it-s-on/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [Art is the attention we pay to the wholeness of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/art-is-the-attention-we-pay-to-the-wholeness-of-the-world/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [“I God, a very Gomorry on wheels! You lead the most exciting life I know of, and complain more about it than any two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/i-god-a-very-gomorry-on-wheels-you-lead-the-most-exciting-life-i-know/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [“Man was first a hunter, and an artist: his early vestiges tell us that alone. But he must always have dreamed, and recognized and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/man-was-first-a-hunter-and-an-artist-his-early-vestiges-tell-us-that/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [It is worthwhile adding that the power of the poem to teach not only sensibilities and the subtle movements of the spirit but knowledge,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/it-is-worthwhile-adding-that-the-power-of-the-poem-to-teach-not-only/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [nothing now exists that is so valuable as whatever theoretically might replace it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/nothing-now-exists-that-is-so-valuable-as-whatever-theoretically/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [Originality houses many rooms, and the views from the windows are all different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/originality-houses-many-rooms-and-the-views-from-the-windows-are-all/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [My view, as one who taught it, is that the whole purpose of a literary education should be to tell people that these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/my-view-as-one-who-taught-it-is-that-the-whole-purpose-of-a-literary/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

> [“Bonnie Jean (who thinks all philosophers are idiots) has this quarrel with Wittgenstein, who in several places says that reddish green is inconceivable. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/bonnie-jean-who-thinks-all-philosophers-are-idiots-has-this-quarrel/)

[Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

[Explore all 46 Guy Davenport quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/)

## More Athlete quotes

> [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/)

[Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/)

> [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/)

[Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

> [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/)

[Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/)

> [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/)

[Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/)

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-didn-t-set-out-to-be-the-first-openly-gay-athlete-playing-in-a/)

[Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/)

> [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/)

[Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/)

> [I don't want to say names, but there are certain companies I won't work with because of previous people they've worked with. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-don-t-want-to-say-names-but-there-are-certain-companies-i-won-t/)

[Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/)

> [We are like highly trained athletes, who never run a race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/we-are-like-highly-trained-athletes-who-never-run-a-race/)

[Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/)

> [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/)

[Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/)

> [I didn't aspire to be a good sport; 'champion' was good enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-perry/i-didn-t-aspire-to-be-a-good-sport-champion-was-good-enough-for-me/)

[Fred Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-perry/)

> [Treat yourself like an overweight, out of shape person and that's what you will be. Why not train and treat yourself like an athlete?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/treat-yourself-like-an-overweight-out-of-shape-person-and-that-s-what/)

[Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/)

[Browse all 2,455 Athlete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There are many objects of desire, and therefore many desires. Some are born with us, hunger, yearning, and pride of place, and some are of the foolishness of the world, such as the desire to eat off silver plates. Desire is a wild horse to be tamed. Virtue is habit long continued. The taming of desire is like the training of an athlete. Discipline is not the restraint but the use of energy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Guy Davenport"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-therefore-many-desires-some-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Athlete"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-therefore-many-desires-some-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/guy-davenport-14485_athlete_there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-the_2081168.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/guy-davenport-14485_athlete_there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-the_2081168.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/guy-davenport-14485_athlete_there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-the_2081168.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are many objects of desire, and therefore many desires. Some are born with us, hunger, yearning, and…” — Guy Davenport",
                "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": "Guy Davenport",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There are many objects of desire,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-therefore-many-desires-some-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/there-are-many-objects-of-desire-and-therefore-many-desires-some-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
