--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: for my greatest skill has been to want…" description: "\"“for my greatest skill has been to want but little.”\" — Henry David Thoreau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/henry-david-thoreau-20_quote_for-my-greatest-skill-has-been-to-want-b_879739.jpg" --- # for my greatest skill has been to want but little. ![“for my greatest skill has been to want but little.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/henry-david-thoreau-20_quote_for-my-greatest-skill-has-been-to-want-b_879739.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/henry-david-thoreau-20_quote_for-my-greatest-skill-has-been-to-want-b_879739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/henry-david-thoreau-20_quote_for-my-greatest-skill-has-been-to-want-b_879739.jpg) > ““for my greatest skill has been to want but little.”” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Finding fulfillment in modest desires rather than endless wants. **In simple terms:** Less desire, more contentment. Key Takeaway Cultivate simple, purposeful living. Themes simplicity contentment desire Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily habits - financial planning - spiritual practice Key Concepts philosophy minimalism Questions to Reflect On - What can you let go of? - How does desire affect happiness? A Different Perspective Minimalism can be challenging in consumer culture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Skill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skill/) ## Related quotes > [My greatest skill has been to want but little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-greatest-skill-has-been-to-want-but-little/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“My greatest skill has been to want little. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU, WALDEN A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-potts/my-greatest-skill-has-been-to-want-little-henry-david-thoreau-walden-a/) [Rolf Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-potts/) > [Forgiveness - this needs to be our greatest skill. The way to get good at forgiveness is: to be thankful for all the little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/forgiveness-this-needs-to-be-our-greatest-skill-the-way-to-get-good/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“The greatest skill that an author could possess, she thought, was the ability to make a reader see a book as his or her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-satyal/the-greatest-skill-that-an-author-could-possess-she-thought-was-the/) [Rakesh Satyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-satyal/) > [The greatest skill that I have is what the viewer has: I listen. I try to listen silently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harris-faulkner/the-greatest-skill-that-i-have-is-what-the-viewer-has-i-listen-i-try/) [Harris Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harris-faulkner/) > [“Knowing and mastering the ability to stop yourself when you least want to, and letting silence speak instead of you, is the greatest skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-sasha-trajkovski/knowing-and-mastering-the-ability-to-stop-yourself-when-you-least/) Aleksandar Sasha Trajkovski > [Whatever you want too much you can't have, so when you really want something, try to want it a little less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-rosenberg/whatever-you-want-too-much-you-can-t-have-so-when-you-really-want/) [Joel Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-rosenberg/) > [It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike men to want little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/it-is-the-privilege-of-the-gods-to-want-nothing-and-of-godlike-men-to/) [Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/) > [When I grow up I want to be a little boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-little-boy/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“When he'd been small, people had said things like, "And what do you want to be, little man?" and he'd said, "I don’t know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/when-he-d-been-small-people-had-said-things-like-and-what-do-you-want/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I don't want to be little again. 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I don't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-paulson/i-have-friends-say-don-t-you-want-to-have-a-little-you-the-jury-s/) [Sarah Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-paulson/) > [“If we have little, and we want for little, and we are all equal, we envy no one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/if-we-have-little-and-we-want-for-little-and-we-are-all-equal-we-envy/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. 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It's a natural skill that I have, to hit long balls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/i-don-t-practise-it-that-much-maybe-two-or-three-times-a-week-it-s-a/) [Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [To be in a room and have to explain your point of view is a huge skill in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-savage/to-be-in-a-room-and-have-to-explain-your-point-of-view-is-a-huge/) [Stephanie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-savage/) > [Those who have high business acumen display specific, identifiable cognitive skills that permit them to perform better than their peers. Once we understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/those-who-have-high-business-acumen-display-specific-identifiable/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Anyone can throw a jab, but it takes skill to land a punch and make it hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deondriea-cantrice/anyone-can-throw-a-jab-but-it-takes-skill-to-land-a-punch-and-make-it/) [Deondriea Cantrice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deondriea-cantrice/) > [When you read about white athletes these days and white skill possession receivers specifically, one word you'll always find is tough. You'll rarely see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mccaffrey/when-you-read-about-white-athletes-these-days-and-white-skill/) [Christian McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mccaffrey/) > [Generating ideas isn't some mystical talent that you have to be born with: it's a skill you can develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/generating-ideas-isn-t-some-mystical-talent-that-you-have-to-be-born/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“GIVE A NEW SKILL A MINIMUM OF EIGHT WEEKS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-coyle/give-a-new-skill-a-minimum-of-eight-weeks/) [Daniel Coyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-coyle/) > [The essence of intelligence is skill in extracting meaning from everyday experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-essence-of-intelligence-is-skill-in-extracting-meaning-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Having no applicable skills, in any possible area whatsoever, effectively makes me the master of redundancy. But that info is obsolete, like my insults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/having-no-applicable-skills-in-any-possible-area-whatsoever/) Will Advise > [It's a real skill to be able to publicise yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-macfadyen/it-s-a-real-skill-to-be-able-to-publicise-yourself/) [Matthew Macfadyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-macfadyen/) > [I love doing characters that challenge me. 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