--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We part more easily with what we possess…" description: "\"We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment.\" — Henry Ho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/henry-home-lord-kames-18008_anticipation_we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess_76467.png" --- # We part more easily with what we possess, than with our… ![“We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment.” quote by Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/henry-home-lord-kames-18008_anticipation_we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess_76467.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/henry-home-lord-kames-18008_anticipation_we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess_76467.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/henry-home-lord-kames-18008_anticipation_we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess_76467.png) > “We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment.” [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People detach from actual possessions more readily than from the hopes they hold, because hopes extend beyond present pleasure. **In simple terms:** Desires outlast ownership. Key Takeaway Expectations hinder contentment. Themes desire contentment psychology expectation attachment Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - grieving a lost job - missing a promotion - unfulfilled relationship expectations Key Concepts expectation enjoyment possessions Practical Applications - coaching for realistic goal setting - therapy focusing on present-moment appreciation Questions to Reflect On - How do your expectations shape your daily satisfaction? - What would change if you valued present experiences over future hopes? A Different Perspective Some argue that expectations can motivate achievement, not just hinder happiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment/) [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [Never expect anything from those who dont love and care about you and those who really do will already fulfil your expectations before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/never-expect-anything-from-those-who-dont-love-and-care-about-you-and/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [“Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will laud you his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/expectation-that-is-the-true-soul-of-art-if-you-can-give-a-man-more/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Nothing is so great an adversary to those who make it their business to please as expectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nothing-is-so-great-an-adversary-to-those-who-make-it-their-business/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [The pilot who is always dreading a rock or a tempest must not complain if he remain a poor fisherman. We must at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/the-pilot-who-is-always-dreading-a-rock-or-a-tempest-must-not/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [The so called unconscious inferences can be traced back to the all-preserving memory, which presents us with parallel experiences and hence already knows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-so-called-unconscious-inferences-can-be-traced-back-to-the-all/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [“O I'm so afraid that it's true about to travel hopefully being better than to arrive. It might be all in the quest, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/o-i-m-so-afraid-that-it-s-true-about-to-travel-hopefully-being-better/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Playing shortstop is 75 to 80 percent anticipation, knowing the hitter and the pitch being thrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-boudreau/playing-shortstop-is-75-to-80-percent-anticipation-knowing-the-hitter/) [Lou Boudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-boudreau/) > [Long intros are cool because there's a little bit of anticipation, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/long-intros-are-cool-because-there-s-a-little-bit-of-anticipation-you/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) ## More by Henry Home, Lord Kames > [The indulgence of revenge tends to make men more savage and cruel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/the-indulgence-of-revenge-tends-to-make-men-more-savage-and-cruel/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [An agreeable figure and winning manner, which inspire affection without love, are always new. Beauty loses its relish, the graces never, after the longest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/an-agreeable-figure-and-winning-manner-which-inspire-affection/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [A great mind will neither give an affront nor bear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/a-great-mind-will-neither-give-an-affront-nor-bear-it/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [As nice as we are in love, we forgive more faults in that than in friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/as-nice-as-we-are-in-love-we-forgive-more-faults-in-that-than-in/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [An infallible way to make your child miserable is to satisfy all his demands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/an-infallible-way-to-make-your-child-miserable-is-to-satisfy-all-his/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [An infallible way to make your child miserable is to satisfy all his demands. Passion swells by gratification; and the impossibility of satisfying every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/an-infallible-way-to-make-your-child-miserable-is-to-satisfy-all-his-2/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [Beauty loses its relish; the graces never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/beauty-loses-its-relish-the-graces-never/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [The mind is never more highly gratified than in contemplating a natural landscape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/the-mind-is-never-more-highly-gratified-than-in-contemplating-a/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [Genius is allied to a warm and inflammable constitution; delicacy of taste, to calmness and sedateness. Hence it is common to find genius in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/genius-is-allied-to-a-warm-and-inflammable-constitution-delicacy-of/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [The sordid meal of the Cynics contributed neither to their tranquillity nor to their modesty. Pride went with Diogenes into his tub; and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/the-sordid-meal-of-the-cynics-contributed-neither-to-their/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [Whoever appears to have much cunning has in reality very little; being deficient in the essential article, which is, to hide cunning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/whoever-appears-to-have-much-cunning-has-in-reality-very-little-being/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [To a zealot every one of his own sect is a saint, while the most upright of a different sect are to him children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/to-a-zealot-every-one-of-his-own-sect-is-a-saint-while-the-most/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [Such is the power of imagination, that even a chimerical pleasure in expectation affects us more than a solid pleasure in possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/such-is-the-power-of-imagination-that-even-a-chimerical-pleasure-in/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [Nothing more excites to everything noble and generous, than virtuous love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/nothing-more-excites-to-everything-noble-and-generous-than-virtuous/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [Even dress is apt to inflame a man's opinion of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/even-dress-is-apt-to-inflame-a-man-s-opinion-of-himself/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) [Explore all 36 Henry Home, Lord Kames quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) ## More Anticipation quotes > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) > [Long intros are cool because there's a little bit of anticipation, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/long-intros-are-cool-because-there-s-a-little-bit-of-anticipation-you/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [Playing shortstop is 75 to 80 percent anticipation, knowing the hitter and the pitch being thrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-boudreau/playing-shortstop-is-75-to-80-percent-anticipation-knowing-the-hitter/) [Lou Boudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-boudreau/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [“O I'm so afraid that it's true about to travel hopefully being better than to arrive. It might be all in the quest, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/o-i-m-so-afraid-that-it-s-true-about-to-travel-hopefully-being-better/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [The so called unconscious inferences can be traced back to the all-preserving memory, which presents us with parallel experiences and hence already knows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-so-called-unconscious-inferences-can-be-traced-back-to-the-all/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [The pilot who is always dreading a rock or a tempest must not complain if he remain a poor fisherman. We must at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/the-pilot-who-is-always-dreading-a-rock-or-a-tempest-must-not/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [I am honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-boateng/i-am-honoured-to-be-asked-to-take-on-this-role-especially-as-it-comes/) Paul Boateng > [“I can handle Evil, but I cannot handle Anticipation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabbo-de-la-parra/i-can-handle-evil-but-i-cannot-handle-anticipation/) [Gabbo De La Parra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabbo-de-la-parra/) > [Hope is itself a species of happiness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/hope-is-itself-a-species-of-happiness/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) Browse all 758 Anticipation quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Home, Lord Kames" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess-than-with-our-expectations/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anticipation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess-than-with-our-expectations/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/henry-home-lord-kames-18008_anticipation_we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess_76467.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/henry-home-lord-kames-18008_anticipation_we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess_76467.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae0/henry-home-lord-kames-18008_anticipation_we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess_76467.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because…” — Henry Home, Lord Kames", "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": "Henry Home, Lord Kames", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We part more easily with what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess-than-with-our-expectations/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess-than-with-our-expectations/#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 } } ] } ```