--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You talk about piling up treasure…" description: "\"“You talk about piling up treasure - money, property, culture, knowledge, and so on and so on. In going ahead with the Jesus Prayer - just let me finis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/j-d-salinger-560_material-things_you-talk-about-piling-up-treasure-money_2284381.jpg" --- # You talk about piling up treasure - money, property… ![“You talk about piling up treasure - money, property, culture, knowledge, and so on and so on. In going ahead with the Jesus Prayer - just let me finish, now please - in going ahead with the Jesus Prayer, aren't you trying to lay up some kind of treasure? Something that's every goddam bit as…” quote by J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/j-d-salinger-560_material-things_you-talk-about-piling-up-treasure-money_2284381.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/j-d-salinger-560_material-things_you-talk-about-piling-up-treasure-money_2284381.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/j-d-salinger-560_material-things_you-talk-about-piling-up-treasure-money_2284381.jpg) > ““You talk about piling up treasure - money, property, culture, knowledge, and so on and so on. In going ahead with the Jesus Prayer - just let me finish, now please - in going ahead with the Jesus Prayer, aren't you trying to lay up some kind of treasure? Something that's every goddam bit as negotiable as all those other, more material things? Or does the fact that it's a prayer make all the difference? . . . There's something about the way you're going at this prayer that gives me the willies . . . but I would like you to clear up for me just what the hell your motives are for saying it . . . As a matter of simple logic, there's no difference at all, that I can see, between the man who's greedy for material treasure - or even intellectual treasure - and the man who's greedy for spiritual treasure. As you say, treasure's treasure, God damn it, and it seems to me that ninety per cent of all the world-hating saints in history were just as acquisitive and unattractive, basically, as the rest of us are." Don't you think I have sense enough to worry about my motives for saying the prayer? That's exactly what's bothering me so. Just because I'm choosy about what I want - in this case, enlightenment, or peace, instead of money or prestige or fame or any of those things - doesn't mean I'm not as egotistical and self-seeking as everybody else. If anything, I'm more so!”” [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator questions whether spiritual pursuits are any less materialistic than worldly ambitions, suggesting that all forms of desire are equally self‑serving. **In simple terms:** Spiritual and material cravings are both driven by ego. Key Takeaway Examine the motives behind your desires. Themes desire spirituality materialism Mood contemplative skeptical Type philosophical inquisitive When to use this quote - personal growth - religious practice - ethical debate Key Concepts philosophical self‑reflection Practical Applications - seeking enlightenment - prayer - wealth accumulation Questions to Reflect On - What truly differentiates spiritual from material greed? - Can intention alone justify desire? A Different Perspective Spiritual motives can mask egoism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Material things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material-things/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Don't you think I have sense enough to worry about my motives for saying the prayer? That's exactly what's bothering me so. Just because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-you-think-i-have-sense-enough-to-worry-about-my-motives-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I would like you to clear up for me just what the hell your motives are for saying it.' He hesitated, but not long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-would-like-you-to-clear-up-for-me-just-what-the-hell-your-motives/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Never be diplomatic and careful about the treasure God gives. This is poverty triumphant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/never-be-diplomatic-and-careful-about-the-treasure-god-gives-this-is/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“Behind you, leave your enemies. Beside you, keep your family. Around you, maintain your friends. Within you, treasure God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/behind-you-leave-your-enemies-beside-you-keep-your-family-around-you-2/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [The richest treasure God has for you are the people in your life. Give thanks and don't take them for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-richest-treasure-god-has-for-you-are-the-people-in-your-life-give/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [“Gratitude is the real treasure God wants us to find, because it isn't the pot of gold but the rainbow that colors our world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/gratitude-is-the-real-treasure-god-wants-us-to-find-because-it-isn-t/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Thought is the only treasure that God sets outside all power and keeps to serve as a secret link among the unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/thought-is-the-only-treasure-that-god-sets-outside-all-power-and/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [I do not believe that one can earnestly seek and find the priceless treasure of God's call without a devout prayer life. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/i-do-not-believe-that-one-can-earnestly-seek-and-find-the-priceless/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Dreams are one treasure that God has bestowed on everyone without any discrimination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyoti-arora/dreams-are-one-treasure-that-god-has-bestowed-on-everyone-without-any/) [Jyoti Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyoti-arora/) > [Whatever is your greatest joy and treasure, that is your god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/whatever-is-your-greatest-joy-and-treasure-that-is-your-god/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [We live in a vastly complex society which has been able to provide us with a multitude of material things, and this is good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euell-gibbons/we-live-in-a-vastly-complex-society-which-has-been-able-to-provide-us/) [Euell Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euell-gibbons/) > [“Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. Mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/cause-and-effect-is-as-absolute-and-undeviating-in-the-hidden-realm/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/) T.I > [“That which they have need of . . . let it be given them day by day without fail. Ezra 6:9 If we really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/that-which-they-have-need-of-let-it-be-given-them-day-by-day-without/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) ## More by J.D. Salinger > [“I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all… I'm standing on the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-keep-picturing-all-these-little-kids-playing-some-game-in-this-big/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“If you're a poet, you do something beautiful. I mean you're supposed to leave something beautiful after you get off the page and everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/if-you-re-a-poet-you-do-something-beautiful-i-mean-you-re-supposed-to/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was… The only thing that would be different would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/the-best-thing-though-in-that-museum-was-that-everything-always/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“And you make people nervous, young man," she said - most equably, for her. "You either take to somebody or you don't. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/and-you-make-people-nervous-young-man-she-said-most-equably-for-her/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“I still think that, in a way, I can't get past half my childhood dogmas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-still-think-that-in-a-way-i-can-t-get-past-half-my-childhood-dogmas/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“He stuck around till around dinnertime, talking about all the guys at Pencey that he hated their guts, and squeezing this big pimple on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/he-stuck-around-till-around-dinnertime-talking-about-all-the-guys-at/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“For example, when Seymour told one of the twins or Zooey or Franny or even Mme. Boo Boo (who was only two years younger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/for-example-when-seymour-told-one-of-the-twins-or-zooey-or-franny-or/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“One thing? One thing I like? Okay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/one-thing-one-thing-i-like-okay/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“The cigars are ballast, sweetheart. Sheer ballast. If he didn’t have a cigar to hold on to, his feet would leave the ground. We’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/the-cigars-are-ballast-sweetheart-sheer-ballast-if-he-didn-t-have-a/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“They're just people that write poems that get published and anthologized all over the place but they're not poets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/they-re-just-people-that-write-poems-that-get-published-and/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“In certain Zen monasteries, it's a cardinal rule, if not the only serious enforced discipline, that when one monk calls out 'Hi!' to another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/in-certain-zen-monasteries-it-s-a-cardinal-rule-if-not-the-only/) [j.d. salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“And I hate to tell you... but I think that once you have a fair idea where you want to go, your first move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/and-i-hate-to-tell-you-but-i-think-that-once-you-have-a-fair-idea/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“Hi,' he said. He always said it like he was terrifically bored or terrifically tired. He didn't want you to think he was visiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/hi-he-said-he-always-said-it-like-he-was-terrifically-bored-or/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [ “\[Y\]ou’re someone who took up birds in the first place because they fired your imagination; they fascinated you because ‘they seemed of all created… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/y-ou-re-someone-who-took-up-birds-in-the-first-place-because-they/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) [Explore all 416 J.D. Salinger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## More Material things quotes > [“That which they have need of . . . let it be given them day by day without fail. Ezra 6:9 If we really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/that-which-they-have-need-of-let-it-be-given-them-day-by-day-without/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/) T.I > [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [“Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. Mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/cause-and-effect-is-as-absolute-and-undeviating-in-the-hidden-realm/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [We live in a vastly complex society which has been able to provide us with a multitude of material things, and this is good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euell-gibbons/we-live-in-a-vastly-complex-society-which-has-been-able-to-provide-us/) [Euell Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euell-gibbons/) > [“The poor who commit murder, rape and robbery are not only not starving, they have far more material things than the word ‘poverty’ suggests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/the-poor-who-commit-murder-rape-and-robbery-are-not-only-not-starving/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [I read American sagas (of the west) and I do not see people who went in search of material things. I see people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/i-read-american-sagas-of-the-west-and-i-do-not-see-people-who-went-in/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [“When the first chakra is disconnected from the feminine Earth, we can feel orphaned and motherless. The masculine principle predominates, and we look for security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/when-the-first-chakra-is-disconnected-from-the-feminine-earth-we-can/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [If you wish to care for your body, first of all take care of material things, though even when you have all the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/if-you-wish-to-care-for-your-body-first-of-all-take-care-of-material/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Renounce all those material things that you gained by exploiting other human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chapman/renounce-all-those-material-things-that-you-gained-by-exploiting/) [Tracy Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chapman/) > [I didn't have a great childhood, and neither did Debbie, my wife, so we both try to give the kids not only the material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-paphitis/i-didn-t-have-a-great-childhood-and-neither-did-debbie-my-wife-so-we/) [Theo Paphitis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-paphitis/) > [PROPERTY, n. Any material thing, having no particular value, that may be held by A against the cupidity of B. Whatever gratifies the passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/property-n-any-material-thing-having-no-particular-value-that-may-be/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [You can not Sell you Soul, just for material things, material do comes to an end. Or being damage or taken from you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-ntuli/you-can-not-sell-you-soul-just-for-material-things-material-do-comes/) [Simphiwe Ntuli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-ntuli/) > [ “\[FN#268\] Se-ji-hyaku-dan. 12. 'The Five Ranks of Merit.' Thus far we have stated how to train our body and mind according to the general… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/fn-268-se-ji-hyaku-dan-12-the-five-ranks-of-merit-thus-far-we-have/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [Generosity is not limited to the giving of material things. We can be generous with our kindness and receptivity. Generosity can mean the simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-fronsdal/generosity-is-not-limited-to-the-giving-of-material-things-we-can-be/) [Gil Fronsdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-fronsdal/) [Browse all 391 Material things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You talk about piling up treasure - money, property, culture, knowledge, and so on and so on. In going ahead with the Jesus Prayer - just let me finish, now please - in going ahead with the Jesus Prayer, aren't you trying to lay up some kind of treasure? Something that's every goddam bit as negotiable as all those other, more material things? Or does the fact that it's a prayer make all the difference? . . . There's something about the way you're going at this prayer that gives me the willies . . . but I would like you to clear up for me just what the hell your motives are for saying it . . . As a matter of simple logic, there's no difference at all, that I can see, between the man who's greedy for material treasure - or even intellectual treasure - and the man who's greedy for spiritual treasure. As you say, treasure's treasure, God damn it, and it seems to me that ninety per cent of all the world-hating saints in history were just as acquisitive and unattractive, basically, as the rest of us are.\" Don't you think I have sense enough to worry about my motives for saying the prayer? That's exactly what's bothering me so. Just because I'm choosy about what I want - in this case, enlightenment, or peace, instead of money or prestige or fame or any of those things - doesn't mean I'm not as egotistical and self-seeking as everybody else. If anything, I'm more so!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J.D. 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