--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tom said to himself that it was not such…" description: "\"Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it -- namely, that i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/mark-twain-22_action_tom-said-to-himself-that-it-was-not-such_323672.jpg" --- # Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world… ![“Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it -- namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/mark-twain-22_action_tom-said-to-himself-that-it-was-not-such_323672.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/mark-twain-22_action_tom-said-to-himself-that-it-was-not-such_323672.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe8/mark-twain-22_action_tom-said-to-himself-that-it-was-not-such_323672.jpg) > “Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it -- namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People desire things more when they are hard to get, a principle of human motivation. **In simple terms:** Harder things become more wanted. Key Takeaway Create scarcity to increase desire. Themes desire motivation scarcity human nature Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational insightful When to use this quote - marketing - relationship building - personal goal setting - education - leadership Key Concepts psychology behavioral economics incentives Questions to Reflect On - What can you make more appealing by adding challenge? - When does difficulty backfire? A Different Perspective If the difficulty is too great, it can deter rather than attract. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it, namely, that, in order to make a man or a boy covet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/he-had-discovered-a-great-law-of-human-action-without-knowing-it/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [in order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/in-order-to-make-a-man-or-boy-covet-a-thing-it-is-only-necessary-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There is a power in love that our world has not discovered yet. 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I said 'Tom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-hatton/i-was-leaving-the-hotel-to-get-to-the-fight-when-my-phone-went-and/) [Ricky Hatton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-hatton/) > [“Dr. Tom had said that Texas was the only place he had ever found that, when it killed you, it didn't forget about you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-kent/dr-tom-had-said-that-texas-was-the-only-place-he-had-ever-found-that/) [Kathleen Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-kent/) ## More by Mark Twain > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. 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