---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things are always less important once…"
description: "\"“Things are always less important once you're assured of having them.”\" — Mary Gaitskill"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/mary-gaitskill-7551_assured_things-are-always-less-important-once-yo_2851979.jpg"
---

#  Things are always less important once you're assured of…

![“Things are always less important once you're assured of having them.” quote by Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/mary-gaitskill-7551_assured_things-are-always-less-important-once-yo_2851979.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/mary-gaitskill-7551_assured_things-are-always-less-important-once-yo_2851979.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/mary-gaitskill-7551_assured_things-are-always-less-important-once-yo_2851979.jpg)

> ““Things are always less important once you're assured of having them.””

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

## About This Quote

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

Once you possess something, its urgency and value diminish, altering priorities.

**In simple terms:** Having things reduces their perceived importance.

Key Takeaway

Recognize shifting priorities after acquisition.

Themes

materialism contentment priorities

Mood

reflective neutral

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- relationship milestones
- financial gain

Key Concepts

psychology value perception

Questions to Reflect On

- What do you do when a goal loses its urgency?
- How do you maintain appreciation for what you have?

A Different Perspective

May lead to complacency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/)

[Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/)

> [Some things are too important to be left to the private sector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/some-things-are-too-important-to-be-left-to-the-private-sector/)

[George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/)

> [Fear in itself is not important, but fear stands there and points you in the direction of things that are important. Don't be afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-in-itself-is-not-important-but-fear-stands-there-and-points-you/)

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

> [Relationships are important, but stay focused on all the things that are important. Figure out what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daren-kagasoff/relationships-are-important-but-stay-focused-on-all-the-things-that/)

[Daren Kagasoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daren-kagasoff/)

> [Some things are too important to be taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/some-things-are-too-important-to-be-taken-seriously/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“There are some things more important than your own life. Like friendship, and love, and trust, and goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-estes/there-are-some-things-more-important-than-your-own-life-like/)

[David Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-estes/)

> [I can't seem to fathom that the things important to me are not important to other people as well, and so I come off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-can-t-seem-to-fathom-that-the-things-important-to-me-are-not/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [Individual responsibility, hard work, paying attention in school, faith, family all these things are important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-watts/individual-responsibility-hard-work-paying-attention-in-school-faith/)

[J. C. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-watts/)

> [“Procrastination threatens to rob us of those things that are most important in our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/procrastination-threatens-to-rob-us-of-those-things-that-are-most/)

[Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/)

> [There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money and I can’t remember what the second one is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hanna/there-are-two-things-that-are-important-in-politics-the-first-is/)

[Mark Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hanna/)

> [“Knowing what things are not is often as important as knowing what they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-e-feist/knowing-what-things-are-not-is-often-as-important-as-knowing-what/)

[Raymond E. Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/)

> [There are few things it is more important to learn than how to live on little and be therewith content: for the less we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/there-are-few-things-it-is-more-important-to-learn-than-how-to-live/)

[John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/)

> [Everything you know, all the things that you thought were important, drift into the background. And even things that were important really come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-bloom/everything-you-know-all-the-things-that-you-thought-were-important/)

[Orlando Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-bloom/)

> [“Here I dare to be myself. I don't see why it should ever be again be important to me what I wear, or whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-dickinson-rich/here-i-dare-to-be-myself-i-don-t-see-why-it-should-ever-be-again-be/)

[Louise Dickinson Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-dickinson-rich/)

> [What is important is how much service you can give to the world and how much better you can make things. These are important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/what-is-important-is-how-much-service-you-can-give-to-the-world-and/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

## More by Mary Gaitskill

> [“I carry love wrapped in pain. That is my treasure and soon it will be yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-carry-love-wrapped-in-pain-that-is-my-treasure-and-soon-it-will-be/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“God famously doesn't afflict Job because of anything Job has done, but because he wants to prove a point to Satan. Twenty years later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/god-famously-doesn-t-afflict-job-because-of-anything-job-has-done-but/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [When you're writing a story, you're creating something of an artificial ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-you-re-writing-a-story-you-re-creating-something-of-an/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [Partly, I'm worried that no one is saying anything because they are afraid of being seen as politically correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/partly-i-m-worried-that-no-one-is-saying-anything-because-they-are/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [ “...loading your brain with subliminal messages… How loathsome to turn a sadistic murder into entertainment \[in the newspaper\] -- and yet how hard not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/loading-your-brain-with-subliminal-messages-how-loathsome-to-turn-a/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [ “The place Joanne is building inside \[herself\] has rooms for all of this. Not just rooms. Beautiful ones. For Karl and Jerry and Karen… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/the-place-joanne-is-building-inside-herself-has-rooms-for-all-of-this/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“Valiantly, he tried to bring his soul to life in the small thing through which it had to live, and it was crushed, again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/valiantly-he-tried-to-bring-his-soul-to-life-in-the-small-thing/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [The best definition I've heard is that guilt is about what you've done, shame is about who you are. If something's out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/the-best-definition-i-ve-heard-is-that-guilt-is-about-what-you-ve/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [When my first book came out, it was very disorienting. My health went south. I didn't know how to relate to people. I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-my-first-book-came-out-it-was-very-disorienting-my-health-went/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [When he held her that way, she felt so happy that it disturbed her. After he left, it would take her hours to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-he-held-her-that-way-she-felt-so-happy-that-it-disturbed-her/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“But life can give a lot. If you can’t see inside the heart no matter how you look, then why not look? Why not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/but-life-can-give-a-lot-if-you-can-t-see-inside-the-heart-no-matter/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [Sexuality is a place where people are very vulnerable and can be experiencing and embodying very raw forces that they don't really understand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/sexuality-is-a-place-where-people-are-very-vulnerable-and-can-be/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [I focus more on the spiritual or psychic gains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-focus-more-on-the-spiritual-or-psychic-gains/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“When boys get angry with each other, they just fight it out and it's all over. But girls are dirty. They pretend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-boys-get-angry-with-each-other-they-just-fight-it-out-and-it-s/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [I think, life is miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-think-life-is-miserable/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

[Explore all 87 Mary Gaitskill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

## More Assured quotes

> [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/)

Giambattista Bodoni

> [The planet's survival has become so uncertain that any effort, any thought that presupposes an assured future amounts to a mad gamble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/the-planet-s-survival-has-become-so-uncertain-that-any-effort-any/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/)

[Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/)

> [“I remembered what Dad said once, that some people have all of life's answers worked out the day they're born and there's no use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/i-remembered-what-dad-said-once-that-some-people-have-all-of-life-s/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [The slave and those whose present life is miserable and who can find no consolation in the heavens are assured that at least the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-slave-and-those-whose-present-life-is-miserable-and-who-can-find/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I was acquainted once with a gallant soldier who assured me that his only measure of courage was this: upon the first fire, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/i-was-acquainted-once-with-a-gallant-soldier-who-assured-me-that-his/)

[Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/)

> [The Cold War philosophy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), which prevented the former Soviet Union and the United States from using the nuclear weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/the-cold-war-philosophy-of-mutual-assured-destruction-mad-which/)

[Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/)

> [If God has laid your sins upon the Son of His love, you may rest assured that He will never lay them a second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavius-winslow/if-god-has-laid-your-sins-upon-the-son-of-his-love-you-may-rest/)

[Octavius Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavius-winslow/)

> [In Canada, I've had success raising money. I think I was fortunate enough. But today, I would have to write a very, very bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-falardeau/in-canada-i-ve-had-success-raising-money-i-think-i-was-fortunate/)

[Philippe Falardeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-falardeau/)

> [Rest assured that our work is not over because our work has never been only hunting Nazi war criminals. The Simon Wiesenthal Center is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hier/rest-assured-that-our-work-is-not-over-because-our-work-has-never/)

[Marvin Hier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hier/)

> [God grant that by my persevering labours I may bring a little stone to the frail and ill-assured edifice of our knowledge of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/god-grant-that-by-my-persevering-labours-i-may-bring-a-little-stone/)

[Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/)

> [Those persons who are burning to display heroism may rest assured that the course of social evolution will offer them every opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/those-persons-who-are-burning-to-display-heroism-may-rest-assured/)

[Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/)

> [The Author of nature has not given laws to the universe, which, like the institutions of men, carry in themselves the elements of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-playfair/the-author-of-nature-has-not-given-laws-to-the-universe-which-like/)

[John Playfair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-playfair/)

> [I believe we have these capabilities. It doesn't mean that we will use them. Our future is not assured here. It's not clear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/i-believe-we-have-these-capabilities-it-doesn-t-mean-that-we-will-use/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [I have never been a fan of bond funds. Unlike a direct investment in an individual bond that you can hold to maturity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/i-have-never-been-a-fan-of-bond-funds-unlike-a-direct-investment-in/)

[Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/)

Browse all 409 Assured quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Things are always less important once you're assured of having them.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mary Gaitskill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/things-are-always-less-important-once-you-re-assured-of-having-them/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Assured"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/things-are-always-less-important-once-you-re-assured-of-having-them/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/mary-gaitskill-7551_assured_things-are-always-less-important-once-yo_2851979.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/mary-gaitskill-7551_assured_things-are-always-less-important-once-yo_2851979.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/842/mary-gaitskill-7551_assured_things-are-always-less-important-once-yo_2851979.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Things are always less important once you're assured of having them.” — Mary Gaitskill",
                "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": "Mary Gaitskill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Things are always less important once...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/things-are-always-less-important-once-you-re-assured-of-having-them/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/things-are-always-less-important-once-you-re-assured-of-having-them/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
