--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've an insatiable craving inside me that…" description: "\"“I've an insatiable craving inside me that consumes everything and makes me regard the sufferings and joys of others only in their relationship to me, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/mikhail-lermontov-9000_corruption_i-ve-an-insatiable-craving-inside-me-tha_1067830.jpg" --- # I've an insatiable craving inside me that consumes… ![“I've an insatiable craving inside me that consumes everything and makes me regard the sufferings and joys of others only in their relationship to me, as food to sustain my spiritual powers. I am no longer capable of loosing my head in love, Ambition has been crushed in me by circumstances, but it…” quote by Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/mikhail-lermontov-9000_corruption_i-ve-an-insatiable-craving-inside-me-tha_1067830.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/mikhail-lermontov-9000_corruption_i-ve-an-insatiable-craving-inside-me-tha_1067830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/mikhail-lermontov-9000_corruption_i-ve-an-insatiable-craving-inside-me-tha_1067830.jpg) > ““I've an insatiable craving inside me that consumes everything and makes me regard the sufferings and joys of others only in their relationship to me, as food to sustain my spiritual powers. I am no longer capable of loosing my head in love, Ambition has been crushed in me by circumstances, but it has come out in another way, for ambition is nothing but a lust for power and my chief delight is to dominate those around me. To inspire in others love, devotion, fear - isn't that the first symptom and the supreme triumph of power? To cause another person suffering or joy, having no right to do so - isn't that the sweetest food of pride?”” [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees ambition as a consuming hunger for power, feeding on others’ emotions, and equates suffering and joy with sustenance for spiritual strength. **In simple terms:** Ambition is a hunger for control over others. Key Takeaway Recognize and temper destructive desires. Themes power ambition spirituality Mood dark philosophical Type poetic reflective When to use this quote - political leaders - corporate executives - artists seeking influence - personal relationships Key Concepts existential hunger psychological domination ethical conflict Questions to Reflect On - Do you see ambition as inherently corrupt? - How can one channel drive without harming others? A Different Perspective Such a worldview can justify manipulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition Lust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition-lust-2643053/) [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Craving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craving/) [Craving Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craving-inside-2218999/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lust for power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust-for-power/) [Lust Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust-power-1418673/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Regard Sufferings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard-sufferings-2643054/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Inside me is the same desperate hope I have watching the ravenous dead and thinking, Oh please, oh please, oh please. The craving inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/inside-me-is-the-same-desperate-hope-i-have-watching-the-ravenous/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [People despise the lust for power that originates from a craving for homage and for the attributes of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-ushinsky/people-despise-the-lust-for-power-that-originates-from-a-craving-for/) [Konstantin Ushinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-ushinsky/) > [Valuing knowledge above all else results in a lust for power, and that leads men into dark and empty places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/valuing-knowledge-above-all-else-results-in-a-lust-for-power-and-that/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Valuing knowledge above all else results in a lust for power,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/valuing-knowledge-above-all-else-results-in-a-lust-for-power/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“For only the humans were endowed with the lust for power so strong that the raw passion of their nature could be easily corrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-weis/for-only-the-humans-were-endowed-with-the-lust-for-power-so-strong/) [Margaret Weis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-weis/) > [“The lust for power is combustible thing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-lust-for-power-is-combustible-thing/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“But the lust for power never dies- men cannot have enough. No one will lift a hand to send it from his door, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/but-the-lust-for-power-never-dies-men-cannot-have-enough-no-one-will/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [It is a mistake, that a lust for power is the mark of a great mind; for even the weakest have been captivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-a-mistake-that-a-lust-for-power-is-the-mark-of-a-great-mind-for/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [The lust for power, for dominating others, inflames the heart more than any other passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-lust-for-power-for-dominating-others-inflames-the-heart-more-than/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The lust for power is not rooted in strength but in weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-lust-for-power-is-not-rooted-in-strength-but-in-weakness/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Their insatiable lust for power is only equaled by their incurable impotence in exercising it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/their-insatiable-lust-for-power-is-only-equaled-by-their-incurable/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“I'm not just craving to get inside of her, I am utterly aching with the need to hold her...to hear her voice, to worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sawyer-bennett/i-m-not-just-craving-to-get-inside-of-her-i-am-utterly-aching-with/) [Sawyer Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sawyer-bennett/) > [Ambition is a lust that is never quenched, but grows more inflamed and madder by enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-otway/ambition-is-a-lust-that-is-never-quenched-but-grows-more-inflamed-and/) [Thomas Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-otway/) > [Ambition is a lust that's never quenched, Grows more inflated, and madder by enjoyment. - TOtway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ambition-is-a-lust-that-s-never-quenched-grows-more-inflated-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is only when it takes the form of physical addiction that sex is evil. It is also evil when it manifests itself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/it-is-only-when-it-takes-the-form-of-physical-addiction-that-sex-is/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) ## More by Mikhail Lermontov > [I love enemies, though not in the Christian way. They amuse me, excite my blood. Being always on one’s guard, catching every glance, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-love-enemies-though-not-in-the-christian-way-they-amuse-me-excite/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [In simple hearts the feeling for the beauty and grandeur of nature is a hundred-fold stronger and more vivid than in us, ecstatic composers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/in-simple-hearts-the-feeling-for-the-beauty-and-grandeur-of-nature-is/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [Happiness comes the way the wind blows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/happiness-comes-the-way-the-wind-blows/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [One should never spurn a penitent criminal: in his despair he may become twice as much a criminal as before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/one-should-never-spurn-a-penitent-criminal-in-his-despair-he-may/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [“I have an unfortunate character; whether it is my upbringing that made me like that or God who created me so, I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-have-an-unfortunate-character-whether-it-is-my-upbringing-that-made/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [Russian ladies, for the most part, cherish only Platonic love, without mingling any thought of matrimony with it; and Platonic love is exceedingly embarrassing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/russian-ladies-for-the-most-part-cherish-only-platonic-love-without/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [What of it? If I die, I die. It will be no great loss to the world, and I am thoroughly bored with life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/what-of-it-if-i-die-i-die-it-will-be-no-great-loss-to-the-world-and-i/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [“Moja je pusta mladost protekla u borbi sa samim sobom i sa svijetom; bojeći se poruge, pokopao sam svoje najbolje osjećaje na dnu srca;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/moja-je-pusta-mladost-protekla-u-borbi-sa-samim-sobom-i-sa-svijetom/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [I am like a mariner born and bred on board a buccaneer brig whose soul has become so inured to storm and strife that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-am-like-a-mariner-born-and-bred-on-board-a-buccaneer-brig-whose/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [“A childish feeling, I admit, but, when we retire from the conventions of society and draw close to nature, we involuntarily become children: each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/a-childish-feeling-i-admit-but-when-we-retire-from-the-conventions-of/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [In people's eyes I readPages of malice and sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/in-people-s-eyes-i-readpages-of-malice-and-sin/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [I was lying, but I wanted to rouse him. I have an inborn urge to contradict; my whole life has been a mere chain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-was-lying-but-i-wanted-to-rouse-him-i-have-an-inborn-urge-to/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [“I know a rock in a highland's ravine, On which only eagles might ever be seen, But a black wooden cross o'er a precipice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-know-a-rock-in-a-highland-s-ravine-on-which-only-eagles-might-ever/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [“But there is an unbounded pleasure to be had in the possession of a young, newly blossoming soul! It is like a flower, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/but-there-is-an-unbounded-pleasure-to-be-had-in-the-possession-of-a/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) > [The history of a man's soul, even the pettiest soul, is hardly less interesting and useful than the history of a whole people; especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/the-history-of-a-man-s-soul-even-the-pettiest-soul-is-hardly-less/) [Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) [Explore all 72 Mikhail Lermontov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/) ## More Corruption quotes > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. 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When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [As you fight corruption, it fights back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/as-you-fight-corruption-it-fights-back/) [Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/) > [Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/selfishness-is-one-of-the-principal-fruits-of-the-corruption-of-human/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [ Corruption could lead to the collapse of the Party \[Communist Party of China\] and the downfall of the state \[People's Republic of China\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xi-jinping/corruption-could-lead-to-the-collapse-of-the-party-communist-party-of/) [Xi Jinping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xi-jinping/) > [“Oh where is the noble face of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/oh-where-is-the-noble-face-of-modesty-or-the-strength-of-virtue-now/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) > [It looked incredibly credible!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-horlick/it-looked-incredibly-credible/) [Nicola Horlick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-horlick/) > [All power corrupts but some must govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/all-power-corrupts-but-some-must-govern/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) [Browse all 2,253 Corruption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I've an insatiable craving inside me that consumes everything and makes me regard the sufferings and joys of others only in their relationship to me, as food to sustain my spiritual powers. 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