--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a big confusion in this country…" description: "\"There is a big confusion in this country over what we want verses what we need...you need food. You want a chocolate sundae.\" — Mitch Albom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mitch-albom-187_bigs_there-is-a-big-confusion-in-this-country_1137920.png" --- # There is a big confusion in this country over what we want… ![“There is a big confusion in this country over what we want verses what we need...you need food. You want a chocolate sundae.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mitch-albom-187_bigs_there-is-a-big-confusion-in-this-country_1137920.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mitch-albom-187_bigs_there-is-a-big-confusion-in-this-country_1137920.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/mitch-albom-187_bigs_there-is-a-big-confusion-in-this-country_1137920.png) > “There is a big confusion in this country over what we want verses what we need...you need food. You want a chocolate sundae.” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society confuses desires with necessities, leading to misplaced priorities like craving sweets over basic needs. **In simple terms:** People mix wants with needs, causing confusion. Key Takeaway Prioritize essential needs over fleeting cravings. Themes needs vs. wants consumerism health clarity Mood concerned motivated pragmatic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - budgeting - diet planning - public policy Key Concepts self‑awareness discipline nutrition Questions to Reflect On - What “needs” are you overlooking? - How can you align choices with true priorities? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on wants can cause neglect of health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Sundae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sundae/) [Verses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verses/) ## Related quotes > [There's a big confusion in this country over what we want versus what we need," Morrie said. "You need food, you want a chocolate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/there-s-a-big-confusion-in-this-country-over-what-we-want-versus-what/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I do follow a version of the Dukan diet, but I don't follow it to the extreme so a lot of fish and vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-jenkins/i-do-follow-a-version-of-the-dukan-diet-but-i-don-t-follow-it-to-the/) [Katherine Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-jenkins/) > [When life throws lemons at you pick them back up, throw them back, and scream I want chocolate ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/when-life-throws-lemons-at-you-pick-them-back-up-throw-them-back-and/) Unkown > [You want to give me chocolate and flowers? That would be great. I love them both. I just don't want them out of guilt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-want-to-give-me-chocolate-and-flowers-that-would-be-great-i-love/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I've learnt that if I tell myself I'm not allowed something, I binge on it later. So if I want chocolate, I have chocolate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/i-ve-learnt-that-if-i-tell-myself-i-m-not-allowed-something-i-binge/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) > [In Manhattan last month I heard a woman borrowing the jargon of junkies to say to another, 'Want to do some chocolate?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/in-manhattan-last-month-i-heard-a-woman-borrowing-the-jargon-of/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [I think I've scratched the surface after twenty years of marriage. Women want chocolate and conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/i-think-i-ve-scratched-the-surface-after-twenty-years-of-marriage/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [“Would it not be better if they spent more money on wholesome things like oranges and wholemeal bread or if they even, like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/would-it-not-be-better-if-they-spent-more-money-on-wholesome-things/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [What I want to do is produce really delicious food. I want it to look nice, because when you see food you should want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/what-i-want-to-do-is-produce-really-delicious-food-i-want-it-to-look/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [We want kids in communities to know real food, and we want them to have a choice between real food and industrial food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/we-want-kids-in-communities-to-know-real-food-and-we-want-them-to/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [In my country, we say that football is like a huge plate of food. Well, I want to eat everything because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernandinho/in-my-country-we-say-that-football-is-like-a-huge-plate-of-food-well/) [Fernandinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernandinho/) > [Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-all-the-junk-food-you-want-as-long-as-you-cook-it-yourself/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I feel the same way about clothes as I do about food. I want everything,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-feel-the-same-way-about-clothes-as-i-do-about-food-i-want-everything/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [We have reduced sales tax on food. Now we want it eliminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manchin/we-have-reduced-sales-tax-on-food-now-we-want-it-eliminated/) [Joe Manchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manchin/) > [I love L.A. - don't get me wrong. But I miss everything about New York. I don't eat cheese, but I miss the smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-wilds/i-love-l-a-don-t-get-me-wrong-but-i-miss-everything-about-new-york-i/) [Tristan Wilds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-wilds/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a big confusion in this country over what we want verses what we need...you need food. 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