Giving Quote by Samuel Johnson
“Nature makes us poor only when we want necessaries, but custom gives the name of poverty to the want of superfluities.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Rambler, 1750
We become impoverished when we crave unnecessary luxuries; true poverty is the desire for excess.
In simple terms: Wanting too much makes us poor.
Key Takeaway
Limit desires to essentials.
Themes
poverty
desire
custom
contentment
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
advice
When to use this quote
- budgeting
- minimalism
- consumer habits
- financial planning
Key Concepts
philosophy
economics
human nature
Questions to Reflect On
- What truly constitutes need versus want?
- How can you redefine wealth?
A Different Perspective
Even essential needs can feel insufficient if expectations are inflated.
![“[W]hat is always overlooked is that although the poor want to be rich, it does not follow that they either like the rich or that they in any way want to emulate their characters which, in fact, they despise. Both the poor and the rich have always found precisely the same grounds on which to…” quote by Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b70/elaine-dundy-10668_character_w-hat-is-always-overlooked-is-that-altho_1512174.jpg)
