--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a society either scarred by…" description: "\"We live in a society either scarred by scarcity or spoiled by luxury. We have no idea how much is enough. We don't know when to quit.\" — Sharif Abdullah" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/sharif-abdullah-85520_enough_we-live-in-a-society-either-scarred-by-s_2264592.png" --- # We live in a society either scarred by scarcity or spoiled… ![“We live in a society either scarred by scarcity or spoiled by luxury. We have no idea how much is enough. We don't know when to quit.” quote by Sharif Abdullah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/sharif-abdullah-85520_enough_we-live-in-a-society-either-scarred-by-s_2264592.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/sharif-abdullah-85520_enough_we-live-in-a-society-either-scarred-by-s_2264592.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/sharif-abdullah-85520_enough_we-live-in-a-society-either-scarred-by-s_2264592.png) > “We live in a society either scarred by scarcity or spoiled by luxury. We have no idea how much is enough. We don't know when to quit.” Sharif Abdullah ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societies oscillate between deprivation and excess, lacking a clear sense of sufficiency or limits. **In simple terms:** Societies swing between scarcity and luxury. Key Takeaway Seek balance and define personal limits. Themes economics culture balance Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - budget planning - consumer habits - public policy debates Key Concepts scarcity abundance moderation Questions to Reflect On - How can we measure “enough” in personal life? - What policies can mitigate both scarcity and excess? A Different Perspective Balancing extremes is complex and context‑dependent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Scarcity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scarcity/) [Simple living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-living/) ## Related quotes > [Who lives content with little possesses everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-boileau-despreaux/who-lives-content-with-little-possesses-everything/) [Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-boileau-despreaux/) > [It is desirable that a man be clad so simply that he can lay his hands on himself in the dark, and that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-desirable-that-a-man-be-clad-so-simply-that-he-can-lay-his/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Fiscal prudence, leaving cheaply, self-sufficiency, being close to nature, contenting oneself with simple pleasures, asceticism, routine, and aesthetic austerity: these are the main senses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emrys-westacott/fiscal-prudence-leaving-cheaply-self-sufficiency-being-close-to/) Emrys Westacott > [Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/simplicity-of-life-even-the-barest-is-not-a-misery-but-the-very/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [It seems to me that inner growth is the whole moving force behind voluntary simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/it-seems-to-me-that-inner-growth-is-the-whole-moving-force-behind/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [“If we open our eyes to simplicity, we may discover serene pleasures scattered around us, quietly waiting to be noticed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuwan-thapaliya/if-we-open-our-eyes-to-simplicity-we-may-discover-serene-pleasures/) [Bhuwan Thapaliya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuwan-thapaliya/) > [Design the life you want to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-roy/design-the-life-you-want-to-live/) [Rachel Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-roy/) > [The world has become too full of many things, an over furnished room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/the-world-has-become-too-full-of-many-things-an-over-furnished-room/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyous words in the language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elise-m-boulding/frugality-is-one-of-the-most-beautiful-and-joyous-words-in-the/) [Elise M. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elise-m-boulding/) > [We can make ourselves whole only by accepting our partiality, by living within our limits, by being humans not by trying to be gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/we-can-make-ourselves-whole-only-by-accepting-our-partiality-by/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [People, the common people, can genuinely see what I'm doing. Moreover, people know that I have adopted four principles in living my life: simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-sattar-edhi/people-the-common-people-can-genuinely-see-what-i-m-doing-moreover/) [Abdul Sattar Edhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-sattar-edhi/) > [“The point of simple living, for me has got to be: A soft place to land A wide margin of error Room to breathe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-babauta/the-point-of-simple-living-for-me-has-got-to-be-a-soft-place-to-land/) [Leo Babauta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-babauta/) > [Simplicity of living, if deliberately chosen, implies a compassionate approach to life. It means that we are choosing to live our daily lives with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/simplicity-of-living-if-deliberately-chosen-implies-a-compassionate/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Living simply means concentrating on what's important in light of eternity. And not taking the rest of life too seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-chapman/living-simply-means-concentrating-on-what-s-important-in-light-of/) Annie Chapman > [Anyone who isn't confused doesn't understand what's going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-simes/anyone-who-isn-t-confused-doesn-t-understand-what-s-going-on/) Dimitri Simes ## More by Sharif Abdullah > [By accepting responsibility, we take effective steps toward our goal: an inclusive human society on a habitable planet, a society that works for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharif-abdullah/by-accepting-responsibility-we-take-effective-steps-toward-our-goal/) Sharif Abdullah > [Suicide is an extreme vote of no confidence in a society that doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharif-abdullah/suicide-is-an-extreme-vote-of-no-confidence-in-a-society-that-doesn-t/) Sharif Abdullah Explore all 3 Sharif Abdullah quotes ## More Enough quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... 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It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. 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