--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To desire orchids is to have a desire…" description: "\"“To desire orchids is to have a desire that will never be, can never be, fully requited. A collector who wants one of every orchid species on earth wil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/susan-orlean-2207_desire_to-desire-orchids-is-to-have-a-desire-th_2347160.png" --- # To desire orchids is to have a desire that will never be… ![“To desire orchids is to have a desire that will never be, can never be, fully requited. A collector who wants one of every orchid species on earth will certainly die before even coming close.” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/susan-orlean-2207_desire_to-desire-orchids-is-to-have-a-desire-th_2347160.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/susan-orlean-2207_desire_to-desire-orchids-is-to-have-a-desire-th_2347160.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/susan-orlean-2207_desire_to-desire-orchids-is-to-have-a-desire-th_2347160.png) > ““To desire orchids is to have a desire that will never be, can never be, fully requited. A collector who wants one of every orchid species on earth will certainly die before even coming close.”” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desiring every possible orchid is an unattainable obsession that leads to perpetual dissatisfaction. **In simple terms:** Wanting everything leads to never being satisfied. Key Takeaway Focus on what truly matters. Themes desire obsession contentment Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career goals - relationship expectations - material pursuits - hobby collecting Key Concepts impermanence excess collecting Questions to Reflect On - What truly matters you you are willing to let go? - How does scarcity shape your happiness? A Different Perspective Even limited desire can cause frustration if expectations are unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Orchids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids/) ## Related quotes > [The old orchid hunter lay back on his pillow, his body limp... 'You'll curse the insects,' he said at least, 'and you'll curse the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/the-old-orchid-hunter-lay-back-on-his-pillow-his-body-limp-you-ll/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“when a man falls in love with orchids, he’ll do anything to possess the one he wants. It’s like chasing a green-eyed woman or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he-ll-do-anything-to-possess/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“If all of this makes orchids seem smart—well, they do seem smart. There is something clever and un-plantlike about their determination to survive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/if-all-of-this-makes-orchids-seem-smart-well-they-do-seem-smart-there/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Victorian women were forbidden from owning orchids because the shapes of the flowers were considered too sexually suggestive for their shy constitutions, and anyway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/victorian-women-were-forbidden-from-owning-orchids-because-the-shapes/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When we stopped to rest and Tony tried to figure out what was wrong with his compass, I asked him what he thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-we-stopped-to-rest-and-tony-tried-to-figure-out-what-was-wrong/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation. That has always been part of its charm, Laroche loved orchids, but I came to believe he loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation-that-has-always-been-part-of/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Orchids are one of the few things in the world that can live forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchids-are-one-of-the-few-things-in-the-world-that-can-live-forever/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Love is an orchid which thrives principally on hot air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/love-is-an-orchid-which-thrives-principally-on-hot-air/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [Nothing could be taken for granted. Women who loved you tried to cut your throat, while women who didn't even know your name scrubbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/nothing-could-be-taken-for-granted-women-who-loved-you-tried-to-cut/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“I call the Change of Life "Orchids" because menopause is such an ugly word. It's got men in it for goddsakes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jey-davis/i-call-the-change-of-life-orchids-because-menopause-is-such-an-ugly/) Lisa Jey Davis > [I try to always have flowers in the house. I have a florist in Chinatown, and they deliver orchids every two weeks. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lim/i-try-to-always-have-flowers-in-the-house-i-have-a-florist-in/) [Phillip Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lim/) > [Orchids manufacture their intricate devices from the common components of ordinary flowers, parts usually fitted for very different functions. If God had designed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/orchids-manufacture-their-intricate-devices-from-the-common/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [You like orchids?... Nasty things. Their flesh is too much like the flesh of men, their perfume has the rotten sweetness of corruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/you-like-orchids-nasty-things-their-flesh-is-too-much-like-the-flesh/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“She thought of the orchids spreading across the plains below, choking the life out of the other plants, out of the soil itself, selfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/she-thought-of-the-orchids-spreading-across-the-plains-below-choking/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) ## More by Susan Orlean > [I've used Twitter now and again to try to figure something out; it's an amazing resource. But I think you have to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-ve-used-twitter-now-and-again-to-try-to-figure-something-out-it-s/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Who on earth is going to use 'utilize' in a text message, a whopping seven characters including the always-hard-to-type 'z,' when you can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/who-on-earth-is-going-to-use-utilize-in-a-text-message-a-whopping/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When my son was born, and after a day of lying-in I was told that I could leave the hospital and take him home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-my-son-was-born-and-after-a-day-of-lying-in-i-was-told-that-i/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm happy to be reminded that an ordinary day full of nothing but nothingness can make you feel like you've won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-happy-to-be-reminded-that-an-ordinary-day-full-of-nothing-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I once had a boyfriend who couldn't write unless he was wearing a necktie and a dress shirt, which I thought was really weird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-once-had-a-boyfriend-who-couldn-t-write-unless-he-was-wearing-a/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“I, too, had set out to be remembered. I had wanted to create something permanent in my life- some proof that everything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-too-had-set-out-to-be-remembered-i-had-wanted-to-create-something/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I think of myself as something of a connoisseur of procrastination, creative and dogged in my approach to not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-of-myself-as-something-of-a-connoisseur-of-procrastination/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm very excited about my new Spotify account, which gives me access to twenty gazillion songs any time, all the time. The day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-very-excited-about-my-new-spotify-account-which-gives-me-access/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I approach stories as a private educational enterprise: I want to learn about something. I teach myself through research, reporting, and thinking, and then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-approach-stories-as-a-private-educational-enterprise-i-want-to/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [We're fascinated by animals because it's almost like having Martians living among us. We can see some familiarity in them, but they're entirely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/we-re-fascinated-by-animals-because-it-s-almost-like-having-martians/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My inspiration is really very simple: I'm struck by things that I want to know more about. I really do react just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-inspiration-is-really-very-simple-i-m-struck-by-things-that-i-want/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I wish I had coined the phrase 'tyranny of choice,' but someone beat me to it. The counterintuitive truth is that have an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-wish-i-had-coined-the-phrase-tyranny-of-choice-but-someone-beat-me/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-ace-in-the-hole-as-a-human-being-used-to-be-my-capacity-for/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Sometimes I think I've figured out some order in the universe, but then I find myself in Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/sometimes-i-think-i-ve-figured-out-some-order-in-the-universe-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) [Explore all 179 Susan Orlean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To desire orchids is to have a desire that will never be, can never be, fully requited. 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