--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What people really need and demand from…" description: "\"What people really need and demand from life is not wealth, comfort, or esteem, but games worth playing\" — Thomas Szasz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/thomas-szasz-3801_comfort_what-people-really-need-and-demand-from_2671813.jpg" --- # What people really need and demand from life is not… ![“What people really need and demand from life is not wealth, comfort, or esteem, but games worth playing” quote by Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/thomas-szasz-3801_comfort_what-people-really-need-and-demand-from_2671813.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/thomas-szasz-3801_comfort_what-people-really-need-and-demand-from_2671813.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/thomas-szasz-3801_comfort_what-people-really-need-and-demand-from_2671813.jpg) > “What people really need and demand from life is not wealth, comfort, or esteem, but games worth playing” [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People truly need meaningful challenges, not material wealth or status. **In simple terms:** Games, not riches, fulfill life. Key Takeaway Seek purposeful, engaging activities. Themes meaning games purpose Mood playful thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - hobbies - career projects - volunteering Key Concepts intrinsic motivation life satisfaction playful challenge Questions to Reflect On - What “games” give you purpose? - How can you integrate play into work? A Different Perspective May ignore basic needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [“Ladies and gentlemen, let us hear the demand of life and adhere to it. It would do us good”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/ladies-and-gentlemen-let-us-hear-the-demand-of-life-and-adhere-to-it/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [We demand too much of life, too little of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/we-demand-too-much-of-life-too-little-of-ourselves/) [Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/) > [If life doesn't offer a game worth playing , then invert a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-life-doesn-t-offer-a-game-worth-playing-then-invert-a-new-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Self-realization is the last game on earth worth playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/self-realization-is-the-last-game-on-earth-worth-playing/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I wanted to play Dracula because I wanted to say: 'I've crossed oceans of time to find you.' It was worth playing the role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/i-wanted-to-play-dracula-because-i-wanted-to-say-i-ve-crossed-oceans/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [“After all, why are people only promise, if they are not worth playing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukesh-prajapat/after-all-why-are-people-only-promise-if-they-are-not-worth-playing/) mukesh prajapat > [If it is worth playing, it is worth paying the price to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/if-it-is-worth-playing-it-is-worth-paying-the-price-to-win/) [Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/) > [If life doesn't offer a game worth playing, then invent a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-j-d-angelo/if-life-doesn-t-offer-a-game-worth-playing-then-invent-a-new-one/) [Anthony J. D'Angelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-j-d-angelo/) > [Seek above all for a game worth playing- such is the advice of the oracle to modern man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-s-de-ropp/seek-above-all-for-a-game-worth-playing-such-is-the-advice-of-the/) [Robert S. de Ropp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-s-de-ropp/) > [Every day some new fact comes to light - some new obstacle which threatens the gravest obstruction. I suppose this is the reason which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-falcon-scott/every-day-some-new-fact-comes-to-light-some-new-obstacle-which/) [Robert Falcon Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-falcon-scott/) > [Seek above all for a game worth playing. Play as if your life and sanity depend on it, because they do!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-s-de-ropp/seek-above-all-for-a-game-worth-playing-play-as-if-your-life-and/) [Robert S. de Ropp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-s-de-ropp/) > [The game of life is worth playing, but the struggle is the prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-game-of-life-is-worth-playing-but-the-struggle-is-the-prize/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [“Let the demand of life, lead you into the abundant supplies of life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/let-the-demand-of-life-lead-you-into-the-abundant-supplies-of-life/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Once it's established that we are a team, I can demand of you and expect you to demand of me. Life without pain is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-whitaker/once-it-s-established-that-we-are-a-team-i-can-demand-of-you-and/) [Carl Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-whitaker/) > [“Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portal-2/demand-to-see-life-s-manager-make-life-rue-the-day-it-thought-it/) Portal 2 ## More by Thomas Szasz > [Institutional psychiatry is a continuation of the Inquisition. All that has really changed is the vocabulary and the social style. The vocabulary conforms to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/institutional-psychiatry-is-a-continuation-of-the-inquisition-all/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [By pretending that convention is Nature, that disobeying a personal prohibition is a medical illness, they establish themselves as agents of social control and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/by-pretending-that-convention-is-nature-that-disobeying-a-personal/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [We shall therefore compare the concept of homosexuality as heresy, prevalent in the days of the witch-hunts, with the concept of homosexuality as mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/we-shall-therefore-compare-the-concept-of-homosexuality-as-heresy/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [The basic ingredients of psychotherapy are religion, rhetoric, and repression, which are themselves mutually overlapping categories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/the-basic-ingredients-of-psychotherapy-are-religion-rhetoric-and/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [For Jews, the Messiah has never come; for Christians, He has come but once; for modern man, He appears and disappears with increasing rapidity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/for-jews-the-messiah-has-never-come-for-christians-he-has-come-but/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [I submit that the traditional definition of psychiatry, which is still vogue, places it alongside such things as alchemy and astrology, and commits it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/i-submit-that-the-traditional-definition-of-psychiatry-which-is-still/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [I believe the time has come to acknowledge that the practice of routine circumcision rests on the absurd premise that the only mammal in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/i-believe-the-time-has-come-to-acknowledge-that-the-practice-of/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [He who does not accept and respect those who want to reject life does not truly accept and respect life itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/he-who-does-not-accept-and-respect-those-who-want-to-reject-life-does/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [The passion to interpret as madness that with which we disagree seems to have infected the best of contemporary minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/the-passion-to-interpret-as-madness-that-with-which-we-disagree-seems/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [We should pledge ourselves to the proposition that the irresponsible life is not worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/we-should-pledge-ourselves-to-the-proposition-that-the-irresponsible/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [A child becomes an adult when he realizes that he has a right not only to be right but also to be wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/a-child-becomes-an-adult-when-he-realizes-that-he-has-a-right-not/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [We have, in our day, witnessed the birth of the Therapeutic State. This is perhaps the major implication of psychiatry as an institution of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/we-have-in-our-day-witnessed-the-birth-of-the-therapeutic-state-this/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [The homosexual is a scapegoat who evokes no sympathy. Hence, he can only be a victim, never a martyr.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/the-homosexual-is-a-scapegoat-who-evokes-no-sympathy-hence-he-can/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [People dream of making the virtuous powerful, so they can depend upon them. Since they cannot do that, people choose to make the powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/people-dream-of-making-the-virtuous-powerful-so-they-can-depend-upon/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [The greatest analgesic, soporific, stimulant, tranquilizer, narcotic, and to some extent even antibiotic - in short, the closest thing to a genuine panacea -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/the-greatest-analgesic-soporific-stimulant-tranquilizer-narcotic-and/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) [Explore all 121 Thomas Szasz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) ## More Comfort quotes > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [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/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I think that comfort is underrated in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/i-think-that-comfort-is-underrated-in-a-lot-of-ways/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) [Browse all 4,542 Comfort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What people really need and demand from life is not wealth, comfort, or esteem, but games worth playing", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Szasz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/what-people-really-need-and-demand-from-life-is-not-wealth-comfort-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comfort" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/what-people-really-need-and-demand-from-life-is-not-wealth-comfort-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/thomas-szasz-3801_comfort_what-people-really-need-and-demand-from_2671813.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/thomas-szasz-3801_comfort_what-people-really-need-and-demand-from_2671813.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/thomas-szasz-3801_comfort_what-people-really-need-and-demand-from_2671813.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What people really need and demand from life is not wealth, comfort, or esteem, but games worth playing” — Thomas Szasz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Szasz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What people really need and demand...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/what-people-really-need-and-demand-from-life-is-not-wealth-comfort-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/what-people-really-need-and-demand-from-life-is-not-wealth-comfort-or/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```