--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more we count the blessings we have…" description: "\"The more we count the blessings we have, the less we crave the luxuries we haven't.\" — William Arthur Ward" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/william-arthur-ward-2681_appreciation_the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have_2824556.png" --- # The more we count the blessings we have, the less we crave… ![“The more we count the blessings we have, the less we crave the luxuries we haven't.” quote by William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/william-arthur-ward-2681_appreciation_the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have_2824556.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/william-arthur-ward-2681_appreciation_the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have_2824556.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/william-arthur-ward-2681_appreciation_the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have_2824556.png) > “The more we count the blessings we have, the less we crave the luxuries we haven't.” [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on existing blessings reduces desire for unattainable luxuries. **In simple terms:** Appreciate what you have to want less. Key Takeaway Count blessings daily. Themes gratitude contentment desire Mood reflective calm Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal finance - relationships - mental health Key Concepts mindfulness psychology well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What blessings can you list today? - How does gratitude affect your purchasing habits? A Different Perspective May overlook genuine needs and become complacent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) [Blessings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessings/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Luxuries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxuries/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) ## Related quotes > [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/) T.I > [Men have come to such a pass that they frequently starve, not for want of necessaries, but for want of luxuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-have-come-to-such-a-pass-that-they-frequently-starve-not-for-want/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Give us the luxuries of life, and we will dispense with its necessities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lothrop-motley/give-us-the-luxuries-of-life-and-we-will-dispense-with-its-necessities/) [John Lothrop Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lothrop-motley/) > [Revenue on the consumption of foreign articles is paid cheerfully by those who can afford to add foreign luxuries to domestic comforts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/revenue-on-the-consumption-of-foreign-articles-is-paid-cheerfully-by/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [First-class travel, provided one hasn't to pay for it oneself, is the most insidiously addictive of life's luxuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/first-class-travel-provided-one-hasn-t-to-pay-for-it-oneself-is-the/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [Capitalism is about turning luxuries into necessities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/capitalism-is-about-turning-luxuries-into-necessities/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [Never economize on the small luxuries of life. Drinking fine wine and eating chocolate won't solve your problems - but they won't hurt either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-j-zelinski/never-economize-on-the-small-luxuries-of-life-drinking-fine-wine-and/) [Ernie J Zelinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-j-zelinski/) > [Luxuries are easy to take up but very difficult to give up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/luxuries-are-easy-to-take-up-but-very-difficult-to-give-up/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [We are developing new types of destitutes-the automobileless, the yachtless, the Newportcottageless. The subtlest luxuries of today reaches very high in the social scale...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-weyl/we-are-developing-new-types-of-destitutes-the-automobileless-the/) Walter Weyl > [One of the few luxuries left is travel, and the aspect of travel that is luxurious is not the movement, but the being there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-balazs/one-of-the-few-luxuries-left-is-travel-and-the-aspect-of-travel-that/) [Andre Balazs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-balazs/) > [“She indulged in melancholy, that cheapest and most accessible of luxuries...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/she-indulged-in-melancholy-that-cheapest-and-most-accessible-of/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [No man receives the full culture of a man in whom the sensibility to the beautiful is not cherished; and there is no condition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/no-man-receives-the-full-culture-of-a-man-in-whom-the-sensibility-to/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [Another ingredient in a happy marriage: Budget the luxuries first!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/another-ingredient-in-a-happy-marriage-budget-the-luxuries-first/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If this world affords true happiness, it is to be found in a home where love and confidence increase with the years, where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-edward-newton/if-this-world-affords-true-happiness-it-is-to-be-found-in-a-home/) [A. Edward Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-edward-newton/) > [Men aren't necessities. They're luxuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher/men-aren-t-necessities-they-re-luxuries/) [Cher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher/) ## More by William Arthur Ward > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [“If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/if-you-can-imagine-it-you-can-create-it-if-you-can-dream-it-you-can/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [A friend is one with whom you are comfortable, to whom you are loyal, through whom you are blessed, and for whom you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/a-friend-is-one-with-whom-you-are-comfortable-to-whom-you-are-loyal/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [We must be silent before we can listen. We must listen before we can learn. We must learn before we can prepare. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/we-must-be-silent-before-we-can-listen-we-must-listen-before-we-can/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [The greatest failure is the failure to try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/the-greatest-failure-is-the-failure-to-try/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Too many of us hear without heeding, read without responding, confess without changing, profess without practicing, worship without witnessing, and seek without sharing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/too-many-of-us-hear-without-heeding-read-without-responding-confess/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [“‎"Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/do-more-than-belong-participate-do-more-than-care-help-do-more-than/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [There is one thing we can do better than anyone else: we can be ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/there-is-one-thing-we-can-do-better-than-anyone-else-we-can-be/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Enthusiasm is the match that lights the candle of achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/enthusiasm-is-the-match-that-lights-the-candle-of-achievement/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Today's patience can transform yesterday's discouragements into tomorrow's discoveries. Today's purposes can turn yesterday's defeats into tomorrow's determination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/today-s-patience-can-transform-yesterday-s-discouragements-into/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [A life lived without forgiveness is a prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/a-life-lived-without-forgiveness-is-a-prison/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Every person has the power to make others happy. Some do it simply by entering a room others by leaving the room. Some individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/every-person-has-the-power-to-make-others-happy-some-do-it-simply-by/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Prepare while others are daydreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/prepare-while-others-are-daydreaming/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Every day is a good day to examine our prime-time priorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/every-day-is-a-good-day-to-examine-our-prime-time-priorities/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Another fresh new year is here... Another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, to love and laugh and give!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/another-fresh-new-year-is-here-another-year-to-live-to-banish-worry/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) [Explore all 155 William Arthur Ward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) ## More Appreciation quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/) Cesar Nikko Caharian III > [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/) Enhance Dreams > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The more we count the blessings we have, the less we crave the luxuries we haven't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Arthur Ward" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have-the-less-we-crave-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appreciation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have-the-less-we-crave-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/william-arthur-ward-2681_appreciation_the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have_2824556.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/william-arthur-ward-2681_appreciation_the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have_2824556.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/william-arthur-ward-2681_appreciation_the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have_2824556.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The more we count the blessings we have, the less we crave the luxuries we haven't.” — William Arthur Ward", "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": "William Arthur Ward", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The more we count the blessings...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have-the-less-we-crave-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/the-more-we-count-the-blessings-we-have-the-less-we-crave-the/#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 } } ] } ```