---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the…"
description: "\"“Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater imperative.”\" — Yann Martel"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/yann-martel-395_thirst_of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-great_2187887.jpg"
---

#  Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater imperative.

![“Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater imperative.” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/yann-martel-395_thirst_of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-great_2187887.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/yann-martel-395_thirst_of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-great_2187887.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/yann-martel-395_thirst_of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-great_2187887.jpg)

> ““Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater imperative.””

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote emphasizes that thirst, a more urgent physiological need, outweighs hunger in priority for survival.

**In simple terms:** Thirst is more urgent than hunger.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize immediate needs.

Themes

survival human needs prioritization

Mood

urgent reflective

Type

practical survival.

When to use this quote

- desert trekking
- emergency rescue
- long‑duration hiking
- space missions

Key Concepts

physiology urgency resource allocation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you rank basic needs under stress?
- What strategies ensure water access before food?

A Different Perspective

If water is scarce, hunger may still be ignored, but both are critical over time.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Greater Imperative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-imperative-4753751/) [Hunger Thirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger-thirst/) [Thirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirst/) [Thirst Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirst-greater-915126/) [Thirst Thirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirst-thirst-574504/)

## Related quotes

> [“Look: Christ on the Cross died of suffocation, but His only complaint was of thirst. If thirst can be so taxing that even God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/look-christ-on-the-cross-died-of-suffocation-but-his-only-complaint/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [You are thirst and thirst is all I know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/you-are-thirst-and-thirst-is-all-i-know/)

[Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/)

> [In diabetes the thirst is greater for the fluid dries the body ... For the thirst there is need of a powerful remedy, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretaeus-of-cappadocia/in-diabetes-the-thirst-is-greater-for-the-fluid-dries-the-body-for/)

[Aretaeus of Cappadocia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretaeus-of-cappadocia/)

> [Greed takes a person to the watering place but gets him back without letting him drink. It undertakes responsibility but does not fulfill it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/greed-takes-a-person-to-the-watering-place-but-gets-him-back-without/)

[Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/)

> [“I came to you one rainless August night. You taught me how to live without the rain. You are thirst and thirst is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-came-to-you-one-rainless-august-night-you-taught-me-how-to-live/)

[Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/)

> [Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/is-not-dread-of-thirst-when-your-well-is-full-the-thirst-that-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For what is evil but good tortured by its own hunger and thirst?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-what-is-evil-but-good-tortured-by-its-own-hunger-and-thirst/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Some mountaineers are proud of having done all their climbs without bivouac. How much they have missed ! And the same applies to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/some-mountaineers-are-proud-of-having-done-all-their-climbs-without/)

[Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/)

> [Love hunger and thirst for the sake of Christ. Insofar as you pacify your body, so much much will you do make your soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/love-hunger-and-thirst-for-the-sake-of-christ-insofar-as-you-pacify/)

[Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/)

> [O love, whose lordly hand Has bridled my desires, And raised my hunger and my thirst To dignity and pride, Let not the strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/o-love-whose-lordly-hand-has-bridled-my-desires-and-raised-my-hunger/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There are really good stories that can be told in a way that makes people feel good at the end of the day, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-roumie/there-are-really-good-stories-that-can-be-told-in-a-way-that-makes/)

[Jonathan Roumie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-roumie/)

> [Is it only the mouth and belly which are injured by hunger and thirst? Men's minds are also injured by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/is-it-only-the-mouth-and-belly-which-are-injured-by-hunger-and-thirst/)

[Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/)

> [Hunger, thirst, heat and cold: I had tasted them in full](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-thesiger/hunger-thirst-heat-and-cold-i-had-tasted-them-in-full/)

[Wilfred Thesiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-thesiger/)

> [God is waiting eagerly to respond with new strength to each little act of self-control, small disciplines of prayer, feeble searching after him. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/god-is-waiting-eagerly-to-respond-with-new-strength-to-each-little/)

[Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/)

> [When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a pig is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/when-it-comes-to-having-a-central-nervous-system-and-the-ability-to/)

[Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/)

## More by Yann Martel

> [“It’s a big ocean crossed by busy ships. I went slowly, observing much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-s-a-big-ocean-crossed-by-busy-ships-i-went-slowly-observing-much/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“The word isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-word-isn-t-just-the-way-it-is-it-is-how-we-understand-it-no-and/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth-are-counted-and-you-might-as/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“I must say a word about fear. It's is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-must-say-a-word-about-fear-it-s-is-life-s-only-true-opponent-only/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [High calls low and low calls high. I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as I was, you too would elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/high-calls-low-and-low-calls-high-i-tell-you-if-you-were-in-such-dire/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, a Story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/or-rather-since-christians-are-so-fond-of-capital-letters-a-story/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Progress is unstoppable. It is a drumbeat to which we must all march. Technology helps and good ideas spread - these are two laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/progress-is-unstoppable-it-is-a-drumbeat-to-which-we-must-all-march/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“I never had problems with my fellow scientists. Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-never-had-problems-with-my-fellow-scientists-scientists-are-a/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-evil-in-the-open-is-but-evil-from-within-that-has-been-let-out/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [Books are something social - a writer speaking to a reader - so I think making the reading of a book the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/books-are-something-social-a-writer-speaking-to-a-reader-so-i-think/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nothing-beats-reason-for-keeping-tigers-away-but-be-excessively/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Uvek ima onih koji uzmu za pravo da brane Boga, kao da je Poslednja stvarnost, kao da je temeljni ram postojanja nešto slabašno i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/uvek-ima-onih-koji-uzmu-za-pravo-da-brane-boga-kao-da-je-poslednja/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-reason-death-sticks-so-closely-to-life-isn-t-biological-necessity/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

[Explore all 570 Yann Martel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

## More Thirst quotes

> [“Kissing her is like drinking salted water, he thinks. His thirst only increases.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/kissing-her-is-like-drinking-salted-water-he-thinks-his-thirst-only/)

[Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Lol, the thirst on SQ is serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maher/lol-the-thirst-on-sq-is-serious/)

[Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maher/)

> [When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a pig is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/when-it-comes-to-having-a-central-nervous-system-and-the-ability-to/)

[Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/)

> [“A spark of every fire we seek is already within us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/a-spark-of-every-fire-we-seek-is-already-within-us/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [If you thirst you may drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-thirst-you-may-drink/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I sit down by the river. Its incessant flow has polished the rocks carried from the top of the mountain. The aqueous caress, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-dubois/i-sit-down-by-the-river-its-incessant-flow-has-polished-the-rocks/)

[Gabrielle Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-dubois/)

> [You will find a spring by the dwelling of the dead, to the left. Next to it stands a white cypress. Do not approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/you-will-find-a-spring-by-the-dwelling-of-the-dead-to-the-left-next/)

[Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/)

> [Suddenly the full long wail of a ship's horn surged through the open window and flooded the dim room - a cry of boundless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/suddenly-the-full-long-wail-of-a-ship-s-horn-surged-through-the-open/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [My heart pulls you to me, like an unruly child, unafraid of discipline. My brain; exhausted from trying to rationalize this desire, and chasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-heart-pulls-you-to-me-like-an-unruly-child-unafraid-of-discipline/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“JORGEN KISSED HER like a man dying of thirst and she was the only source of water. He took her breath away. Odette was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-dickerson/jorgen-kissed-her-like-a-man-dying-of-thirst-and-she-was-the-only/)

[Melanie Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-dickerson/)

> [“It wasn't just my beast's hunger, but Jean-Claude's blood thirst and Richard's craving for flesh. It was all that and the ardeur running through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/it-wasn-t-just-my-beast-s-hunger-but-jean-claude-s-blood-thirst-and/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [“you will never lack so much of the water of comfort that your thirst will be intolerable;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/you-will-never-lack-so-much-of-the-water-of-comfort-that-your-thirst/)

[Teresa of Ávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/)

> [I had a thirst for knowledge. I was always curious about stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/i-had-a-thirst-for-knowledge-i-was-always-curious-about-stuff/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

> [If you don't die of thirst, there are blessings in the desert. You can be pulled into limitlessness, which we all yearn for, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/if-you-don-t-die-of-thirst-there-are-blessings-in-the-desert-you-can/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

[Browse all 839 Thirst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirst/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater imperative.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yann Martel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-greater-imperative/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Thirst"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-greater-imperative/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/yann-martel-395_thirst_of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-great_2187887.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/yann-martel-395_thirst_of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-great_2187887.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/yann-martel-395_thirst_of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-great_2187887.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater imperative.” — Yann Martel",
                "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": "Yann Martel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Of hunger and thirst, thirst is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-greater-imperative/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/of-hunger-and-thirst-thirst-is-the-greater-imperative/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
