Rudolf Steiner Quotes

Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some. We are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we seem to lack but one thing.

Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to give, because He would give the best, and man will not take it.

Our condition never satisfies us; the present is always the worst. Though Jupiter should grant his request to each, we should continue to importune him.

The strong desires of man's insatiate breast may stand possess'd Of all that earth can give; but earth can give no rest.

Man needs so little... yet he begins wanting so much.

It's not that people want too much, it's that they want too little.

We don't even know what our desire is. We ask other people to tell us our desires. We would like our desires to come from our deepest selves, our personal depths - but if it did, it would not be desire. Desire is always for something we feel we lack.

Contentment is rare among men as it is natural among animals

Every satisfaction he attains lays the seeds of some new desire, so that there is no end to the wishes of each individual will.

That if you could acquire enough, accomplish enough, you’d never want to own or do another thing. That if you could eat or sleep enough, you’d never need more. That if enough people loved you, you’d stop needing love.

Nobody has a perfect life and it's entirely possible that if you want someone else's life they are busy wanting someone else's too–maybe even yours.

What do people want? Well, you really can’t talk about wants until you talk about needs.

Humans hardly know what they want, how they want it, or when they want it.

Perhaps fortunately, no one has ever found out what it would be like to have all his wishes fulfilled.

Few love what they may have.

Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied?

The problem is not the harshness of Fate, for anything we want strongly enough we get. The trouble is rather that when we have it we grow sick of it, and then we should never blame Fate, only our own desire.

I've learned a lot about women. I think I've learned exactly how the fall of man occured in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, and Adam said one day, Wow, Eve, here we are, at one with nature, at one with God, we'll never age, we'll never die, and all our dreams come true the instant that we have them. And Eve said, Yeah... it's just not enough is it?

Now, here is the point about the self: it is insatiable. It is always, always hankering. It is what you might call rapacious to a fault. The great flaming mouth to the thing is never in this world going to be stuff full.

No one is contented in this world, I believe. There is always something left to desire, and the last thing longed for always seems the most necessary to happiness.

It occurred to me then that a lot of life was either about wanting and not having, or having and not wanting.

How few our real wants, and how vast our imaginary ones!