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Desire Quotes

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Desire Quotes

“The saddest thing in the world was that human beings, for all their ardent striving and desire, could never achieve physical, emotional, or intellectual perfection. The species was doomed to imperfection; it thrashed forever in despair or denial of that fact.”

World Humans Facts Desire Human Beings Forever Achieve Emotional Despair Intellectual Perfection Species Strive Denial Imperfection Doomed Saddest Ardent

Book:Dark Rivers of the Heart: A Novel

Source: Dark Rivers of the Heart: A Novel

“Nothing is more human than for man to desire naturally things impossible to his nature. It is, indeed, the property of a nature which is not closed up in matter like the nature of physical things, but which is intellectual or infinitized by the spirit. It is the property of a metaphysical nature. Such desires reach for the infinite, because the intellect thirsts for being and being is infinite.”

Men Humans Matter Spirit Desire Impossible Intellectual Infinite Property Intellect Thirst Metaphysical Physical Things

Book:Approaches to God

Source: Approaches to God

“Science is an intellectual journey, and to me, it's not the destination, it's the journeyto get there. It's a way of thinking and it's an intellectual curiosity, a desire to know how the world works, and to know what the fundamental principles of the world are, and to know our place in it. I think once we stop asking questions like "what is the age of the universe," or "how are the instructions of DNA carried out on a microscopic level," once we stop asking questions like that, we're dead.”

“There's only one honest way to measure affluence; that's by comparing the capability of producing goods and services with the desire of people to enjoy them. It's a lousy, crooked trick to compare this society with China or some such place and then say we're affluent. It's a piece of intellectual crookery even to compare this economy with itself ten or twenty years ago. We should compare what we have with what we could have.”

“Intellectual curiosity about one's own illness is certainly born of a desire for mastery. If I couldn't cure myself, perhaps I could at least begin to understand myself.”

Ifs Desire Born Intellectual Curiosity Illness Cures Mastery Intellectual Curiosity

Book:The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves

Source: The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves

“Fantasy consists in a morbid fascination with unrealities, which secretly transforms itself into a desire to make them real. Imagination is a form of intellectual control, which presents us with the image of unrealities in order that we should understand and feel distanced from them. In imagination we dominate; in fantasy, we are dominated.”

Feels Should Real Form Desire Order Imagination Fantasy Intellectual Fascination Morbid Unreality

Author:Roger Scruton

“The aspirations of most people--security, pleasure, leisure, meaningful work, creative and intellectual pursuits--are to be supported. These desires and dreams are not shameful. In supporting them, we are showing solidarity with working people, for whom these are luxuries and not givens.”

People Dream Desire Given Pleasure Creative Security Intellectual Meaningful Pursuit Luxury Aspiration Leisure Solidarity Shameful Meaningful Work

Book:Dreams of an Insomniac: Jewish Feminist Essays, Speeches, and Diatribes

Source: Dreams of an Insomniac: Jewish Feminist Essays, Speeches, and Diatribes

“The desire of excellence is the necessary attribute of those who excel. We work little for a thing unless we wish for it. But we cannot of ourselves estimate the degree of our success in what we strive for; that task is left to others. With the desire for excellence comes, therefore, the desire for approbation. And this distinguishes intellectual excellence from moral excellence; for the latter has no necessity of human tribunal; it is more inclined to shrink from the public than to invite the public to be its judge.”

Humans Littles Desire Left Wish Moral Judging Degrees Intellectual Tasks Excellence Strive Latter Attributes Invites Shrinks Tribunals Moral Excellence

Author:Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton