Samuel Johnson: Enjoyment Over Desire
on Monday, May 11, 2015Samuel Johnson Money Quotation saying there is a reliable equation to measure true wealth which divides pleasure by percentage of wants. Samuel Johnson said:
“Every man is rich or poor according to the proportion between his desires and his enjoyments” — Samuel Johnson
In this quote, Samuel Johnson is suggesting that true wealth or poverty is determined not just by one’s financial status, but by the balance between what one desires and what one actually experiences or possesses. If one’s desires greatly exceed what they can attain or enjoy in life, Johnson implies this would constitute a type of inner poverty, whereas having proportional desires to one’s means would make one rich regardless of income.
The interpretation is that Johnson believed well-being depends more on being content with what one has rather than constantly wanting more. The quote advocates developing reasonable desires and finding fulfillment in life’s simpler pleasures rather than always chasing excessive or unrealistic wants that cannot be met.