"Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants."
— Epictetus
Wealth Consists Not In Having Great
Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.
About this quote
A paraphrase from Book IV of the Discourses. Epictetus taught that desire itself - not its fulfillment - is the source of dissatisfaction. Having lived as a slave with no possessions, he could speak to wealth and want without abstraction. The idea resonates with parallel teachings from Lao Tzu and Gautama Buddha, though Epictetus arrived at it through the Stoic tradition of Zeno of Citium and Musonius Rufus.
Source
Discourses, Book IV, Chapter 9 (paraphrase)
