"By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich"

True wealth is often measured not by what one possesses, but by the contentment found in one’s heart. The assertion that desiring little allows a poor man to make himself rich challenges conventional views of prosperity. Instead of focusing on accumulation and external abundance, it emphasizes the power of one’s desires in shaping the feeling of richness.

Desires can be endless, spiraling into an insatiable hunger for more status, goods, and pleasures. Even the richest may remain unsatisfied if their wants consistently outpace their means. Yet, someone with modest means, who cultivates gratitude for what he has and asks little from fortune, can enjoy a sense of sufficiency and security. Desiring little is not resignation or lack of ambition; it is a conscious choice to value inner tranquility over the restless pursuit of more.

Democritus points out a universal truth about human happiness: it does not inherently reside in the external world. If a person is always striving for more, he becomes ensnared in a perpetual race, each gain overshadowed by new wants. The one who disciplines his mind, reducing his wants to align with his reality, finds a profound freedom. He is not prey to envy or disappointment, and each simple pleasure, a meal, a warm home, companionship, carries the weight of true abundance.

Moreover, desiring little nurtures resilience. The fewer one’s needs, the less one is vulnerable to the whims of fate. This breeds autonomy and dignity. A poor man thus has the power to transform his inner landscape, turning scarcity into sufficiency, and worry into peace. Through self-restraint, contentment emerges, and with it, a richness that is self-created, not borrowed from circumstance.

By shaping desires rather than accumulating possessions, a person discovers that true wealth is measured by satisfaction, by the harmony between wish and reality. Such richness is immune to loss, ever replenished by the simplicity of wanting little.