Keep your desires natural | Daily Quote No. 155
A brilliant excerpt from one of Seneca's letters on setting goals and desires...
Natural desires are limited; those which spring from false opinions have nowhere to stop
Seneca, Letter XVI
Natural desires are limited; those which spring from false opinions have nowhere to stop, for falsity has no point of termination. When a person is following a track, there is an eventual end to it somewhere, but wandering at large there is no limit. So give up pointless, empty journeys, and whenever you want to know whether the desire aroused in you by something you are pursuing is natural or quite unseeing, ask yourself whether it is capable of coming to rest at any point; if after going a long way there is always something remaining farther away, be sure it is not something natural.
Seneca, Letter XVI
It is not just material possessions which call for minimalist thinking, but also your goals. If you are constantly wanting more from your accomplishments then you will never be happy with all which you have managed to achieve. It is good to have something driving you forward towards a goal, but you have to ensure that there is an end in mind, a summit which you can reach and be content with having done so, without looking at the adjacent mountain and thinking ‘actually I need to get there.’
Natural desires are limited; those which spring from false opinions have nowhere to stop, for falsity has no point of termination.