Dream Big, Stay Humble
“The more pleasures a man captures, the more masters he will have to serve.”
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to achieve greatness; we should all aspire to that end. What’s important, though, is that we're pursuing a purposeful life, not a superficial life. As we progress through life and achieve some success we have to keep our desires in check. Life's journey comes with inevitable (mostly empty) distractions; some harder to ignore than others. We may find ourselves succumbing to these temptations in the hopes that they'll make us feel better or even bring happiness. And they will, but it's a fleeting and false sense of happiness; which ultimately leaves us wanting more. And a nasty cycle ensues.
“...there is nothing wrong with enjoying the good things life has to offer, as long as we are careful in the manner in which we enjoy them. In particular, we must be ready to give up the good things without regret if our circumstances should change.”
Ultimately, if we want to have a happy and meaningful life, we must overcome our insatiability for material things. We have to check our desires and appreciate what we have now.
“It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.”