101 Proverbs and Sayings for Kids [With Easy Explanation]

This post will encourage kids to learn words of wisdom from proverbs and sayings that have stood test of time. These have been categorized under more than a dozen topics such as health, community, honesty and other principles, accepting responsibility, learning, and failures and disappointments.

If you’re looking for more proverbs and sayings, you can find plenty of them in the resource below. It contains proverbs on topics such as life, family, friends, love, health, happiness, money, hard work, time, time management, teamwork, leadership, business, education & learning, and more.

Health

1. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.

Only studying and working makes a person one-dimensional, dull. We shouldn’t ignore sports (physical, and not online) and other extracurricular activities as they’re essential for our growth and wellbeing.

2. You are what you eat.

Eating nutritious food in adequate quantity makes us healthy and energetic. In contrast, eating junk food can make us overweight and unhealthy.

3. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Going to bed early and waking up early, say by 6:30 AM, is beneficial to us.

4. Laughter is the best medicine.

Laughter relieves us of stress, anger, and unhappiness. It also boosts our mood and immune system. That way, laughter is a great medicine.

5. Prevention is better than cure.

A disease can affect us emotionally and financially and can cause irreversible damage to our bodies. Therefore, it’s better to take steps to prevent it than to cure it. What better example than Covid-19. This proverb holds for matters other than health. For example, old tyres in a car should ideally be replaced rather than wait for some accident to happen.

Community

6. Man cannot live by bread alone.

Unlike animals, we cannot live only on food and shelter. We need social, spiritual, intellectual, and other fulfilments to thrive. To seek these fulfilments, we become members of different communities, clubs, and associations and participate in different activities.

7. Many hands make light work.

We can complete a task quicker and easier by working with others. Whether in school or workplace, we often work in teams to achieve different objectives. Therefore, we should learn to work with others.

8. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

We should be aware of etiquettes and customs of a new place we’re visiting and act accordingly. Otherwise, we may offend them. For example, in some Asian countries, a handshake is considered rude when meeting people. There, we should greet people in a way that is practiced locally.

9. Who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl.

If you keep company with bad people, you’ll pick up their bad habits.

10. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Your real friends are those who support you and help you in times of need. Fake friends will nowhere be seen in such times. Therefore, have at least few real friends whom you can rely on in times of need.

11. The company makes the feast.

You won’t enjoy even an awesome meal with people you don’t like. It’s the company (or people) that makes a meal a feast (or enjoyable).

12. Charity begins at home.

We should help others and contribute to the community, but the best place to start is your home. So, first help family members at home, then people in the neighbourhood, and then in the broader community.

13. Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

We often complain about the problems – some of them tiny – we face. Instead of complaining about every problem we face, why can’t we take steps to solve at least those which are manageable. For example, we can clean up our home instead of complaining about it. We can inform the civic body if we see a potentially dangerous pothole. And so on.

Honesty and other principles

14. Cheats never prosper.

Sometimes, it may seem that cheats prosper. For example, someone who copies homework or in exam may seem to have prospered without putting in the work. But what happens in few months to few years? Because the student doesn’t have the foundational knowledge from previous years (because he cheated and didn’t study), he will struggle – or even fail – in the next academic session(s). Sometimes, cheats suffer in the short term, sometimes in the medium to long term. But they do suffer.

15. Honesty is the best policy.

Honesty is the best course of action in our day-to-day conduct. Dishonest may do well in the short term, but it’s honesty that pays in the long term.

16. It’s a sin to steal a pin.

Some people justify stealing (or dishonesty) if value of the stolen item is small. But stealing can’t be justified even if the item is as invaluable as a pin.

17. A liar is not believed when he speaks the truth.

Because a liar habitually speaks falsehood, people think he is lying even when he speaks truth. A mischievous boy, for example, used to raise false alarm in the neighbourhood by calling fire. But one day when there actually was a fire, no one believed him.

18. One lie leads to another.

When we tell a lie, people often ask follow-on questions to get more information, and then we’ve to tell more lies to cover up our first lie. Clearly, one lie leads to another. It doesn’t stop at one. So, we should avoid that first lie itself.

19. You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.

You’ve to bear consequences of your actions. For example, we often see cheats landing up in jail or reckless drivers meeting with accident. So, it’s better to be honest, morally correct, and abide by rules and laws.

20. There is no right way to do a wrong thing.

A wrong thing can’t be justified in any way. A wrong thing is wrong, simple. For example, you can’t justify robbing a rich to help a poor because robbing is wrong. Similarly, you can’t justify violence to achieve any goal, howsoever noble it may sound. Why? Because violence is wrong.

21. An ill wound is cured, not an ill name.

If you’re sick, you’ll get cured. If you’re injured, your injuries will heal. But if your name is spoilt because of bad deeds, it won’t heal. Ill name, in fact, spreads in the community.

22. Clothes don’t make the man.

Wearing fine clothes doesn’t change our character; well-dressed people can be rude, unkind, and dishonest. Many persons who have been convicted for crime, for example, were rich, sophisticated, and well-dressed. Far more important is to build a good character. However, there is nothing wrong with wearing good clothes within one’s means.

23. Actions speak louder than words.

What really matters is what we do and not what we say. For example, what would you think of a person who boasted that he’ll get 100 percent marks in math but ended up getting only 70 percent? Not great, right.

24. Be slow to promise and quick to perform.

Some people promise quickly but fail to keep it. Think before you promise, and once you do, do your best to keep it. If you keep your promises, people will trust you more.

25. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Your faults are not excused by faults of somebody else. For example, if you abuse or hit someone because they did the same to you, then both are wrong. The two wrongs you do to each other don’t make a right.

Accepting responsibility

26. A miss by an inch is a miss by a mile.

If you miss your goal by a small margin, it’s still a miss. For example, if you’re shortlisted for your school’s sports team but failed to make into the playing team, it’s still a miss. Feel happy about reaching at least close though, but don’t treat it a near success. Take responsibility for the miss, learn what else you could’ve done, and give a better shot the next time.

27. Bad workman always blames his tools.

Some people blame alarm clock for being late. Some blame lack of sleep for silly mistakes in exams. And so on. If you look hard at the miss, you’ll realize that it was your fault. So, don’t blame others for your mistakes. Own them and eliminate them. That’s how we become better.

28. A fault once denied is twice committed.

There is no shame in accepting a fault. Shame is in denying it. The best of best in any field keenly accept their mistakes and weaknesses, and then improve on them. That’s how they become best of best. If we don’t accept our faults, we would not even know what areas we’ve to improve on.

Manners and etiquette

29. Do as you would be done by.

If you’re rude to others, others too will likely be rude to you. If you don’t respect others, others too will likely not respect you. So, behave in a manner you want others to behave with you.

30. Civility costs nothing.

Being respectful to others is easy. It doesn’t require extra effort. It doesn’t cost anything. But it gives a lot. It can bring lot of goodwill to you and do wonders for your reputation.

31. The pot calls the kettle black.

People criticize others for faults they themselves have. A person, for example, pointed out to his friend that he came late even though that person himself was a habitual latecomer. We should avoid such double standards – one rule for us and another for others.

32. A knife wound heals; a wound caused by words does not.

Harsh words spoken to a person can have lasting effect on him, troubling him and creating ill will for a long time. So, choose your words wisely.

33. Don’t ride the high horse.

Boasting and looking down upon others is not an appropriate behaviour. Don’t think yourself to be above others in any aspect, be it any skill, trait, or material thing. How would you feel if others do the same to you in matters in which they’re superior to you? So, practice humility.

34. Having two ears and one tongue, we should listen twice as much as we speak.

Most of us want to speak more and listen less. However, we should listen more than we speak. Listening enables us to understand others’ viewpoints better, which in turn helps us to respond (or speak) better when our turn to speak comes.

35. Honey catches more flies than vinegar.

You can convince more people for your cause by talking politely than by being aggressive. Will you be more willing to work with someone who speaks to you politely and smilingly or with someone who speaks to you little bit aggressively?

36. The Kumara does not speak of its own sweetness.

Don’t self-praise. If you deserve, others will praise you. (Kumara means sweet potato in Maori culture.)

37. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

You can’t have two nice-to-have things if having one precludes the other (you can either eat or have the cake). For example, you want to earn hundred dollars by working for two hours on five days a week, but you also want to have that same time for watching your favourite show. You can do either of them, not both. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

38. When angry, count a hundred.

Decisions and actions taken in anger are usually not the best and can sometimes even harm us. So, let things cool down before you decide or act. (You don’t need to literally count till hundred. Counting just implies patience.)

39. Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Cover of a book may look attractive, but the book may turn out to be waste of time. On the other hand, a book with ordinary cover may turn out to be a great read. Similarly, we shouldn’t judge people by their outward appearance.

40. He that has a great nose thinks everybody is speaking of it.

Someone with a large nose thinks that others are noticing it, but they aren’t. Don’t be self-conscious about your appearance. You think more about it than others do.

41. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Once you’ve committed yourself to something, you should try to do it wholeheartedly and see it through to the end. For example, if you’ve committed to feeding your dog twice a day for a week, then you should do it with enthusiasm for the entire duration.

42. Punctuality is the politeness of princes.

Being late is a bad habit, and it gets you bad name. Have you been made to wait by someone? How did it feel? Not good, right. Some people expect influential persons to come late, but they’re respected even more if they arrive on time.

43. Don’t make yourself a mouse, or the cat will eat you.

If you meekly accept someone’s bad behaviour, they’ll be emboldened to harass you even further. Report such matter to your parents or appropriate authority.

44. Cleanliness is next to godliness.

We’ve moral duty to keep ourselves and our homes clean.

45. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

You get attention if you complain or make noise about something. However, this proverb may be used in somewhat different way: if you stay overly quiet among friends or in class, you’ll likely not attract even rightful attention.

Patience

46. Learn to walk before you run.

You can’t directly jump to advanced stuff when learning something. First master the basic stuff.

47. Good and quickly seldom meet.

Anything done in hurry is usually not of good quality.

48. He that can have patience can have what he will.

If you work patiently at something, carrying on despite mistakes and failures on the way, you can achieve the most challenging goals. Almost every achiever in the world achieved what he did after years of patient work, learning from mistakes and setbacks all the while.

Learning

49. There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree.

There are no shortcuts to achieving a goal or mastering a skill. We’ve to go through the necessary steps, which take time and which are sometimes not to our liking.

50. No gain without pain.

Any worthwhile task requires you to move out of your comfort zone and attempt new things, which inherently involves some discomfort, some pain. Recall something you did the first time. Wasn’t it uncomfortable? But we must do it because that’s the process for learning new things and getting better.

51. It is the first step that is difficult.

When attempting something new, the first step is often the most difficult because we hesitate at the beginning of a task, especially when it’s not easy. Take that first step, and it’ll progressively get easier.

52. A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.

Sometimes, the task looks so challenging that we give up within hours or days of first attempting it. But any challenging task can be broken down into simple parts and each part can be done one by one to, eventually, accomplish the big goal. So, don’t run away from a challenging task. Take one step at a time and you’ll complete thousand-mile journey. For example, an entire book can be finished by reading just a page or two every day (one step at a time).

53. Slow and steady wins the race.

Remember Aesop’s fable of tortoise and hare. Tortoise walked slowly, yet it beat the hare to finish. How? Because the tortoise was steady. It walked slowly but without stopping. The hare, on the other hand, took a long rest. If you work steadily (regular work, in other words), you’ll soon add each day’s work on top of previous day’s work and will surprise yourself on how fast things move.

54. Practice makes perfect.

We become perfect at something only through repeated practice. However, it shouldn’t be mindless, robotic practice.

Matthew Syed, in his book Bounce, gives example of how his mother’s typing speed hardly changed despite several years of practice: “My mother was a secretary for many years and, before embarking on her career, went on a course to learn how to type. After a few months of training, she reached seventy words a minute, but then hit a plateau that lasted for the rest of her career.”

She typed for several years, but her typing speed stayed at seventy words a minute. This happens not just in typing but in every field. Why? Because we stop making improvements in our practice (mindless, robotic practice). We stop raising the level of difficulty in our tasks. Before landing the job, she did a course specifically to improve, but after she joined her job, she didn’t look for improvements. Professional sportspersons, for example, constantly look for avenues to improve, and they even hire coaches for this purpose.

55. An idle brain is a devil’s workshop.

Someone sitting idle will engage in mischiefs and destructive things. So, keep yourself engaged in productive tasks.

56. If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.

If you can do basic stuff, you can do advanced stuff as well. Sometimes, we struggle to believe that we too can move from basic to advanced level (walk to dance or talk to sing) in sports or academics or other skills. But there is no magic that takes you to an advanced level. All it takes is practice. What kind of practice? See proverb # 54: Practice makes perfect.

57. Green leaves and brown leaves fall from the same tree.

You’re no different from your friend who is better than you in sports or academics or other interests. We’re all leaves, some green and some brown, from the same tree. Some become better at few things though because they’ve put in more efforts than you’ve. If you do the same, you too can reach the same level. Benjamin Bloom, an eminent educational researcher, says: “After forty years of intensive research on school learning in the United States as well as abroad, my major conclusion is: What any person in the world can learn, almost all persons can learn, if provided with the appropriate prior and current conditions of learning.” Many, however, don’t even try to get better, thinking that the most skilled are naturally gifted and hence no amount of work can take them to that level. What it actually takes is practice. What kind of practice? See proverb # 54.

58. Nothing succeeds like success.

Most of us don’t like learning a new thing because it forces us to move out of our comfort zone. However, if you want to develop liking for learning a new thing, aim for few quick successes. They’ll fuel your passion and push you to go for more wins. That’s a key reason why many world-class professionals become passionate about their fields.

59. Use it or lose it.

You’ve learnt a new skill: dancing, swimming, cycling, or some sports. Or you’ve gained new knowledge from books or teachers. Great! But you’ll lose it if you don’t use the new skill or knowledge regularly.

60. Those who accomplish great things pay attention to little ones.

Lack of attention to little things is often the reason why an entire project fares badly. For example, an assignment without a careful review may contain silly mistakes, which will lower the marks you get.

61. Don’t put the cart before the horse.

Perform tasks in proper sequence (cart goes after the horse and not before it). For example, if certain preliminary steps are required before the main steps, do them first.

62. A book holds a house of gold.

You may not be able to meet the greatest living minds in the world and learn from them, and you’ll certainly not be able to meet the greatest minds of past years. But you can learn from them through books on them. Regular reading can do wonders for anyone.

63. Teachers open the door, but you must walk through it yourself.

Merely sitting through a class is not enough. You should also take interest and practice what’s taught, and, if required, do the work even outside class hours. To benefit, you’ve to take the initiative.

Exams and other performances

64. He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail.

If we don’t prepare for a performance or test, we’ll likely fail in it.

65. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Don’t take up work more than you can handle. If you do, you won’t be able to devote adequate time to any, and the quality of all of them will suffer. This proverb also applies to study: Experts suggest studying in small, manageable chunks for better grasp. Many, however, leave a lot to be covered in a short period.

66. A small leak will sink a great ship.

A little weakness can pull your entire performance down. For example, weakness in one subject, say math, can pull down your overall academic performance. Malfunction in a tiny part of an aeroplane, to give another example, can crash it. So, don’t ignore little weak areas if you aspire top performance.

67. God helps those who help themselves.

Some leave everything to God, not putting in the work. Result? They don’t succeed. God helps those who work hard and give their best.

68. Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.

You worked hard and are expecting a good result, but don’t start celebrations yet because unexpected things do happen. Chickens haven’t hatched yet or result isn’t out yet.

Managing time

69. The early bird catches the worm.

Those who start their day early in the morning get much work done. First, morning hours have less distractions. Second, we’re fresh and more productive in the morning after night’s sleep.

70. First things first.

Prioritize things you want to do. Take the most important and urgent item first. For example, any submission with a close deadline should normally take priority over, say, returning a book to someone.

71. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Don’t delay something that can be done today. If you do, then tomorrow may stretch to day-after-tomorrow and then to…. In other words, don’t procrastinate. One of the best techniques people use to beat procrastination is to commit just 5-10 minutes for the task they’ve been running away from. Once you’re into it, the task will likely seem less complex than you thought, and you may continue longer.

72. Fire is a good servant, but a bad master.

A small fire can be useful for cooking or for keeping warm (it’s a servant), but a big fire can be destructive (it’s a master now). This proverb applies to our use of social media and online games. Limited use of internet-based platforms and games can be stressbusting or even educative, but too much of it leaves little time for meaningful activities and can even affect our wellbeing.

Being creative

73. A questioning man is halfway to being wise.

A questioning (or curious) mind is the foundation of being wise or creative. Isaac Newton, for example, got curious when he saw an apple falling from a tree, which eventually led to his theory of gravitation. Swimsuits, similarly, were inspired from watching sharks swim fast.

74. It’s no use pumping a dry well.

What happens if you hammer a nail on the wall with concrete or steel behind? It won’t go in, right? You need to shift to a position where the nail goes in easily. Likewise, many of us keep trying the same thing without realizing that our methods aren’t working. In such cases, we should explore alternate ways. Successful people are known to try multiple things before 1-2 of them click.

75. Cross the stream where it is shallowest.

Like we should cross a stream where it is shallowest, we should try to find simple, yet elegant, ways to solve a problem. That’s why the best products, like the phones and tablets we use, are often the simplest with minimum parts.

Being aware of dangers

76. Look before you leap.

Assess before you jump into something new. Make sure it’s not something that will harm you, if not now then in future.

77. A stitch in time saves nine.

If we take corrective steps in time – and not wait unnecessarily – a problem can be stopped from becoming big. For example, if you notice roots of a plant or tree near a critical structure, remove the roots. Otherwise, the structure will develop cracks in due course.

78. All that glitters is not gold.

All that looks shiny and beautiful is not necessarily of good quality. A sweet talker, for example, may turn out to be a bad character. So, don’t get taken in by outward appearance alone.

79. The devil is in the details.

Seemingly insignificant details can derail an entire project or plan. For example, the journalists were quite happy when Covid vaccination was opened for them before others. But their happiness evaporated when they learnt the details: that it was meant for only those journalists who were covering a specific event.

80. Don’t meet trouble halfway.

Do not attract a trouble unnecessarily. We may get into trouble unknowingly or it may cross our path by sheer misfortune but inviting trouble unnecessarily… no way.

Failures and disappointments

81. There is no rose without a thorn.

We rarely have only good times. Good and bad times, both, are as much part of our lives as roses and thorns are part of the same plant. So, if you’re going through a failure or disappointment, seek comfort in the fact that you’re not the only who’s facing it. Everyone does.

82. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Because we don’t like bad times, they seem to be long and never-ending. But they do end. Like the darkest of clouds (symbolic of bad times) have a silver lining (symbolic of good times), the most difficult times will give way to good times.

83. He who does nothing, does not fail.

If you don’t do anything, you won’t fail at anything. But you’ll also not gain anything. How people achieve big things? They try things they consider useful, and when they try something new, they sometimes fail. They learn from failures, reduce mistakes, and eventually become good at that thing. (That’s also called Growth Mindset.)

Michael Jordan, widely considered the greatest basketball player, once said: “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Overall, people who try move forward, whereas those who do nothing stay at the same place.

84. Failure teaches success.

In the previous proverb, we saw that people learn from their failures to become better. That way, failure leads to success. (If the hare learns from his mistake, he won’t sleep next time and win the race.) The best in their fields don’t get disappointed at failures but learn from them to get even better. This is true not just of individuals but also of successful Companies such as Google and Amazon.

85. In a calm sea, every man is a pilot.

Anyone can handle easy situations. It’s the tough situation that tests us and makes us better like a turbulent sea tests and makes a better pilot. So, instead of cursing tough situations and giving up, we should look at them as a means to become better.

86. A stumble may prevent a fall.

On 10 March 2019, Antonis Mavropoulos, president of the non-profit International Solid Waste Association, was mad at the airline staff when they failed to help him board his flight to Nairobi. Minutes later, the plane crashed. His bad experience at the airport was just a stumble that prevented a fall.

This proverb teaches us to not dwell on bad events for long and move on quickly, thinking that far worse could have happened.

87. It’s no use crying over spilt milk.

An unfortunate event that has happened has happened. You can’t reverse it now, so there is no point in feeling miserable about it. Just learn your lesson and move forward.

88. You can’t always get what you want.

We can’t always get what we want. Even the super-rich don’t get some of the things they want. So, don’t be disappointed if you couldn’t get an object of desire.

89. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

The same thing in someone else’s hand looks more attractive. Next time when you envy the attractive toy or gadget your friend has, remember this proverb. It looks attractive as long as you don’t have it, but once you own it, it’s no longer that attractive.

90. Where there’s a will there’s a way.

If we really want to do something, we’ll find a way to do it despite odds.

Nick Vujicic was born with tetra-Amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized with absence of all four limbs. As a child, he was teased and mocked at. He thought he had no future, no opportunity, and no hope. Today, he is a sought-after speaker, has addressed millions in 60+ countries, has met the who’s who, runs a non-profit and a for-profit venture, has written eight books, has done a music video, has acted in a short film with an award-winning performance, and has a family.

Where there’s a will there’s a way.

91. Fall seven times. Stand up eight.

Failure is final if you stop trying. That’s why you’ve to get up one time more than you fall. This happens to be one of the guiding philosophies of Novak Djokovic, one of the all-time greats of tennis. In his words: “My parents often told me that I have to believe in myself and never stop working and fighting. No matter how hard or whatever the circumstances are. You will only fail when you stop trying.” However, you should also question why you’re falling so many times? Are you making any mistakes? Refer to proverb # 74: It’s no use pumping a dry well.

92. He can who believes he can.

If we believe we can’t do a challenging task, we likely won’t because the belief itself forces us to make less effort than required. Let’s take an example.

You’re hiking in Africa, and you get lost. You come across a hungry wild dog who is keen to make a meal of you. What would you do? You’ll fight with all your might, right? But what if you face a lion instead? Will you show the same might against the lion? Very unlikely. Because you’ll lack the self-belief to fight a lion. Although your ability to fight is same in both the situations, your response will be different.

Seeing a tougher challenge – the lion – your belief in your ability will go down, although your ability remained the same in both the situations. And this diminished belief stops you from performing.

93. It’s never too late to mend.

If you want to improve in something, say a sport or an academic subject, you haven’t been good at for a long time, you can start now. It’s not too late. Same way, it’s also not too late if you want to be better friends with someone or improve on bad habits.

94. Those who don’t learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.

Those who fail to learn from their mistakes are likely to make the same mistake again. (Imagine, how difficult it’ll be to go through the same failure again.) It’s even better if you can learn from the mistakes of others around you and not make that mistake yourself. And what better way to learn from others’ mistakes than to read. Remember, proverb # 62: A book holds a house of gold.

Money and other material things

95. A penny saved is a penny earned.

Saving has the same effect as earning: it leaves us with money. If we save regularly, we can have more money than who earn more but spend recklessly.

96. Little and often fills the purse.

If you save even a small amount regularly, you’ll have significant sum in due course.

97. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

Having one thing for certain is better than the possibility of having two. Would you like one piece of your favourite dessert in hand or the possibility of two, which may or may not come true?

98. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Don’t risk putting all your assets or money into one investment. For example, Tom invested all his savings into a house, and then housing prices crashed. If he had invested in multiple places, he would have been better off.

99. Easy come, easy go.

Something, especially money, that comes easily also goes away easily. We value money that comes easily to us, say through a lottery or inheritance, less than the money we earn through some effort, and therefore we tend to fritter it away on unnecessary things.

100. A fool and his money are soon parted.

Fools are easily taken in by tales spun by dishonest people, invest their money in wrong places, and lose it.

101. People are not satisfied with what they have. People are satisfied with what they don’t have.

You may get dissatisfied on seeing a friend’s latest shiny possession that’s better than yours, and you may also want to buy one. The problem is that even if you get your desired object, human nature is such that you’ll start wishing to have even bigger, shinier, and more expensive item. There is no limit to our desires, and if we can’t control them, they’ll keep us unhappy.