Imagine the most powerful person in the world asking if there is anything they could do for you. How would you respond? What would you want?
As legend has it, when Diogenes was living in Corinth, Alexander the Great came to the city and was interested in meeting the philosopher. He found Diogenes resting in the sunlight, introduced himself, and asked if there was anything he could do for him. Diogenes replied, "Yes. Get out of my sunlight." Alexander admired his spirit and said,
"If I were not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes."
Diogenes did not need much. He believed in self-control and rejecting everything considered unnecessary in life. Seeing a child drinking from his hands, Diogenes threw away his cup and remarked, "A child has beaten me in plainness of living."
Although Diogenes is far from the only philosopher to stress the notion of wanting less, Socrates believed that the secret of happiness is not found in seeking more but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.
What do you “want” out of life?
Is there anything you “need” to begin leading the life you actually want to live?
