“It is not the man who has too little who is poor, but the one who craves more.”Seneca · Scrisori către Lucilius · 65 · Scrisori către Lucilius, Scrisoarea 2
Poverty is a state of desire, not possession; you are poor when you want more, not when you have less.
Seneca redefines poverty: it's not the one who has little who is poor, but the one who always wants more. A rich person who never feels fulfilled is poorer in spirit than someone with little but content. For example, a collector who doesn't enjoy what they have, only the next acquisition, lives in permanent lack.
Why it matters It helps us recognize that happiness depends on satisfaction, not on the quantity of possessions.