In philosophy, desire has been identified as a philosophical problem since Antiquity. In Plato's The Republic, Socrates argues that individual desires must be postponed in the name of the higher ideal.
Within the teachings of Buddhism, craving is thought to be the cause of all suffering. By eliminating craving, a person can attain ultimate happiness, or Nirvana. While on the path to liberation, a practitioner is advised to "generate desire" for skillful ends.
Famous quotes containing the word desire:
“There are several sorts of curiosity: a curiosity of self-interest, for example, which makes us desire to learn things that may be useful to us; and one of pride, which proceeds from an itch to know more than other people.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)