In short: the Buddha saw craving as the root of suffering, and never satisfied: "Even if it were raining money, you'd not be sated in sensual pleasures" (Dhammapada 186). But "whoever prevails over this wretched craving… their sorrows fall from them, like a drop from a lotus-leaf" (Dhammapada 336). Here are seven genuine quotes on desire, each with its verse number.
1. Dhammapada 186
"Even if it were raining money, you'd not be sated in sensual pleasures. An astute person understands that sensual pleasures offer little gratification and much suffering."
2. Dhammapada 334
"When a man lives heedlessly, craving grows in them like a camel's foot creeper. They jump from one thing to the next, like a langur greedy for fruit in a forest grove."
3. Dhammapada 335
"Whoever is beaten by this wretched craving, this attachment to the world, their sorrow grows, like grass in the rain."
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4. Dhammapada 336
"But whoever prevails over this wretched craving, so hard to get over in the world, their sorrows fall from them, like a drop from a lotus-leaf."
5. Dhammapada 216
"Sorrow springs from craving, fear springs from craving; one free from craving has no sorrow, let alone fear."
6. Dhammapada 354
"The gift of the teaching surmounts all other gifts; the taste of the teaching surmounts all other tastes; the joy of the teaching surmounts all other joys; the ending of craving surmounts all suffering."
7. Dhammapada 355
"Riches ruin a simpleton, but not a seeker of the far shore. From craving for wealth, a simpleton ruins themselves and others."
Why craving causes suffering, step by step: the Four Noble Truths.
All quotes are from the early Buddhist texts in Bhikkhu Sujato's translation on SuttaCentral, copied exactly. Last checked: 17 October 2026.
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Questions people ask
What did the Buddha say about desire?
That craving can never be satisfied: 'Even if it were raining money, you'd not be sated in sensual pleasures' (Dhammapada 186), and that 'sorrow springs from craving' (Dhammapada 216).