True fulfillment comes from being, not getting.

What Socrates knew about divine closeness and why it's key to a life of inner wholeness.

Socrates once said, “Those who want the fewest things are nearest to the gods.”

At least, that’s what Diogenes said that Socrates said.

At least, that’s what somebody said Diogenes said that Socrates said (I wasn’t there).

Another form of this quote from Socrates is, “Having the fewest wants, I am nearest to the gods.”

Regardless of how he said it, his point is clear: having fewer wants is a sign of being closer to the divine.

At first glance, it sounds like a call to minimalism, doesn’t it? A kind of stoic self-denial where you look at your long list of desires and say, Nope, not today. I’m better than this. That’s certainly how I used to interpret it.

Back then, I thought fewer wants meant suppressing the ones I already had. Resisting. Denying. But that’s because I had wants. A lot of them. Worldly wants.

You know the kind: the shiny things, the validations, the fleeting highs that we chase because we think they’ll make us feel whole. And, sometimes, for a short while, they do... until they inevitably don’t.

But here’s the thing I didn’t understand at the time: the path to fewer wants isn’t about denial. It’s about spiritual evolution.

The Shift From Wanting to Being

What I’ve come to realize is that when Socrates spoke of having fewer wants, he wasn’t talking about forcing yourself to give up the things you crave. He was pointing to a deeper transformation, one where you no longer want those things in the first place.

He wasn’t saying to get rid of wants in order to be closer to “the gods.” I believe he was pointing out an observation.

The “fewer wants” is not the goal, it’s just a byproduct of a deeper sense of fulfillment that transcends form and circumstance.

It’s not about white-knuckling your way through desire. It’s about becoming so complete within yourself that the wanting just... fades.

Because when you feel whole—when nothing is missing in your life—everything external becomes optional. A bonus. An enhancement. Occasionally nice to have, sure, but unnecessary.

A cherry on top of a sundae that’s already perfect. The foam art on a well-crafted cappuccino. The rainbow bending across an already stunning view.

This is the kind of freedom we’re all secretly searching for. Not the freedom to have more, but the freedom to want less.

Why Worldly Wants Fall Short

Most of us are driven to achieve, acquire, and accumulate because we believe these things will satisfy some deep part of us. We are told they will fill a void. But let’s be honest—how often do they actually deliver?

The thrill of a new purchase fades. The validation from others wears off. The goal you worked so hard to achieve leaves you wondering, What’s next?

In fact, many of my clients come to me after the worldly wants and material success have been attained, because that’s when they realize that simply wasn’t the answer.

These things can only ever touch the surface. They don’t reach the depths of who we are. And the reason they don’t is simple: fulfillment doesn’t come from what you have of what you accomplish. It comes from who you are.

A life that truly satisfies has to be deeper. It has to have meaning, purpose, and a deeper connection with yourself and with life.

And it has to be free of the lies of insecurity, scarcity, and lack that block us from true abundance.

The Secret to Having It All

Here’s the paradox: the moment you release your attachment to your wants is the moment they start flowing into your life.

Why? Because when you’re no longer grasping for something to complete you, you align yourself with a state of abundance. You stop coming from a place of lack and start living from a place of fullness.

And from that fullness, life has a way of showing up for you.

I’m not saying you’ll get everything you’ve ever wanted the moment you decide you don’t need it anymore. I am saying that when you’re no longer trying to fill a void, you create space for the things that actually matter—the meaningful and purposeful things that enhance your already full life.

The secret to having it all is realizing you already do.

Living in Alignment

Here’s a practice I’ve started using:

When something external catches my attention—an opportunity, a trip, an item, a shiny new pursuit—I pause and ask myself: Do I want this because it would be nice to experience? Or do I want this because I think it will fill something inside of me or give me something I don’t already have?

If it’s the latter, I step back and realign. I focus on cultivating the wholeness within me—feeling complete within myself—rather than having my internal state depend on something or someone out there to make it so.

From this place, I’ve found that everything flows more easily. The right opportunities, the right people, the right resources—they all seem to show up at the perfect time.

And if they don’t?

Well, that’s okay too.

Because I don’t need them to.

Because nothing is missing.

Fewer Wants, More Fulfillment

I agree with Socrates, in a sense. I don’t believe that any of us are “closer” to God than others, but I do believe that some of us are closer to experiencing God.

And that’s not because they deny their wants. It’s because they’ve evolved to a place where they are so fulfilled within themselves that their wants are naturally few and hold very little power of them. And it’s because of the realization that God is always right here, right now.

It’s about being so fulfilled, so complete within yourself, that life becomes less about getting and more about being.

Because when you’re already whole, everything becomes simply an enhancement.

And that is when the magic really starts to happens.