Tao Te Ching, Chapter 46
Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu saw contentment not as a matter of possession but perspective. In a world driven by desires and constant accumulation, he proposes a radical reframing: understanding sufficiency is the key to abundance. This is a direct challenge to the prevailing ethos of endless acquisition that defined much of early Chinese society and persists today. The Tao Te Ching often contrasts this inner sufficiency with the external striving that dominates human life.