Ecclesiastes 6:9

9 It is better to see what you have than to want more. Wanting more is useless -- like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 6:9 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 6:9

Better [is] the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the
desire
By "the sight of the eyes" is not meant the bare beholding outward riches, as in ( Ecclesiastes 5:11 ) ; but the enjoyment of present mercies; such things as a man is in the possession of, and with which he should be content, ( Hebrews 13:5 ) ; and by "the wandering of the desire", the craving appetite and insatiable lust of the covetous mind, which enlarges its desire as hell, after a thousand things, and everything it can think of; such a mind roves through the whole creation, and covets everything under the sun: now it is better to enjoy contentedly things in sight and in possession, than to let the mind loose in vague desires, after things that may never be come at, and, if attained to, would give no satisfaction; this [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit:
a most vain thing, to give the mind such a loose and liberty in its unbounded desires after worldly things; and a vexation of spirit it is to such a craving mind, that it cannot obtain what it is so desirous of.

Ecclesiastes 6:9 In-Context

7 People work just to feed themselves, but they never seem to get enough to eat.

8 In this way a wise person is no better off than a fool. Then, too, it does a poor person little good to know how to get along in life.

9 It is better to see what you have than to want more. Wanting more is useless -- like chasing the wind.

10 Whatever happens was planned long ago. Everyone knows what people are like. No one can argue with God, who is stronger than anyone.

11 The more you say, the more useless it is. What good does it do?