A short cut to riches is to subtract from our desires.

Riches, the quote suggests, are a kind of fraction: what we have measured against what we want. Most of us try to raise the first number by earning more, but Petrarch points to the second. If we shrink our wants, we reach the feeling of "enough" sooner, and that feeling is what we were chasing all along. Someone with modest means and few cravings may be freer than a person with a fortune and endless appetites.

This view belongs to the ancient moral tradition that Petrarch admired and helped revive, especially Stoic thinkers like Seneca, who taught that contentment comes from governing desire rather than feeding it. Christian ideas of moderation point the same way. The line is commonly attributed to Petrarch, though I can't name a definite source, so it deserves some caution.

Today, you might apply it by waiting thirty days before buying something you merely want, such as a new phone when your current one works fine. If the urge fades, you have grown a little richer without earning anything, and the money can go toward something you care about more.