want must be one's master

phrase

One’s desire will not be satisfied; one must continue to want.

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Meanings

phrase
  1. UKdatedOne’s desire will not be satisfied; one must continue to want.

    He wants my money and my life, though want must be his master, for some brutish empire of his. Money I haven’t.

    1922, James Joyce, Ulysses
    4 more examples

    JUDY, (within) Well! what do you want, Mr. Punch? PUNCH. Come up stairs: I want you. JUDY. Then want must be your master. I'm busy.

    1870, John Payne Collier, The Tragical Comedy of Punch and Judy

    The market was brighter than you would think anything could be. There were stalls for everything you could possibly want—and for a great many things that if you wanted here and now, want would be your master.

    1906, E. Nesbit, The Story of the Amulet

    "I want the ring," said Mabel, rather mulishly. "Want"—the words came out of the still evening air—"want must be your master. You can't have the ring. I can't get it off!"

    1907, E. Nesbit, The Enchanted Castle

    “Poor fellow!” said Graham. “Want must be his master, as nurses said in the good old days before Montessori was heard of. […]”

    1931, Dorothy L. Sayers, The Five Red Herrings
Cite this entry
APA

want must be one's master. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/want%20must%20be%20one's%20master

MLA

“want must be one's master.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/want%20must%20be%20one's%20master. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “want must be one's master,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/want%20must%20be%20one's%20master.

Source: want must be one's master on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.