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The UPSC CSE Essay Paper is known for its thought-provoking philosophical quotes, testing much more than just an aspirant’s knowledge. Take, for example, a quote from the UPSC CSE Mains 2025: “Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.”
What contentment means to you? Should luxury be demonised? Attributed to Socrates, this quote explores the contrast between internal satisfaction and external indulgence. It challenges aspirants to go beyond surface interpretation and engage with deeper moral and ethical reasoning. But it doesn’t stop there. The question also demands critical analysis of how the pursuit of luxury can paradoxically lead to a sense of lack or emptiness.
What is the real test? Relating timeless philosophy to real-life choices and societal trends. How would you approach that? How to start strong with a relatable contrast? How to weave in philosophy, psychology, economics, history, mythology, and current affairs? How to end with balance, nuance, and a call for detachment, not denial? Here’s a model essay by our expert:
By Pranay Aggarwal
Isn’t it ironic that some of the richest people in the world remain perpetually anxious and dissatisfied, while others remain secure in few material possessions? Wealth is not just our bank balances or the money in our pocket. It is what rests quietly in the mind. Contentment is that quiet wealth, a satisfaction with what one has and needing nothing more. Luxury, while may appear to be a sign of wealth, in reality is an insatiable hunger. Luxury breeds a poverty of calm and poverty of spirit, which no material abundance can cure.
Philosophical insights from diverse cultures have repeatedly warned against the trap of luxury. In Hindu philosophy, luxury is Maya, an illusion of ever-multiplying desires. Seductive as it is, luxury attracts and entices, promising abundance. However, it results in an endless chase. Stoics in ancient Greece also believed that it is not the man who has little, but the man who craves unendingly, who is poor. Prince Siddhartha too saw the luxuries of palace life as golden chains. As Buddha, he broke free from those chains and led a life of simplicity and contentment that produced inner wealth not just for him but millions.
Studies in modern psychology also show that beyond a certain income level, additional wealth and material possessions add little to one’s life satisfaction. The idea of the hedonic treadmill suggests that while luxuries may provide a temporary high, people eventually end up as dissatisfied as before. Luxury also breeds anxiety and fear of losing status and possessions. Contentment, on the other hand, frees the mind from the tendency to perpetually measure oneself against others.
Luxuries breed resentment and envy amongst the less privileged. In fact, that’s precisely what they are meant to. Veblen, in his writings, had highlighted how the rich often make purchases not for the intrinsic need that the object satisfies, but for ‘conspicuous consumption’ – to reinforce their superior status in society. Think of the time you bought an iPhone or a shirt of a premium brand. A cheaper phone or shirt would have met the same basic need, except for signalling your higher social status. Moreover, when a handful enjoy luxury, often the many are struggling for survival. Thus, luxury indicates socio-economic inequality. In contrast, modest living by the privileged make them more relatable and likeable.
Popular mythology also underlines how unchecked desire for wealth can lead to ruin. Midas, whose touch made everything gold, turned his blessing into a curse due to his greed for more. In Indian mythology, Vishwamitra demanded Kamadhenu from sage Vashishtha in return for unlimited wealth. The wise and content sage refused. When Vishwamitra tried to forcefully capture Kamadhenu, he lost his riches as well as dignity.
It is not just the stuff of legends, history also bears powerful testimony. Luxury has toppled empires. The ancient Romans and the French monarchy of the 18th century fell partly due to overindulgence. More recently, the violent overthrow of the government in Nepal was triggered by the vulgar display of wealth by the ruling elite.
However, when leadership and people value contentment, it leads to political stability and societal sustenance. In ancient times, the simple and disciplined Spartans outlived richer contemporaries. After the second world war, the Zen-inspired Japanese were able to rebuild their society. In India, leaders like Shastri and Gandhi, who lived simple and contented lives, inspired trust across party lines. Clearly, contentment is an invisible but important political and societal capital.
In personal finance, it is important to understand that luxurious living can lead to a debt trap. People who spend beyond their means may appear to be affluent, but lack financial security. One is reminded of an amusing anecdote. When pop sensation Rihanna, on the verge of bankruptcy, sued her wealth manager; he wryly responded: “Did she really needed to be told that if you buy stuff for money, you will be left with the stuff and not the money?”. Simple and contented living promotes prudent consumption and frugal spending, stabilizing one’s finances. No wonder that contentment is an important contributor to personal financial well-being.
Luxury costs us not only individually but also collectively. Consumption-driven lifestyles today can lead to reduced resources and prosperity available for future generations. As Bapu reminded us, the world has enough for everyone’s needs but not enough for one man’s greed. So, choosing contentment and moderation can preserve natural wealth for posterity.
To be sure, luxury is not ‘evil’ or inherently undesirable. Luxury has spawned excellence in art and architecture. Indeed, the world would be poorer without the grandeur of the Kailasha temple or the Hathisingh Jain temple, or Gothic architecture, or the majestic pyramids. Luxury also can help to raise the standard of living of entire populations. What are once considered luxuries – like toilets, personal vehicles or mobile phones – over time become more common, advancing human civilization. As Swami Vivekananda reminded us, to an extent, material prosperity is also necessary for spiritual well-being. So, luxury, if properly moderated, can enrich life. Problem arises if luxury is idealized and relentlessly pursued for its own sake. It is a problem if it is an outcome of the accumulation of wealth in the hands of only a few, and results in envy in the hearts of many.
Equally, contentment must not be confused with stagnation. The contented can strive for growth, even excellence, but avoid insatiable greed. A content student studies not to out-do his peers, but from a genuine thirst for knowledge. A content office-goer does not reject the goal of increasing productivity, but avoids working himself to death for a fatter paycheck. The right balance needs to be struck between aspiration and contentment.
In the final analysis, contentment is liberating. Contentment cultivates calm, it creates character. Luxury chains one to external factors, leaving one perpetually dissatisfied. Perhaps the right attitude is that of vairagya, detachment – neither complete denial of, nor crazy obsession for material possessions.
UPSC expects aspirants not just to decode the quote, but to offer a multi-layered interpretation. The philosophical depth of the essay is reflected in examples drawn from diverse traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Stoicism. The real flavour of the essay emerges when an aspirant moves beyond philosophy into history, governance, and psychological theories, connecting abstract ideas with real-life examples. At the same time, your wisdom is tested when you avoid taking an extreme position. Luxury is not always bad!
About our Expert: Pranay Aggarwal is an educator and mentor for aspirants preparing for UPSC Civil Services exam. With more than 10 years of experience guiding civil service aspirants, he is acknowledged as an expert on civil service exam preparation, especially on subjects like Social Issues and Sociology. He is the India representative on the Research Committee on Education, Religion and Political Sociology for UNESCO’s International Sociological Association and a committee member of Indian Sociological Society and its committee on social movements. He is also the Convenor of Indian Civil Services Association, a think tank of senior bureaucrats.
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