Socrates and the Marketplace

Socrates, as the story is sometimes told, believed that the wise person would instinctively lead a frugal life.  He even went so far as to refuse to wear shoes. Yet he constantly fell under the spell of the marketplace and would go there often to look at the great variety and magnificence of the wares on display.

A friend once asked him why he was so intrigued with the allures of the market.  "I love to go there," Socrates replied, "to discover how many things I am perfectly happy without."