People overestimate the pleasure they’ll get from having more stuff. This does not apply to new rose bushes, crayons, or yarn stashes.

The remark plays on a well-known idea from behavioral psychology: people routinely mispredict how much lasting happiness material acquisitions will bring, because novelty fades and possessions quickly become part of the background of daily life. The second sentence humorously carves out “exceptions” that are really examples of experiential or creative goods—plants to cultivate, art supplies to use, fiber to make things with—items that generate ongoing activity, learning, and pleasure rather than passive ownership. The joke also gently acknowledges hobbyist desire and the rationalizations collectors make, while still affirming that some purchases can be meaningfully enriching when they support creativity, care, and making.