What is the difference between a need and a want?

What is the difference between need and want?

• Answer:

  A need is something you have to have, something you can't do without. A good example is food. If you don't eat, you won't survive for long. Many people have gone days without eating, but they eventually ate a lot of food. You might not need a whole lot of food, but you do need to eat. A want is something you would like to have. It is not absolutely necessary, but it would be a good thing to have. A good example is music. Now, some people might argue that music is a need because they think they can't do without it. But you don't need music to survive. You do need to eat. These are general categories, of course. Some categories have both needs and wants. For instance, food could be a need or a want, depending on the type of food.