Sentence:  Collecting at its best is very far from mere <WSD>acquisitiveness</WSD>; it may become one of the most humanistic of occupations, seeking to illustrate, by the assembling of significant reliques, the march of the human spirit in its quest of beauty, and the aspirations that were [its] guide. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The quality of being acquisitive; propensity to acquire property; desire of possession.