The philosopher who wrote extensively about the endless cycle of desire and suffering you describe was Arthur Schopenhauer.

Schopenhauer’s Core Idea

In his major work The World as Will and Representation (1818), Schopenhauer argued that life is dominated by an irrational and insatiable force he called the will—a blind striving that drives all existence toward constant wanting and never-ending dissatisfaction.​

He believed every desire arises from a feeling of lack, which is inherently painful. When a desire is fulfilled, relief comes only momentarily before a new desire emerges. Thus, existence swings “like a pendulum between pain and boredom.” In Schopenhauer’s pessimistic view, suffering is not accidental—it is the very structure of life because the will can never be fully satisfied.​

Escaping the Cycle

Influenced by Eastern thought, especially Buddhism, Schopenhauer suggested partial escape from this suffering through the renunciation of desires—a life of simplicity, inner calm, and contemplation. He also saw experiences like music and art as moments of transcendence, where one briefly escapes the tyranny of desire.​

In short, Arthur Schopenhauer identified this condition of unending wanting and dissatisfaction as the essence of the human condition, seeing it as the root of suffering and the reason lasting happiness always eludes us.

Seems like a tough way to go.