--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have learned to prize the quiet…" description: "\"I have learned to prize the quiet, lightning deed, not the applauding thunder at its heels that men call fame.\" — Alexander Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/alexander-smith-4402_deeds_i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightn_1481414.png" --- # I have learned to prize the quiet, lightning deed, not the… ![“I have learned to prize the quiet, lightning deed, not the applauding thunder at its heels that men call fame.” quote by Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/alexander-smith-4402_deeds_i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightn_1481414.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/alexander-smith-4402_deeds_i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightn_1481414.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/alexander-smith-4402_deeds_i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightn_1481414.png) > “I have learned to prize the quiet, lightning deed, not the applauding thunder at its heels that men call fame.” [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True value lies in modest, effective actions rather than loud, celebrated achievements that are often fleeting. **In simple terms:** Quiet deeds matter more than loud fame. Key Takeaway Value substance over superficial recognition. Themes humility authenticity legacy Mood thoughtful inspirational Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - community service - artistic creation - leadership Key Concepts achievement recognition impact Questions to Reflect On - What quiet actions have you taken that mattered? - How do you measure true impact? A Different Perspective Public acclaim can be fleeting and misleading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Applauding Thunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/applauding-thunder-5399847/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Heels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heels/) [I have learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-have-learned/) [Lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning/) [Lightning Deed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning-deed-5399848/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-fame-1714415/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Prize Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize-quiet-5399845/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Quiet Lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-lightning-5399846/) [Thunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thunder/) ## Related quotes > [“There is no greater prize than a quiet, peaceful mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/there-is-no-greater-prize-than-a-quiet-peaceful-mind/) [Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/) > [Men should soon make up their minds to be forgotten, and look about them, or within them, for some higher motive in what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/men-should-soon-make-up-their-minds-to-be-forgotten-and-look-about/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Money will buy money's worth; but the thing men call fame, what is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/money-will-buy-money-s-worth-but-the-thing-men-call-fame-what-is-it/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Men's fame is like their hair, which grows after they are dead, and with just as little use to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-villiers/men-s-fame-is-like-their-hair-which-grows-after-they-are-dead-and/) [George Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-villiers/) > [Give us a man of God's own mould Born to marshall his fellow-men; One whose fame is not bought and sold At the stroke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/give-us-a-man-of-god-s-own-mould-born-to-marshall-his-fellow-men-one/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [In winter, when the dismal rain Comes down in slanting lines, And Wind, that grand old harper, smote His thunder-harp of pines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/in-winter-when-the-dismal-rain-comes-down-in-slanting-lines-and-wind/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [When I'm manic, I'm so awake and alert, that my eyelashes fluttering on the pillow sound like thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/when-i-m-manic-i-m-so-awake-and-alert-that-my-eyelashes-fluttering-on/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [You know, you might not think that Wigglytuff can, like, throw a thunder or lightning-type move at you. But, oh, just you watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bowen-yang/you-know-you-might-not-think-that-wigglytuff-can-like-throw-a-thunder/) [Bowen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bowen-yang/) > [Never insult a mans beard, you either get thunder or lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/never-insult-a-mans-beard-you-either-get-thunder-or-lightning/) [Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/) > [Loud o'er my head though awful thunders roll, And vivid lightnings flash from pole to pole, Yet 'tis Thy voice, my God, that bids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/loud-o-er-my-head-though-awful-thunders-roll-and-vivid-lightnings/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [Along the coast the sea roars, and inland the mountains roar – the roaring at the center, like a distant clap of thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasunari-kawabata/along-the-coast-the-sea-roars-and-inland-the-mountains-roar-the/) [Yasunari Kawabata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasunari-kawabata/) > [The sky is now indelible ink, The branches reft asunder; But you and I we do not shrink; We love the lovely thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-sky-is-now-indelible-ink-the-branches-reft-asunder-but-you-and-i/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [Think you a little din can daunt mine ears? Have I not in my time heard lions roar? Have I not heard the sea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/think-you-a-little-din-can-daunt-mine-ears-have-i-not-in-my-time/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drenched our teeples, drowned the cocks! You sulphurour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/blow-winds-and-crack-your-cheeks-rage-blow-you-cataracts-and/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) ## More by Alexander Smith > [Pleasure has no logic; it never treads in its own footsteps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/pleasure-has-no-logic-it-never-treads-in-its-own-footsteps/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [The great man is the man who does a thing for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/the-great-man-is-the-man-who-does-a-thing-for-the-first-time/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [Eternity doth wear upon her face the veil of time. They only see the veil, and thus they know not what they stand so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/eternity-doth-wear-upon-her-face-the-veil-of-time-they-only-see-the/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [There is a certain even-handed justice in Time; and for what he takes away he gives us something in return. He robs us of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/there-is-a-certain-even-handed-justice-in-time-and-for-what-he-takes/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [Thoughts must come naturally, like wild-flowers; they cannot be forced in a hot-bed, even although aided by the leaf-mould of your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/thoughts-must-come-naturally-like-wild-flowers-they-cannot-be-forced/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [In the entire circle of the year there are no days so delightful as those of a fine October, when the trees are bare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/in-the-entire-circle-of-the-year-there-are-no-days-so-delightful-as/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [The globe has been circumnavigated, but no man ever yet has; you may survey a kingdom and note the result in maps, but all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/the-globe-has-been-circumnavigated-but-no-man-ever-yet-has-you-may/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [In winter, when the dismal rain Comes down in slanting lines, And Wind, that grand old harper, smote His thunder-harp of pines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/in-winter-when-the-dismal-rain-comes-down-in-slanting-lines-and-wind/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [And in any case, to the old man, when the world becomes trite, the triteness arises not so much from a cessation as from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/and-in-any-case-to-the-old-man-when-the-world-becomes-trite-the/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [Most brilliant star upon the crest of Time Is England. England!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/most-brilliant-star-upon-the-crest-of-time-is-england-england/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [In my garden, care stops at the gate and gazes at me wistfully through the bars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/in-my-garden-care-stops-at-the-gate-and-gazes-at-me-wistfully-through/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [The spot of ground on which a man has stood is forever interesting to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/the-spot-of-ground-on-which-a-man-has-stood-is-forever-interesting-to/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [To sit for one's portrait is like being present at one's own creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/to-sit-for-one-s-portrait-is-like-being-present-at-one-s-own-creation/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [There is nothing good in this world which time does not improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/there-is-nothing-good-in-this-world-which-time-does-not-improve/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/love-is-but-the-discovery-of-ourselves-in-others-and-the-delight-in/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) [Explore all 111 Alexander Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) ## More Deeds quotes > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Time often serves to justify a deed which seems at first unjustifiable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-p-ryan/time-often-serves-to-justify-a-deed-which-seems-at-first-unjustifiable/) [Donald P. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-p-ryan/) > [When deeds speak, words are nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/when-deeds-speak-words-are-nothing/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/somehow-what-s-in-our-hearts-good-or-bad-is-eventually-translated/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Tis e'er the wont of simple folk to prize the deed and o'erlook the motive, and of learned folk to discount the deed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/tis-e-er-the-wont-of-simple-folk-to-prize-the-deed-and-o-erlook-the/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-oft-the-sight-of-means-to-do-ill-deeds-makes-ill-deeds-done/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A nation of character is filled with citizens who gradually build lives based on the living awareness that their deeds are judged by eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/a-nation-of-character-is-filled-with-citizens-who-gradually-build/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/) [Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/) > [The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/the-final-estimate-of-men-shows-that-history-cares-not-an-iota-for/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) [Browse all 2,029 Deeds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have learned to prize the quiet, lightning deed, not the applauding thunder at its heels that men call fame.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexander Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightning-deed-not-the-applauding/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deeds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightning-deed-not-the-applauding/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/alexander-smith-4402_deeds_i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightn_1481414.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/alexander-smith-4402_deeds_i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightn_1481414.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/alexander-smith-4402_deeds_i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightn_1481414.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have learned to prize the quiet, lightning deed, not the applauding thunder at its heels that men call fame.” — Alexander Smith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alexander Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have learned to prize the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightning-deed-not-the-applauding/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/i-have-learned-to-prize-the-quiet-lightning-deed-not-the-applauding/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```