--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I firmly believe in small gestures: pay…" description: "\"“I firmly believe in small gestures: pay for their coffee, hold the door for strangers, over tip, smile or try to be kind even when you don't feel like..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/jonathan-caroll-193499_difficult-people_i-firmly-believe-in-small-gestures-pay-f_1138312.jpg" --- # I firmly believe in small gestures: pay for their coffee… ![“I firmly believe in small gestures: pay for their coffee, hold the door for strangers, over tip, smile or try to be kind even when you don't feel like it, pay compliments, chase the kid's runaway ball down the sidewalk and throw it back to him, try to be larger than you are-- particularly when…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/jonathan-caroll-193499_difficult-people_i-firmly-believe-in-small-gestures-pay-f_1138312.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/jonathan-caroll-193499_difficult-people_i-firmly-believe-in-small-gestures-pay-f_1138312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/jonathan-caroll-193499_difficult-people_i-firmly-believe-in-small-gestures-pay-f_1138312.jpg) > ““I firmly believe in small gestures: pay for their coffee, hold the door for strangers, over tip, smile or try to be kind even when you don't feel like it, pay compliments, chase the kid's runaway ball down the sidewalk and throw it back to him, try to be larger than you are-- particularly when it's difficult. People do notice, people appreciate. I appreciate it when it’s done to (for) me. Small gestures can be an effort, or actually go against our grain ("I'm not a big one for paying compliments..."), but the irony is that almost every time you make them, you feel better about yourself. For a moment life suddenly feels lighter, a bit more Gene Kelly dancing in the rain.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small acts of kindness, even when difficult, boost both giver and receiver, creating lighter moments and personal joy. **In simple terms:** Kind gestures improve mood for everyone. Key Takeaway Practice simple kindness daily. Themes kindness gratitude self‑growth Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - coffee shops - public spaces - sports fields - online interactions Key Concepts psychology of generosity social reciprocity Questions to Reflect On - What small act feels most natural to you? - How does kindness affect your stress levels? A Different Perspective Consistent kindness can feel forced or insincere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compliments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compliments/) [Dancing In The Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing-in-the-rain/) [Difficult people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-people/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Small gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-gestures/) ## Related quotes > [Kissing you is like dancing in the rain; it is an exciting kind of sensation that you can't help but fall in love with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/kissing-you-is-like-dancing-in-the-rain-it-is-an-exciting-kind-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life isnt about waiting for the storm to pass. Its about dancing in the rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-isnt-about-waiting-for-the-storm-to-pass-its-about-dancing-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life isn't complete without at least once dancing in the rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-isn-t-complete-without-at-least-once-dancing-in-the-rain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like your small gestures that speak volumes about how much you care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-your-small-gestures-that-speak-volumes-about-how-much-you-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every so often take in the small gestures of generosity & kindness that pass between your fellow man. It will reaffirm your faith in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-so-often-take-in-the-small-gestures-of-generosity-kindness-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“People who are quick to pay compliments, baby-baby, are also quick to withdraw them. But wisdom comes with age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/people-who-are-quick-to-pay-compliments-baby-baby-are-also-quick-to/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [I have arrived more definitely than any other painter during his lifetime; honours shower upon me from every side; artists pay me compliments on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/i-have-arrived-more-definitely-than-any-other-painter-during-his/) [Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/) > [Any writer knows he has to pay for his compliments. As soon as he has said, Why, thank you, that's very generous of you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jane-ward/any-writer-knows-he-has-to-pay-for-his-compliments-as-soon-as-he-has/) [Mary Jane Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jane-ward/) > [Nowadays we are all of us so hard up that the only pleasant things to pay are compliments. They’re the only things we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/nowadays-we-are-all-of-us-so-hard-up-that-the-only-pleasant-things-to/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To pay compliments to the one we love is the first method of caressing, a demi-audacity venturing. A compliment is something like a kiss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/to-pay-compliments-to-the-one-we-love-is-the-first-method-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Pay with compliments and you will always be wealthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dolan/pay-with-compliments-and-you-will-always-be-wealthy/) [Michael Dolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dolan/) > [Having children obviously changes your priorities, but when you start to see life through these innocent eyes and seeing everything for the first time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cannon/having-children-obviously-changes-your-priorities-but-when-you-start/) [Nick Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cannon/) > [Appreciate the small things you normally take for granted; one day you may realize these were the only things that mattered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/appreciate-the-small-things-you-normally-take-for-granted-one-day-you/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Be thankful for what you have. Appreciate the small and simple things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-carpenter/be-thankful-for-what-you-have-appreciate-the-small-and-simple-things/) [Kyle Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-carpenter/) > [If you appreciate the small things, you're likely to get the big ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-eriksson/if-you-appreciate-the-small-things-you-re-likely-to-get-the-big-ones/) [Jonas Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-eriksson/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Compliments quotes > [Virgos can tell when people are fishing for compliments, and we won't give it to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/virgos-can-tell-when-people-are-fishing-for-compliments-and-we-won-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know you've been put down alot when you handle insults better than you do compliments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daviddave/you-know-you-ve-been-put-down-alot-when-you-handle-insults-better/) Daviddave > [I've got the public. I don't care about the critics. I did at one time. I don't any more. I did when I needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/i-ve-got-the-public-i-don-t-care-about-the-critics-i-did-at-one-time/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [You know.. It honestly feels kinda good when a guy compliments me.. Even if they know stupid stuff about me.. It makes me realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hope/you-know-it-honestly-feels-kinda-good-when-a-guy-compliments-me-even/) [Amber Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hope/) > [Before pursuing a new relationship, you should never look for someone to complete you, a relationship consists of two whole individuals, look for someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/before-pursuing-a-new-relationship-you-should-never-look-for-someone/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [It takes a million compliments to build you up, but one insult to send it all crashing down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-a-million-compliments-to-build-you-up-but-one-insult-to-send/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Once you tell a man he's pretty, there's no taking it back. They think they're pretty all the time, and I suppose, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros-author/once-you-tell-a-man-he-s-pretty-there-s-no-taking-it-back-they-think/) [Sandra Cisneros (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros-author/) > [“Thank you—for all your compliments about the general badassery of my family’s DNA.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/thank-you-for-all-your-compliments-about-the-general-badassery-of-my/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [“Eye Contact. Direct eye contact is one of the best compliments you can give to another. You are subliminally telling them that you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/eye-contact-direct-eye-contact-is-one-of-the-best-compliments-you-can/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Compliments of congratulation are always kindly taken, and cost nothing but pen, ink and paper. I consider them as draughts upon good breeding, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/compliments-of-congratulation-are-always-kindly-taken-and-cost/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [I make it a rule always to believe compliments implicitly for five minutes, and to simmer gently for twenty more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-james/i-make-it-a-rule-always-to-believe-compliments-implicitly-for-five/) [Alice James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-james/) > [I just think it's silly to be stingy with compliments. If you see someone and they strike you as beautiful in any way, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/i-just-think-it-s-silly-to-be-stingy-with-compliments-if-you-see/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [I love your bracelet!’ I said to the brunette next to me, because, while most girls are onto the whole stranger-with-candy thing, the strangers-with-compliments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/i-love-your-bracelet-i-said-to-the-brunette-next-to-me-because-while/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [I might be too strung out on compliments. overdosed on confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-might-be-too-strung-out-on-compliments-overdosed-on-confidence/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [All girlfriends want their boyfriends to call them beautiful everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-girlfriends-want-their-boyfriends-to-call-them-beautiful-everyday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 457 Compliments quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compliments/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I firmly believe in small gestures: pay for their coffee, hold the door for strangers, over tip, smile or try to be kind even when you don't feel like it, pay compliments, chase the kid's runaway ball down the sidewalk and throw it back to him, try to be larger than you are-- particularly when it's difficult. People do notice, people appreciate. I appreciate it when it’s done to (for) me. Small gestures can be an effort, or actually go against our grain (\"I'm not a big one for paying compliments...\"), but the irony is that almost every time you make them, you feel better about yourself. 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