---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and…"
description: "\"The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and thorns is a benefactor whether he soweth grain or not.\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/anonymous-1_benefactors_the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thor_2757091.jpg"
---

#  The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and thorns is a…

![“The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and thorns is a benefactor whether he soweth grain or not.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/anonymous-1_benefactors_the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thor_2757091.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/anonymous-1_benefactors_the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thor_2757091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/anonymous-1_benefactors_the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thor_2757091.jpg)

> “The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and thorns is a benefactor whether he soweth grain or not.”

[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.

Helping others, even without direct benefit, is a virtuous act regardless of outcome.

**In simple terms:** Being kind is good even if you get nothing back.

Key Takeaway

Practice generosity without expecting reward.

Themes

generosity virtue altruism

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- volunteering
- community aid
- environmental stewardship

Key Concepts

moral philosophy ethical behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- What motivates you to help without gain?
- Can altruism be truly selfless?

A Different Perspective

Motivation may be limited by personal resources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Benefactors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefactors/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Grain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grain/) [Thistles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thistles/)

## Related quotes

> [If life was a box of thistles, I would deal with all the tough and prickly ones just so you wouldn't ever have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-life-was-a-box-of-thistles-i-would-deal-with-all-the-tough-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning, as it was to Adam and Eve, who kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/marriage-which-has-been-the-bourne-of-so-many-narratives-is-still-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-read-in-a-book-once-that-a-rose-by-any-other-name-would-smell-as/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Bitterness is like a weed. Remember how hard it always was to pull out thistles once they root? Remember how deep those roots grow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bitterness-is-like-a-weed-remember-how-hard-it-always-was-to-pull-out/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Briars and thistles wither not so soon as lilies and roses. They may be taken out of the world, of whom the world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/briars-and-thistles-wither-not-so-soon-as-lilies-and-roses-they-may/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Untilled ground, however rich, will bring forth thistles and thorns; so also the mind of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/untilled-ground-however-rich-will-bring-forth-thistles-and-thorns-so/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Cursed be the ground for our sake. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for us. For out of the ground we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cursed-be-the-ground-for-our-sake-both-thorns-and-thistles-it-shall/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The wind is not helpless for any man's need, Nor falleth the rain but for thistle and weed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/the-wind-is-not-helpless-for-any-man-s-need-nor-falleth-the-rain-but/)

[William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/)

> [All problems become smaller if you don't dodge them, but confront them. Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-halsey/all-problems-become-smaller-if-you-don-t-dodge-them-but-confront-them/)

[William Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-halsey/)

> [When on the breath of Autumn's breeze, From pastures dry and brown, Goes floating, like an idle thought, The fair, white thistle-down; O, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-howitt/when-on-the-breath-of-autumn-s-breeze-from-pastures-dry-and-brown/)

[Mary Howitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-howitt/)

> [I wasn't born of a whistle or milked from a thistle at twilight No I was all horns and thorns sprung out fully formed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-newsom/i-wasn-t-born-of-a-whistle-or-milked-from-a-thistle-at-twilight-no-i/)

[Joanna Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-newsom/)

> [Cultivo una rosa blanca, En julio como en enero, Para el amigo sincero Que me da su mano franca. Y para el cruel que…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/cultivo-una-rosa-blanca-en-julio-como-en-enero-para-el-amigo-sincero/)

[Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/)

> [And never since harvests were ripened, / Or laborers born, / Have men gathered figs of the thistle, / Or grapes of the thorn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-cary/and-never-since-harvests-were-ripened-or-laborers-born-have-men/)

[Phoebe Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-cary/)

> [The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth The freckled cowslip, burnet, and green clover, Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank, Conceives by idleness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-even-mead-that-erst-brought-sweetly-forth-the-freckled-cowslip/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“I've never written a quote I feel would be suitable for my gravestone. Wouldn't it be ironic if it were this one? Oh, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/i-ve-never-written-a-quote-i-feel-would-be-suitable-for-my-gravestone/)

[Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/)

## 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 Benefactors quotes

> [I happen to have the benefit of having a son-in-law who was the former Mr. France and a trainer. I like being his benefactor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/i-happen-to-have-the-benefit-of-having-a-son-in-law-who-was-the/)

[Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/)

> [Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/being-human-we-would-expel-from-our-lives-physical-pain-and-mental/)

[Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/)

> [Nordenson describes wrestling with work as with a large force that wants to have its way with you, even as you want to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luci-shaw/nordenson-describes-wrestling-with-work-as-with-a-large-force-that/)

[Luci Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luci-shaw/)

> [Would movie moguls release a film portraying Adolph Hitler as a great benefactor of the Jews? Hardly. Would they release a movie if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-wildmon/would-movie-moguls-release-a-film-portraying-adolph-hitler-as-a-great/)

Donald Wildmon

> [Brothers, the white people are like poisonous serpents: when chilled they are feeble and harmless, but invigorate them with warmth and they sting their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tecumseh/brothers-the-white-people-are-like-poisonous-serpents-when-chilled/)

[Tecumseh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tecumseh/)

> [When men receive favours from someone they expected to do them ill, they are under a greater obligation to their benefactor...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/when-men-receive-favours-from-someone-they-expected-to-do-them-ill/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Throughout my life, my greatest benefactors have been my dreams and my travels; very few men, living or dead, have helped me in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/throughout-my-life-my-greatest-benefactors-have-been-my-dreams-and-my/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [He is a benefactor of mankind who contracts the great rules of life into the short sentences, that may be easily impressed on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/he-is-a-benefactor-of-mankind-who-contracts-the-great-rules-of-life/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [People hired by government know who is their benefactor. People who lose their jobs or fail to get them because of the government program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/people-hired-by-government-know-who-is-their-benefactor-people-who/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [I account the office of benefactor, or almoner, to which God appoints all those whom he has favored with wealth, one of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/i-account-the-office-of-benefactor-or-almoner-to-which-god-appoints/)

[J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/)

> [Throughout my life my greatest benefactors have been my travels and my dreams. Very few men, living or dead, have helped me in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/throughout-my-life-my-greatest-benefactors-have-been-my-travels-and/)

[Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/)

> [Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself and yourself alone one question.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/look-at-every-path-closely-and-deliberately-try-it-as-many-times-as/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [No one is to be called an enemy, all are your benefactors, and no one does you harm. You have no enemy except yourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/no-one-is-to-be-called-an-enemy-all-are-your-benefactors-and-no-one/)

[Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/)

> [A benefactor is a representative of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/a-benefactor-is-a-representative-of-god/)

[Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/)

> [ First, therefore, \[the Jew\] goes about making up to the people for his previous sins against them. He begins his career as the 'benefactor'… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/first-therefore-the-jew-goes-about-making-up-to-the-people-for-his/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

[Browse all 113 Benefactors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefactors/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and thorns is a benefactor whether he soweth grain or not.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thorns-is-a-benefactor-whether-he/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Benefactors"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thorns-is-a-benefactor-whether-he/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/anonymous-1_benefactors_the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thor_2757091.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/anonymous-1_benefactors_the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thor_2757091.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfa/anonymous-1_benefactors_the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thor_2757091.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and thorns is a benefactor whether he soweth grain or not.” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The destroyer of weeds, thistles, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thorns-is-a-benefactor-whether-he/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-destroyer-of-weeds-thistles-and-thorns-is-a-benefactor-whether-he/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
