--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In an honest service there is thin…" description: "\"In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labor; in this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/bartholomew-roberts-61154_balance_in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commo_2314688.jpg" --- # In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and… ![“In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labor; in this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor on this side, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst, is only a sour look or two at choking. No, a merry life and a…” quote by Bartholomew Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/bartholomew-roberts-61154_balance_in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commo_2314688.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/bartholomew-roberts-61154_balance_in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commo_2314688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/bartholomew-roberts-61154_balance_in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commo_2314688.jpg) > “In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labor; in this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor on this side, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst, is only a sour look or two at choking. No, a merry life and a short one, shall be my motto.” [Bartholomew Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bartholomew-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A short, modest life of honest labor is preferable to a long, indulgent life of excess and power. **In simple terms:** Honest, modest life over indulgent, powerful one. Key Takeaway Choose simplicity and integrity. Themes philosophy life choices morality Mood reflective philosophical Type ethical contemplative When to use this quote - career decisions - financial planning - personal ethics Key Concepts piracy honesty contentment Questions to Reflect On - What does a “short life” mean to you? - How to balance modesty with ambition? A Different Perspective Simplicity may limit material comfort or influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Choke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choke/) [Creditors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creditors/) [Ease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ease/) [Ease Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ease-liberty-5510596/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hazards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hazards/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-service-4035756/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Life Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-short/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/) [Merry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merry/) [Merry Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merry-life-1893279/) [Motto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motto/) [My motto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-motto/) [Pirate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pirate/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Plenty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plenty/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Satiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satiety/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Sour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sour/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Wages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wages/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) ## Related quotes > [A merry life and a short one shall be my motto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/a-merry-life-and-a-short-one-shall-be-my-motto/) [Bartholomew Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bartholomew-roberts/) > [“Service is not about being up-front and honest. Service is about minimizing negatives and creating the illusion of perfection. Here’s how it’s done: Lie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-tomsky/service-is-not-about-being-up-front-and-honest-service-is-about/) [Jacob Tomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-tomsky/) > [I am all for the short and merry life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-fitzgerald/i-am-all-for-the-short-and-merry-life/) [Edward Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-fitzgerald/) > [Be merry, really merry. The life of a true Christian should be a perpetual jubilee, a prelude to the festivals of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophane-venard/be-merry-really-merry-the-life-of-a-true-christian-should-be-a/) [Theophane Venard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophane-venard/) > [Temper your enjoyments with prudence, lest there be written on your heart that fearful word 'satiety.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/temper-your-enjoyments-with-prudence-lest-there-be-written-on-your/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [SATIETY, n. The feeling that one has for the plate after he has eaten its contents, madam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/satiety-n-the-feeling-that-one-has-for-the-plate-after-he-has-eaten/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [If I had a lover who wanted to hear from me every day, I would break with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-la-fayette/if-i-had-a-lover-who-wanted-to-hear-from-me-every-day-i-would-break/) [Madame de La Fayette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-la-fayette/) > [With much we surfeit; plenty makes us poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-drayton/with-much-we-surfeit-plenty-makes-us-poor/) [Michael Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-drayton/) > [When you eat frequently, you're conditioning the satiety centers that tell you when to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-dubrow/when-you-eat-frequently-you-re-conditioning-the-satiety-centers-that/) [Terry Dubrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-dubrow/) > [Extremes, though contrary, have the like effects. Extreme heat kills, and so extreme cold: extreme love breeds satiety, and so extreme hatred; and too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-chapman/extremes-though-contrary-have-the-like-effects-extreme-heat-kills-and/) [George Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-chapman/) > [“The more refined and intellectual our needs become, the less they are capable of satiety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stanley-jevons/the-more-refined-and-intellectual-our-needs-become-the-less-they-are/) [William Stanley Jevons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stanley-jevons/) > [The man who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely, no matter how much he may surround himself with people. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-man-who-fears-to-be-alone-will-never-be-anything-but-lonely-no/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [In America, we eat until we're full, which means we usually go past the point of satiety because satiety actually follows digestion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-pasternak/in-america-we-eat-until-we-re-full-which-means-we-usually-go-past-the/) [Harley Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-pasternak/) > [FICKLENESS, n. The iterated satiety of an enterprising affection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/fickleness-n-the-iterated-satiety-of-an-enterprising-affection/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More by Bartholomew Roberts > [A merry life and a short one shall be my motto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/a-merry-life-and-a-short-one-shall-be-my-motto/) [Bartholomew Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bartholomew-roberts/) > [There is none of you but will hang me, I know, whenever you can clinch me within your power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/there-is-none-of-you-but-will-hang-me-i-know-whenever-you-can-clinch/) [Bartholomew Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bartholomew-roberts/) > [Damn to him who ever lived to wear a Halter!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/damn-to-him-who-ever-lived-to-wear-a-halter/) [Bartholomew Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bartholomew-roberts/) > [For I have dipped my hands in muddied waters, and, withdrawing them, find 'tis better to be a commander than a common man!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/for-i-have-dipped-my-hands-in-muddied-waters-and-withdrawing-them/) [Bartholomew Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bartholomew-roberts/) [Explore all 5 Bartholomew Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bartholomew-roberts/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labor; in this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor on this side, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst, is only a sour look or two at choking. No, a merry life and a short one, shall be my motto.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bartholomew Roberts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commons-low-wages-and-hard-labor/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commons-low-wages-and-hard-labor/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/bartholomew-roberts-61154_balance_in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commo_2314688.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/bartholomew-roberts-61154_balance_in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commo_2314688.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/bartholomew-roberts-61154_balance_in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commo_2314688.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labor; in this, plenty and satiety, pleasure…” — Bartholomew Roberts", "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": "Bartholomew Roberts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bartholomew-roberts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In an honest service there is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commons-low-wages-and-hard-labor/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bartholomew-roberts/in-an-honest-service-there-is-thin-commons-low-wages-and-hard-labor/#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 } } ] } ```