--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Doing things for others gives you a…" description: "\"“Doing things for others gives you a lovely glow.\" \"So does port,\" I said cynically.”\" — Dodie Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/dodie-smith-1724_cynicism_doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-love_2092068.png" --- # Doing things for others gives you a lovely glow." "So does… ![“Doing things for others gives you a lovely glow." "So does port," I said cynically.” quote by Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/dodie-smith-1724_cynicism_doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-love_2092068.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/dodie-smith-1724_cynicism_doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-love_2092068.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/dodie-smith-1724_cynicism_doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-love_2092068.png) > ““Doing things for others gives you a lovely glow." "So does port," I said cynically.”” [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) ## 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 brings personal satisfaction; even cynical remarks can mask genuine joy. **In simple terms:** Helping others feels rewarding. Key Takeaway Find joy in service. Themes kindness self‑reflection humor Mood warm reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - volunteering - teamwork - daily interactions Key Concepts altruism cynicism inner glow Questions to Reflect On - When did you feel a glow after helping? - How does humor affect your generosity? A Different Perspective Cynicism may prevent authentic connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cynically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynically-1917074/) [Cynicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) [Do unto others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/do-unto-others/) [Doing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) [Doing things for others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things-for-others/) [Drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink/) [Glow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glow/) [Glow Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glow-does-4140662/) [Lovely Glow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovely-glow-4140663/) [Port](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/port/) [Said Cynically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-cynically-4140661/) ## Related quotes > [I once said cynically of a politician, "He'll double-cross that bridge when he comes to it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-levant/i-once-said-cynically-of-a-politician-he-ll-double-cross-that-bridge/) [Oscar Levant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-levant/) > [I looked at Gamergate very cynically. I didn't care about the ethics. And I didn't care about the women I just cared that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrick-brennan/i-looked-at-gamergate-very-cynically-i-didn-t-care-about-the-ethics/) [Fredrick Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrick-brennan/) > [Cynically speaking, one could say that it is true to life to be cynical about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/cynically-speaking-one-could-say-that-it-is-true-to-life-to-be/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [Most horror films are made very cynically, and they're usually made by studios for an audience that they know is there, no matter what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-aster/most-horror-films-are-made-very-cynically-and-they-re-usually-made-by/) [Ari Aster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-aster/) > [Great things demand that we either remain silent about them or speak in a great manner: in a great manner, that is-cynically and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/great-things-demand-that-we-either-remain-silent-about-them-or-speak/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“I’ve officially turned into a loser,” she whispered cynically. “I’m looking forward to going home and having cereal for dinner and walking Mitchell and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-amory/i-ve-officially-turned-into-a-loser-she-whispered-cynically-i-m/) [Daniel Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-amory/) > [That's probably when I get the most angry at American movies, when they just so cynically manipulate the audience without even trying to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-siskel/that-s-probably-when-i-get-the-most-angry-at-american-movies-when/) [Gene Siskel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-siskel/) > [Altruism is one of the most fundamentally social impulses, and doing things for others without expecting anything in return is core to what makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/altruism-is-one-of-the-most-fundamentally-social-impulses-and-doing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being generous or doing things for others actually makes me feel good so I don't do it because I hope karma will come round…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-schwimmer/being-generous-or-doing-things-for-others-actually-makes-me-feel-good/) [David Schwimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-schwimmer/) > [“Doing things for others can help you work out your own issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyousuke-motomi/doing-things-for-others-can-help-you-work-out-your-own-issues/) [Kyousuke Motomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyousuke-motomi/) > [One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/one-of-the-things-i-keep-learning-is-that-the-secret-of-being-happy/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [I believe that making others happy or doing things for others is one of the best ways to make yourself happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-that-making-others-happy-or-doing-things-for-others-is-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Doing things for others always pays dividends...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-m-bristol/doing-things-for-others-always-pays-dividends/) [Claude M. Bristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-m-bristol/) > [The real joy in life comes from giving. It comes from service. It comes from doing things for other people. That is what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/the-real-joy-in-life-comes-from-giving-it-comes-from-service-it-comes/) [Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/) > [“Doing things for others can make the 'giver' happy, but trying to change or control another will drive you crazy, because it cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/doing-things-for-others-can-make-the-giver-happy-but-trying-to-change/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) ## More by Dodie Smith > [“I glanced through another page in case I had missed something, and came to the description of Simon's face as he lay on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/i-glanced-through-another-page-in-case-i-had-missed-something-and/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/they-call-them-the-haunted-shores-these-stretches-of-devonshire-and/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“Now, paper and pencils," said Miss Marcy, clapping her hands. Writing paper is scarce in this house, and I had no intention of tearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/now-paper-and-pencils-said-miss-marcy-clapping-her-hands-writing/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [It's odd how different a house feels when one is alone in it. It makes it easier to think rather private thoughts...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/it-s-odd-how-different-a-house-feels-when-one-is-alone-in-it-it-makes/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [The tea was a comfort - and by that time I more than needed comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/the-tea-was-a-comfort-and-by-that-time-i-more-than-needed-comfort/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [Like many other much-loved humans, they believed that they owned their dogs, instead of realizing that their dogs owned them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/like-many-other-much-loved-humans-they-believed-that-they-owned-their/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“And I suspect that, to the eyes of love, love shows. I knew about you as well as about myself, almost from the beginning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/and-i-suspect-that-to-the-eyes-of-love-love-shows-i-knew-about-you-as/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“The thought was horrible, yet fascinating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/the-thought-was-horrible-yet-fascinating/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“What I'd really hate would be the settled feeling, with nothing but happiness to look forward to. Of course no life is perfectly happy-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/what-i-d-really-hate-would-be-the-settled-feeling-with-nothing-but/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [Truthfulness so often goes with ruthlessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/truthfulness-so-often-goes-with-ruthlessness/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [Am I really admitting that my sister is determined to marry a man she has only seen once and doesn't much like the look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/am-i-really-admitting-that-my-sister-is-determined-to-marry-a-man-she/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“There are some people who always find beauty makes them feel sadder, which is a very mysterious thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/there-are-some-people-who-always-find-beauty-makes-them-feel-sadder/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“You're the kind of child who might develop a passion for Bach." I told him I hadn't at school. The one Bach piece I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/you-re-the-kind-of-child-who-might-develop-a-passion-for-bach-i-told/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [When things mean a very great deal to you, exciting anticipation just isn't safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/when-things-mean-a-very-great-deal-to-you-exciting-anticipation-just/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [I could marry the Devil himself if he had some money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/i-could-marry-the-devil-himself-if-he-had-some-money/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) [Explore all 211 Dodie Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) ## More Cynicism quotes > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-oxenhandler/wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-see-which-one-fills-up-faster/) [Noelle Oxenhandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-oxenhandler/) > [There's a distinct unease about Americans when they are outside the United States. I can't say quite what it is, but they are easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-osborne/there-s-a-distinct-unease-about-americans-when-they-are-outside-the/) [Lawrence Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-osborne/) > [If you're going to reach for it, reach all the way for it. Albums like 'Purple Rain' and 'Thriller' and those kind of records,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/if-you-re-going-to-reach-for-it-reach-all-the-way-for-it-albums-like/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [There have been times when a particularly heavy dose of such cynicism has caused me to reflect that surely this is the age and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/there-have-been-times-when-a-particularly-heavy-dose-of-such-cynicism/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/cynicism-masquerades-as-wisdom-but-it-is-the-farthest-thing-from-it/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I think growing up in Indiana prepares anyone for a life in comedy. I do feel like there is a certain kind of self-effacing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-think-growing-up-in-indiana-prepares-anyone-for-a-life-in-comedy-i/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [“That's what I've never been able to get about religion: that charmless combination of altruism and insanity. Give me a cynical, self-interested bastard any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/that-s-what-i-ve-never-been-able-to-get-about-religion-that-charmless/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [We will need to work hard to break the cynicism, talk straight and rebuild trust in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-benn/we-will-need-to-work-hard-to-break-the-cynicism-talk-straight-and/) [Hilary Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-benn/) > [Nothing is more urgent than a serious, dare I say compassionate, debate as to where we are going at home and abroad. Technicians cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/nothing-is-more-urgent-than-a-serious-dare-i-say-compassionate-debate/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“In a fractured age, when cynicism is god, here is a possible heresy: we live by stories, we also live in them. One way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/in-a-fractured-age-when-cynicism-is-god-here-is-a-possible-heresy-we/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Only the broken-hearted idealist can become a cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-clifton/only-the-broken-hearted-idealist-can-become-a-cynic/) [Mark Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-clifton/) > [What's important is how we use our time on this earth, not how conspicuously we give our money away. What's important is the energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/what-s-important-is-how-we-use-our-time-on-this-earth-not-how/) [Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/) [Browse all 890 Cynicism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynicism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Doing things for others gives you a lovely glow.\" \"So does port,\" I said cynically.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dodie Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-lovely-glow-so-does-port-i-said/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cynicism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-lovely-glow-so-does-port-i-said/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/dodie-smith-1724_cynicism_doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-love_2092068.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/dodie-smith-1724_cynicism_doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-love_2092068.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb6/dodie-smith-1724_cynicism_doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-love_2092068.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Doing things for others gives you a lovely glow.\" \"So does port,\" I said cynically.” — Dodie 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": "Dodie Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Doing things for others gives you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-lovely-glow-so-does-port-i-said/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/doing-things-for-others-gives-you-a-lovely-glow-so-does-port-i-said/#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 } } ] } ```