--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is charm then? The free giving of a…" description: "\"What is charm then? The free giving of a grace, the spending of something given by nature in her role of spendthrift ... something extra, superfluous, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/doris-lessing-501_charm_what-is-charm-then-the-free-giving-of-a_2115604.png" --- # What is charm then? The free giving of a grace, the… ![“What is charm then? The free giving of a grace, the spending of something given by nature in her role of spendthrift ... something extra, superfluous, unnecessary, essentially a power thrown away.” quote by Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/doris-lessing-501_charm_what-is-charm-then-the-free-giving-of-a_2115604.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/doris-lessing-501_charm_what-is-charm-then-the-free-giving-of-a_2115604.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bb/doris-lessing-501_charm_what-is-charm-then-the-free-giving-of-a_2115604.png) > “What is charm then? The free giving of a grace, the spending of something given by nature in her role of spendthrift ... something extra, superfluous, unnecessary, essentially a power thrown away.” [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Charm is a wasteful display of natural gifts, offering more than needed and squandering inherent power. **In simple terms:** Charm is unnecessary excess. Key Takeaway Avoid wasteful displays. Themes excess waste natural gifts Mood reflective critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - social gatherings - personal relationships - creative projects Key Concepts philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - Do you often give more than needed? - How does excess affect authenticity? A Different Perspective Charm can be misinterpreted as insincerity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Nature of Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/) [Spendthrift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spendthrift/) ## Related quotes > [Every spendthrift passion has its attendant courtiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/every-spendthrift-passion-has-its-attendant-courtiers/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [The substitution of meaning accounts for the grasping of misers as well as the extravagance of spendthrifts. Karl Marx well understood this peculiar transformation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-substitution-of-meaning-accounts-for-the-grasping-of-misers-as/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [This nation can no longer tolerate the autonomous conduct of any single service. A waste of the resources of America in spendthrift defense is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-a-johnson/this-nation-can-no-longer-tolerate-the-autonomous-conduct-of-any/) Louis A. Johnson > [All men have an equal right to the free development of their faculties; they have an equal right to the impartial protection of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cousin/all-men-have-an-equal-right-to-the-free-development-of-their-3/) [Victor Cousin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cousin/) > [If surface water can be compared with interest income, and non-renewable groundwater with capital, then much of the West was living mainly on interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-reisner/if-surface-water-can-be-compared-with-interest-income-and-non/) [Marc Reisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-reisner/) > [The life that is demanding to be born is limitless. Nature is a spendthrift. Look at the fish and their millions of eggs. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/the-life-that-is-demanding-to-be-born-is-limitless-nature-is-a/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [It is better to lose health like a spendthrift than to waste it like a miser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-better-to-lose-health-like-a-spendthrift-than-to-waste-it-like/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [My parents never had any money. It was cash flow. It flows, and you got your fingers in it for a little while, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-aykroyd/my-parents-never-had-any-money-it-was-cash-flow-it-flows-and-you-got/) [Dan Aykroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-aykroyd/) > [If the Nation is living within its income, its credit is good. If, in some crises, it lives beyond its income for a year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/if-the-nation-is-living-within-its-income-its-credit-is-good-if-in/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [We are such spendthrifts with our lives, the trick of living is to slip on and off the planet with the least fuss you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/we-are-such-spendthrifts-with-our-lives-the-trick-of-living-is-to/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [All men have an equal right to the free development of their faculties ; they have an equal right to the impartial protection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cousin/all-men-have-an-equal-right-to-the-free-development-of-their-2/) [Victor Cousin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cousin/) > [Ah! the spendthrift, love: it gives all and everything with the first sigh!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-felicite-comtesse-de-genlis/ah-the-spendthrift-love-it-gives-all-and-everything-with-the-first/) [Stephanie Felicite, comtesse de Genlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-felicite-comtesse-de-genlis/) > [Contrary to popular belief, prosperity is an emotional state that has little to do with your wealth or the state of the economy. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-j-zelinski/contrary-to-popular-belief-prosperity-is-an-emotional-state-that-has/) [Ernie J Zelinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-j-zelinski/) > [I am quite a spendthrift but just being careful because my family was not rich, was not a rich family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-ahmad-badawi/i-am-quite-a-spendthrift-but-just-being-careful-because-my-family-was/) [Abdullah Ahmad Badawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ahmad-badawi/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More by Doris Lessing > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. Or, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/in-the-morning-when-she-wishes-me-to-wake-she-crouches-on-my-chest/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [You know, whenever women make imaginary female kingdoms in literature, they are always very permissive, to use the jargon word, and easy and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-whenever-women-make-imaginary-female-kingdoms-in-literature/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/there-is-only-one-real-sin-and-that-is-to-persuade-oneself-that-the/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. Yet all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/she-was-using-the-water-as-she-had-used-the-fruit-earlier-to-calm/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I remember World War II when there were very few books, very little paper available. For me to walk into a shop or look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-remember-world-war-ii-when-there-were-very-few-books-very-little/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they had better give it to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/they-can-t-give-a-nobel-to-someone-who-s-dead-so-i-think-they-were/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“While she strode rapidly through the ward to the door at the other end, she was able to see that every bed or cot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/while-she-strode-rapidly-through-the-ward-to-the-door-at-the-other/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I do not think that marriage is one of my talents. I've been much happier unmarried than married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-that-marriage-is-one-of-my-talents-i-ve-been-much/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I haven't got the energy to write now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-haven-t-got-the-energy-to-write-now/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-really-fascinates-me-is-this-need-that-is-so-strong-now-that-if/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“The charge that the United Nations are using bacteriological warfare in Korea cannot be dismissed merely because it would be insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-charge-that-the-united-nations-are-using-bacteriological-warfare/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [What I did have, which others perhaps didn't, was a capacity for sticking at it, which really is the point, not the talent at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-i-did-have-which-others-perhaps-didn-t-was-a-capacity-for/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [The human community is evolving... . We can survive anything you care to mention. We are supremely equipped to survive, to adapt and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-human-community-is-evolving-we-can-survive-anything-you-care-to/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [So love is rest? The cosy corner? The little nook? Sometimes it ought to be. Sometimes it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/so-love-is-rest-the-cosy-corner-the-little-nook-sometimes-it-ought-to/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) [Explore all 508 Doris Lessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## More Charm quotes > [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Every woman thinks herself attractive; even the plainest is satisfied with the charms she deems that she possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/every-woman-thinks-herself-attractive-even-the-plainest-is-satisfied/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-herford/modesty-is-the-gentle-art-of-enhancing-your-charm-by-pretending-not/) [Oliver Herford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-herford/) > [Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale Of mortal maladies is worn and stale. You cannot charm, or interest, or please By harping in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/talk-health-the-dreary-never-changing-tale-of-mortal-maladies-is-worn/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [I'm an old school guy and love the guys in the monster suits and JAWS; even though everyone makes fun of the shark I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fessenden/i-m-an-old-school-guy-and-love-the-guys-in-the-monster-suits-and-jaws/) [Larry Fessenden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fessenden/) > [Every woman has the instinct, the propensity to profit from her charms, and there's a lot to be said for giving oneself without love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/every-woman-has-the-instinct-the-propensity-to-profit-from-her-charms/) [Leopold von Sacher-Masoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/) > [I don't know that I'm a free spirit or anything like that. I just have my own way of doing things. That's the charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-schultz/i-don-t-know-that-i-m-a-free-spirit-or-anything-like-that-i-just-have/) [Dave Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-schultz/) > [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“It's a part of life. You never know what you are going to get; you just have to be strong enough to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-hill/it-s-a-part-of-life-you-never-know-what-you-are-going-to-get-you-just/) [Melissa Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-hill/) > [Even after marrying Mallika, I feel that I am her boyfriend. In fact, I believe this feeling enhances the charm and fun of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zayed-khan/even-after-marrying-mallika-i-feel-that-i-am-her-boyfriend-in-fact-i/) [Zayed Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zayed-khan/) > [Criticism even should not be without its charms. When quite devoid of all amenities, it is no longer literary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/criticism-even-should-not-be-without-its-charms-when-quite-devoid-of/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [“Never trust charm, it's the most powerful weapon in the devil's armory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-gilbert/never-trust-charm-it-s-the-most-powerful-weapon-in-the-devil-s-armory/) Anthony Gilbert > [Paul Taylor's 'Offenbach Overtures' has lots of zip and charm, and its pair of dueling soldiers in red, who end up starry-eyed about each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/paul-taylor-s-offenbach-overtures-has-lots-of-zip-and-charm-and-its/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [Time's stern tide, with cold Oblivion's wave, Shall soon dissolve each fair, each fading charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-seward/time-s-stern-tide-with-cold-oblivion-s-wave-shall-soon-dissolve-each/) [Anna Seward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-seward/) > [Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/washington-is-a-city-of-southern-efficiency-and-northern-charm/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) [Browse all 1,415 Charm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is charm then? 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