--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sweetest lives are those to duty wed…" description: "\"The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, Whose deeds, both great and small Are close-knot strands of an unbroken thread There love ennobles all. The w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_bells_the-sweetest-lives-are-those-to-duty-wed_3166206.png" --- # The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, Whose deeds… ![“The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, Whose deeds, both great and small Are close-knot strands of an unbroken thread There love ennobles all. The world may sound no trumpets, ring no bells The book of life the shining record tells. Thy love shall chant its own beatitudes After its own…” quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_bells_the-sweetest-lives-are-those-to-duty-wed_3166206.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_bells_the-sweetest-lives-are-those-to-duty-wed_3166206.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_bells_the-sweetest-lives-are-those-to-duty-wed_3166206.png) > “The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, Whose deeds, both great and small Are close-knot strands of an unbroken thread There love ennobles all. The world may sound no trumpets, ring no bells The book of life the shining record tells. Thy love shall chant its own beatitudes After its own life-workings. A child's kiss Set on thy sighing lips shall make thee glad; A poor man served by thee shall make thee rich; A sick man helped by thee shall make thee strong; Thou shalt serve thyself by every sense, Of service which thou renderest.” [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A life devoted to duty and love creates a continuous, noble legacy that enriches both giver and receiver. **In simple terms:** Duty and love forge a lasting, noble legacy. Key Takeaway Live with purpose and compassion. Themes duty love service legacy Mood uplifting reflective Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - volunteering - caretaking - teaching - community work - personal relationships Key Concepts ethical philosophy humanism reciprocity Questions to Reflect On - How does serving others reflect on one's self? A Different Perspective May neglecting duty diminish personal fulfillment? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-of-life/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) [Knots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knots/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) [Lips Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips-shall-402177/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-shall/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-man/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Rings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rings/) [Serve Thyself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serve-thyself-5743538/) [Service Thou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service-thou-1764683/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Sick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sick/) [Sick man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sick-man/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Strands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strands/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Sweetest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweetest/) [Sweetest Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweetest-lives-1726062/) [Thee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thee/) [Thread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thread/) [Thyself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thyself/) [Trumpets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trumpets/) [Unbroken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbroken/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [A child's kiss Set on thy sighing lips shall make thee glad; A poor man served by thee shall make thee rich; A sick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/a-child-s-kiss-set-on-thy-sighing-lips-shall-make-thee-glad-a-poor/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Memories are the sweetest part of our Lives, though we are busy with our stuff, our heart has a place for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabassum/memories-are-the-sweetest-part-of-our-lives-though-we-are-busy-with/) [Tabassum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabassum/) > [We can be of so much service to others in many thou-shalt ways. Of course, the problem is that rendering such service takes time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/we-can-be-of-so-much-service-to-others-in-many-thou-shalt-ways-of/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [“A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth, and from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morris/a-man-s-stomach-shall-be-satisfied-from-the-fruit-of-his-mouth-and/) [Robert Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morris/) > [“My thick and full lips shall pout their African ancestry until all sorrows are kissed out of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-d-gonsalves/my-thick-and-full-lips-shall-pout-their-african-ancestry-until-all/) [Gloria D. Gonsalves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-d-gonsalves/) > [He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction (Proverbs 13:3).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/he-that-keepeth-his-mouth-keepeth-his-life-but-he-that-openeth-wide/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psalm-63-3/because-your-lovingkindness-is-better-than-life-my-lips-shall-praise/) [Psalm 63:3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psalm-63-3/) > [“So long as lips shall kiss,and eyes shall see,so long lives this ,and this gives life to thee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-long-as-lips-shall-kiss-and-eyes-shall-see-so-long-lives-this-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You asked me once if I would still love you when your lips were puckered with age and your eyes were faded. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-medeiros/you-asked-me-once-if-i-would-still-love-you-when-your-lips-were/) [Teresa Medeiros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-medeiros/) > [Since we shall love each other, I shall be great and you shall be rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/since-we-shall-love-each-other-i-shall-be-great-and-you-shall-be-rich/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“If you don't love, you shall become a saint; If you love, you shall too become god.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/if-you-don-t-love-you-shall-become-a-saint-if-you-love-you-shall-too/) [P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [Now I want to live like everybody else. I want to have a wife like everybody else and to take her out on Sundays.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-leroux/now-i-want-to-live-like-everybody-else-i-want-to-have-a-wife-like/) [Gaston Leroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-leroux/) > [Yet, do thy worst, old Time; despite thy wrong, My love shall in my verse ever live young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/yet-do-thy-worst-old-time-despite-thy-wrong-my-love-shall-in-my-verse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Be not dishearten’d—Affection shall solve the problems of Freedom yet; Those who love each other shall become invincible. —WALT WHITMAN, “Over the Carnage Rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-goolrick/be-not-dishearten-d-affection-shall-solve-the-problems-of-freedom-yet/) [Robert Goolrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-goolrick/) > [Pastime with good company I love and shall, until I die. Grudge who list, but none deny! So God be pleased, thus live will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-viii-of-england/pastime-with-good-company-i-love-and-shall-until-i-die-grudge-who/) [Henry VIII of England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-viii-of-england/) ## More by Elizabeth Barrett Browning > [I should not dare to call my soul my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/i-should-not-dare-to-call-my-soul-my-own/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Many a crown Covers bald foreheads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/many-a-crown-covers-bald-foreheads/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [And lilies are still lilies, pulled By smutty hands, though spotted from their white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/and-lilies-are-still-lilies-pulled-by-smutty-hands-though-spotted/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [“The face of all the world is changed, I think, Since first I heard the footsteps of they soul Move still, oh, still, beside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-face-of-all-the-world-is-changed-i-think-since-first-i-heard-the/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Wall must get the weather stain Before they grow the ivy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/wall-must-get-the-weather-stain-before-they-grow-the-ivy/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/how-do-i-love-thee-let-me-count-the-ways-i-love-thee-to-the-depth-and/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [With stammering lips and insufficient sound I strive and struggle to deliver right the music of my nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/with-stammering-lips-and-insufficient-sound-i-strive-and-struggle-to/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [The charm, one might say the genius, of memory is that it is choosy, chancy and temperamental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-charm-one-might-say-the-genius-of-memory-is-that-it-is-choosy/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [The flower-girl's prayer to buy roses and pinks, held out in the smoke, like stars by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-flower-girl-s-prayer-to-buy-roses-and-pinks-held-out-in-the-smoke/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [They say that God lives very high! But if you look above the pines You cannot see our God. And why? And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/they-say-that-god-lives-very-high-but-if-you-look-above-the-pines-you/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Men of science, osteologists And surgeons, beat some poets, in respect For nature,-count nought common or unclean, Spend raptures upon perfect specimens Of indurated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/men-of-science-osteologists-and-surgeons-beat-some-poets-in-respect/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [We can't separate our humanity from our poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/we-can-t-separate-our-humanity-from-our-poetry/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Happy are all free peoples, too strong to be dispossessed. But blessed are those among nations who dare to be strong for the rest!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/happy-are-all-free-peoples-too-strong-to-be-dispossessed-but-blessed/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Suddenly, as rare things will, it vanished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/suddenly-as-rare-things-will-it-vanished/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) [Explore all 306 Elizabeth Barrett Browning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) ## More Bells quotes > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“Suddenly the air was full of that deep clangor of bells which periodically covers Rome with a roof of silver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/suddenly-the-air-was-full-of-that-deep-clangor-of-bells-which/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of Heaven ring; Some of their music, though my fights be wild, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/above-the-clouds-i-lift-my-wing-to-hear-the-bells-of-heaven-ring-some/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [“But it’s bells at twenty-seven thousand feet as the plane breaks into the clear again, as its motion steadies again; it is bells; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-it-s-bells-at-twenty-seven-thousand-feet-as-the-plane-breaks-into/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) [Jerry Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-glanville/) > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [There is nothing better for me than to bring the bells in, in Scotland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharleen-spiteri/there-is-nothing-better-for-me-than-to-bring-the-bells-in-in-scotland/) [Sharleen Spiteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharleen-spiteri/) > [Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/now-see-that-noble-and-most-sovereign-reason-like-sweet-bells-jangled/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [ I became an instant fan of the show \[Underground\] seconds into the opening frames of the pilot. When that drone shot carried us through… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/i-became-an-instant-fan-of-the-show-underground-seconds-into-the/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [This world o' God's is brighter Than we ever dream or know; Its burdens growin' lighter- An' it's Love that makes 'em so! An'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lebby-stanton/this-world-o-god-s-is-brighter-than-we-ever-dream-or-know-its-burdens/) [Frank Lebby Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lebby-stanton/) > [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) [Browse all 790 Bells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, Whose deeds, both great and small Are close-knot strands of an unbroken thread There love ennobles all. The world may sound no trumpets, ring no bells The book of life the shining record tells. Thy love shall chant its own beatitudes After its own life-workings. 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