--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ingratitude is a nail which, driven into…" description: "\"Ingratitude is a nail which, driven into the tree of courtesy, causes it to wither; it is a broken channel, by which the foundations of the affections ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/giambattista-basile-58575_affection_ingratitude-is-a-nail-which-driven-into_3124089.jpg" --- # Ingratitude is a nail which, driven into the tree of… ![“Ingratitude is a nail which, driven into the tree of courtesy, causes it to wither; it is a broken channel, by which the foundations of the affections are undermined; and a lump of soot, which, falling into the dish of friendship, destroys its scent and flavor.” quote by Giambattista Basile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/giambattista-basile-58575_affection_ingratitude-is-a-nail-which-driven-into_3124089.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/giambattista-basile-58575_affection_ingratitude-is-a-nail-which-driven-into_3124089.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/giambattista-basile-58575_affection_ingratitude-is-a-nail-which-driven-into_3124089.jpg) > “Ingratitude is a nail which, driven into the tree of courtesy, causes it to wither; it is a broken channel, by which the foundations of the affections are undermined; and a lump of soot, which, falling into the dish of friendship, destroys its scent and flavor.” [Giambattista Basile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-basile/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ingratitude erodes courtesy, weakens affection, and spoils friendship like a corrosive nail. **In simple terms:** Ingratitude damages relationships. Key Takeaway Guard gratitude to protect bonds. Themes courtesy friendship affection trust Mood reflective somber Type moral philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - teamwork - family dynamics Key Concepts social decay emotional erosion relationship dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does ingratitude manifest in your daily interactions? - What small acts can reinforce gratitude? A Different Perspective Neglecting gratitude can be hard to notice until damage accumulates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Affections Undermined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affections-undermined-5497022/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Causes Wither](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-wither-5497023/) [Courtesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courtesy/) [Dishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishes/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Flavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flavor/) [Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foundation/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Ingratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingratitude/) [Ingratitude Nail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingratitude-nail-5497021/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lumps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lumps/) [Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nails/) [Scent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scent/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Undermined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undermined/) ## Related quotes > [Let's demonstrate, illustrate, the ways in which our communities are being undermined time and time again, and make sure that the broader public and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/let-s-demonstrate-illustrate-the-ways-in-which-our-communities-are/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Beginning to think is beginning to be undermined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/beginning-to-think-is-beginning-to-be-undermined/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [There is every likelihood that the Jihadi movement, much of it highly critical of bin Laden, could have been split and undermined after 9/11.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-is-every-likelihood-that-the-jihadi-movement-much-of-it-highly/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't read reviews if I know in advance they're negative, because I can't have my confidence undermined when I'm writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-don-t-read-reviews-if-i-know-in-advance-they-re-negative-because-i/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [We think of ourselves as our titles or our jobs or our position in a family. 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It distorted justice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/the-atomic-weapons-race-and-the-secrecy-surrounding-it-crushed/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [The ability of the market to serve society gas been and is continually being undermined by the attacks levelled by its ideological opponents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-kirzner/the-ability-of-the-market-to-serve-society-gas-been-and-is/) [Israel Kirzner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-kirzner/) > [ We would see another president being accused of being illegitimate, and undermined from day one, which is exactly what these donors did to \[Barack\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/we-would-see-another-president-being-accused-of-being-illegitimate/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## More by Giambattista Basile > [Memory is the cabinet of imagination, the treasury of reason, the registry of conscience and the council-chamber of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-basile/memory-is-the-cabinet-of-imagination-the-treasury-of-reason-the/) [Giambattista Basile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-basile/) > [“...the Moon, the enemy of poets... 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