---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there is someone in need whom you wish…"
description: "\"If there is someone in need whom you wish to help, whether the initiative came from him or from you, do no more than he expects of you, not what you mi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/ibn-hazm-24934_blame_if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wis_92040.jpg"
---

#  If there is someone in need whom you wish to help, whether…

![“If there is someone in need whom you wish to help, whether the initiative came from him or from you, do no more than he expects of you, not what you might personally wish to do. If you overstep the mark, you will not deserve thanks, but blame from him and others and you will attract hostility, not…” quote by Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/ibn-hazm-24934_blame_if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wis_92040.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/ibn-hazm-24934_blame_if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wis_92040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/ibn-hazm-24934_blame_if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wis_92040.jpg)

> “If there is someone in need whom you wish to help, whether the initiative came from him or from you, do no more than he expects of you, not what you might personally wish to do. If you overstep the mark, you will not deserve thanks, but blame from him and others and you will attract hostility, not friendship.”

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Ethical counsel advises matching assistance to the recipient’s expectations, warning that overreach breeds resentment rather than gratitude.

**In simple terms:** Measured altruism

Key Takeaway

Help within bounds earns respect

Themes

ethics helpfulness boundaries social harmony humility

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

maxaphor advice

When to use this quote

- counseling
- community service
- leadership training

Key Concepts

moral philosophy interpersonal conduct

Practical Applications

- ethical education
- conflict resolution

Questions to Reflect On

- When does well‑intentioned aid become intrusive?
- How can one gauge another’s expectations?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Hostility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostility/) [Initiative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/initiative/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic/) [Not friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-friends/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/)

## Related quotes

> [To the people I forgot, you weren't on my mind for some reason and you probably don't deserve any thanks anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/to-the-people-i-forgot-you-weren-t-on-my-mind-for-some-reason-and-you-2/)

[Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/)

> [To the people I forgot, you weren't on my mind for some reason and you probably don't deserve any thanks anyway.-Rabbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabbit/to-the-people-i-forgot-you-weren-t-on-my-mind-for-some-reason-and-you/)

Rabbit

> [To the people I forgot,you werent on my mind for some reason and you probably dont deserve any thanks anyway..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-mae/to-the-people-i-forgot-you-werent-on-my-mind-for-some-reason-and-you/)

[Nix Mae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix-mae/)

> [Give up wanting to deserve any thanks from anyone, or thinking anybody can be grateful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catullus/give-up-wanting-to-deserve-any-thanks-from-anyone-or-thinking-anybody/)

[Catullus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catullus/)

> [Too often, we just ask for help instead of really giving thanks for the many things that we've had and are so helpful to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/too-often-we-just-ask-for-help-instead-of-really-giving-thanks-for/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

> [The brave men and women who make up our Armed Forces deserve our thanks and appreciation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-williamson/the-brave-men-and-women-who-make-up-our-armed-forces-deserve-our/)

[Gavin Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-williamson/)

> [ She's Beyoncé, and I'm \[Jay-Z's\] new protégée. When we see each other we say hi. We're not enemies, but we're not friends friends. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/she-s-beyonc-and-i-m-jay-z-s-new-prot-g-e-when-we-see-each-other-we/)

[Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/)

> [Money brings you food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; acquaintances, but not friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/money-brings-you-food-but-not-appetite-medicine-but-not-health/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [Satanic forces are here and they are not friendly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-missler/satanic-forces-are-here-and-they-are-not-friendly/)

[Chuck Missler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-missler/)

> [They were not friends, Comdrade Pillai and Inspector Thomas Matthew, and they didn't trust each other. But they understood each other perfectly. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/they-were-not-friends-comdrade-pillai-and-inspector-thomas-matthew/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [For the record, we’re not friends. (Stryker) For the record, I don’t care. (Savitar)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/for-the-record-we-re-not-friends-stryker-for-the-record-i-don-t-care/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [the friend in need is the one who is the friend in deed; ... if people were not friends in need, there was every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-stratton-porter/the-friend-in-need-is-the-one-who-is-the-friend-in-deed-if-people/)

[Gene Stratton-Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-stratton-porter/)

> [“I continued to move my fingers across his skin exactly as I had before, but I needed to make a decision. I had reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/i-continued-to-move-my-fingers-across-his-skin-exactly-as-i-had/)

[Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/)

> [Predictability and great design are not friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/predictability-and-great-design-are-not-friends/)

[Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

## More by Ibn Hazm

> [The wise man knows the only fitting price for his soul is a place in Paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/the-wise-man-knows-the-only-fitting-price-for-his-soul-is-a-place-in/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [Knowledge no longer exists if one has ignored the attributes of the Almighty Great Creator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/knowledge-no-longer-exists-if-one-has-ignored-the-attributes-of-the/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [We should think of those who were famous for their good deeds or their bad deeds; did their fame raise them one single degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/we-should-think-of-those-who-were-famous-for-their-good-deeds-or/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [If you are proud of your descent from virtuous ancestors, how empty their virtue will leave your hands if you yourself are not virtuous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/if-you-are-proud-of-your-descent-from-virtuous-ancestors-how-empty/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [And though the years before I die Stretch out interminably, I Shall only count my life in truth As that brief hour of happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/and-though-the-years-before-i-die-stretch-out-interminably-i-shall/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [Anyone who rises above the things of this world, to which you kneel, is mightier than you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/anyone-who-rises-above-the-things-of-this-world-to-which-you-kneel-is/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [Two kinds of people live a life without care: one kind are extremely worthy of praise, the other kind are extremely worthy of criticism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/two-kinds-of-people-live-a-life-without-care-one-kind-are-extremely/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [When we contemplate the duration of the universe, we see it limited to the present moment, which is nothing more but the point which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/when-we-contemplate-the-duration-of-the-universe-we-see-it-limited-to/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [ There are two things that if you do them you will attain the good of this world and the hereafter; \[They are\] that you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/there-are-two-things-that-if-you-do-them-you-will-attain-the-good-of/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [One hour of neglect can undo a year of pious effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/one-hour-of-neglect-can-undo-a-year-of-pious-effort/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [If you advise someone on the condition that they have to accept it, then you are an oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/if-you-advise-someone-on-the-condition-that-they-have-to-accept-it/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [When you compare yourself with others in matters of wealth, position, and health, you should look at people less favoured than yourself. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/when-you-compare-yourself-with-others-in-matters-of-wealth-position/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [“I have a sickness doctors can't cure, Inexorably pulling me to the well of my destruction, Consented to be a sacrifice, killed for her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/i-have-a-sickness-doctors-can-t-cure-inexorably-pulling-me-to-the/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [If your pride leads you to boast, you will be doubly guilty, because your intelligence will have shown that it is incapable of controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/if-your-pride-leads-you-to-boast-you-will-be-doubly-guilty-because/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

> [Of Love--may God exalt you! -the first part is jesting, and the last part is right earnestness. So majestic are its diverse aspects, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/of-love-may-god-exalt-you-the-first-part-is-jesting-and-the-last-part/)

[Ibn Hazm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

[Explore all 23 Ibn Hazm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/)

## More Blame quotes

> [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/)

[Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/)

> [Me mum used to always have the radio on - even now she has it on in every room. Me girlfriend sort of blames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/me-mum-used-to-always-have-the-radio-on-even-now-she-has-it-on-in/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

> [I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/i-like-to-praise-and-reward-loudly-to-blame-quietly/)

[Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/)

> [Some of the things that I said I hated to say, but blame yourself mother fucker you made it this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedi-mind-tricks/some-of-the-things-that-i-said-i-hated-to-say-but-blame-yourself/)

[Jedi Mind Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedi-mind-tricks/)

> [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [“Stop Blaming Others For Your Own Actions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-g-roldan/stop-blaming-others-for-your-own-actions/)

[Alexis G. Roldan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-g-roldan/)

> [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I don't blame anyone .. I did this to myself .. It's my fault .. Everything is my FAULT ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nurnizz95/i-don-t-blame-anyone-i-did-this-to-myself-it-s-my-fault-everything-is/)

Nurnizz95

> [“They would congratulate themselves every morning on keeping their integrity, and blame themselves each night for that missed opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/they-would-congratulate-themselves-every-morning-on-keeping-their/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/i-try-to-live-my-life-where-i-end-up-at-a-point-where-i-have-no/)

[Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/)

> [How come you don't feel that magic in the air? I guess I knew you'll never be there. I guess I knew you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-come-you-don-t-feel-that-magic-in-the-air-i-guess-i-knew-you-ll/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I am down mentally. I can't understand how it happened and who is to blame? I don't know why the ground was rolled before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeasin-khan/i-am-down-mentally-i-can-t-understand-how-it-happened-and-who-is-to/)

Yeasin Khan

> [A refusal to admit one's mistake &amp; not accepting responsibility for that mistake by blaming everyone else, is d beginning of one's decline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-refusal-to-admit-one-s-mistake-not-accepting-responsibility-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Listen, the guy was not created by coverage from MSNBC and CNN. If you want to blame us for making Donald Trump president because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/listen-the-guy-was-not-created-by-coverage-from-msnbc-and-cnn-if-you/)

[Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/)

Browse all 3,779 Blame quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If there is someone in need whom you wish to help, whether the initiative came from him or from you, do no more than he expects of you, not what you might personally wish to do. If you overstep the mark, you will not deserve thanks, but blame from him and others and you will attract hostility, not friendship.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ibn Hazm"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wish-to-help-whether-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blame"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wish-to-help-whether-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/ibn-hazm-24934_blame_if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wis_92040.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/ibn-hazm-24934_blame_if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wis_92040.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a50/ibn-hazm-24934_blame_if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wis_92040.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If there is someone in need whom you wish to help, whether the initiative came from him or from you, do no…” — Ibn Hazm",
                "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": "Ibn Hazm",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-hazm/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If there is someone in need...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wish-to-help-whether-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-hazm/if-there-is-someone-in-need-whom-you-wish-to-help-whether-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
