--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One can give or withhold in a manner far…" description: "\"One can give or withhold in a manner far more effective, sophisticated, useful, which is quite invisible to people who think that giving or withholding..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47f/idries-shah-450_assessment_one-can-give-or-withhold-in-a-manner-far_3006000.jpg" --- # One can give or withhold in a manner far more effective… ![“One can give or withhold in a manner far more effective, sophisticated, useful, which is quite invisible to people who think that giving or withholding is done by external assessment. If you seek some mark of favour or 'promotion', know that you are not ready for it. Progress comes through…” quote by Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47f/idries-shah-450_assessment_one-can-give-or-withhold-in-a-manner-far_3006000.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47f/idries-shah-450_assessment_one-can-give-or-withhold-in-a-manner-far_3006000.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47f/idries-shah-450_assessment_one-can-give-or-withhold-in-a-manner-far_3006000.jpg) > “One can give or withhold in a manner far more effective, sophisticated, useful, which is quite invisible to people who think that giving or withholding is done by external assessment. If you seek some mark of favour or 'promotion', know that you are not ready for it. Progress comes through capacity to learn, and is irresistible. Nobody can stand between you and knowledge if you are fit for it.” [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True growth comes from internal learning, not external validation; seeking promotion before readiness hinders progress. **In simple terms:** Learn internally, not for external approval. Key Takeaway Cultivate capacity before seeking rewards. Themes personal growth learning self‑reliance Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Career advancement - education - self‑improvement Key Concepts Intrinsic motivation skill development Questions to Reflect On - Are you waiting for validation? - What internal skills need development? A Different Perspective External rewards can distract from genuine learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Promotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promotion/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Withhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/withhold/) ## Related quotes > [Withholding love is a form of self-sabotage, as what we withhold from others we are withholding from ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/withholding-love-is-a-form-of-self-sabotage-as-what-we-withhold-from/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Withhold no good impulse. You may fear that you will run to excess and squander too much, but those feelings are born of fear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/withhold-no-good-impulse-you-may-fear-that-you-will-run-to-excess-and/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The love that you withhold is the pain that you carry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-love-that-you-withhold-is-the-pain-that-you-carry/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [All that God had to do to harden Pharaoh's heart, or to harden your heart, is to withhold His own grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/all-that-god-had-to-do-to-harden-pharaoh-s-heart-or-to-harden-your/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [The love you withhold is the pain you carry!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/the-love-you-withhold-is-the-pain-you-carry/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [Withhold a smile only when the smile can hurt someone. Otherwise, let it bloom forth in a riot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/withhold-a-smile-only-when-the-smile-can-hurt-someone-otherwise-let/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“k No good thing does he withhold         from those who  l walk uprightly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/k-no-good-thing-does-he-withhold-from-those-who-l-walk-uprightly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/they-give-that-they-may-live-for-to-withhold-is-to-perish/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Whatever truth we feel compelled to withhold, no matter how unthinkable it is to imagine ourselves telling it, not to is a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/whatever-truth-we-feel-compelled-to-withhold-no-matter-how/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [There's only one of us here: What we give to others, we give to ourselves. What we withhold from others, we withhold from ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/there-s-only-one-of-us-here-what-we-give-to-others-we-give-to/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/reconsideration-and-our-unwavering-determination-to-withhold-our/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving." The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/you-often-say-i-would-give-but-only-to-the-deserving-the-trees-in/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [“The next time you want to withhold your help, or your love, or your support for another for whatever the reason, ask yourself a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pearce/the-next-time-you-want-to-withhold-your-help-or-your-love-or-your/) [Dan Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pearce/) > [I have the potential to be very strong and powerful, sometimes angry, sometimes passionate. I also can be shy and withhold that because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idina-menzel/i-have-the-potential-to-be-very-strong-and-powerful-sometimes-angry/) [Idina Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idina-menzel/) > [When you speak, speak the truth; perform when you promise; discharge your trust... Withhold your hands from striking, and from taking that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-kalam/when-you-speak-speak-the-truth-perform-when-you-promise-discharge/) [Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-kalam/) ## More by Idries Shah > [“To be a Sufi is to detach from fixed ideas and from preconceptions; and not to try to avoid what is your lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/to-be-a-sufi-is-to-detach-from-fixed-ideas-and-from-preconceptions/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“Teach honesty by all means - you do know what it is, don't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/teach-honesty-by-all-means-you-do-know-what-it-is-don-t-you/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“Sufism is transmitted by means of the human exemplar, the teacher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/sufism-is-transmitted-by-means-of-the-human-exemplar-the-teacher/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“No existe práctica en aislamiento.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/no-existe-pr-ctica-en-aislamiento/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [A king who feared wasps once decreed that they were abolished. As it happened, they did him no harm. But he was eventually stung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/a-king-who-feared-wasps-once-decreed-that-they-were-abolished-as-it/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“Do not tell your secrets to everyone in this headquarters, Earth. We have surveyed it well. There was nobody to whom to entrust secrets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/do-not-tell-your-secrets-to-everyone-in-this-headquarters-earth-we/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“Sufis are those who have expunged from their minds the human tendencies of envy and enmity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/sufis-are-those-who-have-expunged-from-their-minds-the-human/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“Yes, the world is an illusion. But Truth is always being shown there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/yes-the-world-is-an-illusion-but-truth-is-always-being-shown-there/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [It is the message, not the man, which is important to the Sufis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/it-is-the-message-not-the-man-which-is-important-to-the-sufis/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [The human being, whether he realises it or not, is trusting someone or something every moment of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/the-human-being-whether-he-realises-it-or-not-is-trusting-someone-or/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“Who is the wrong person to criticise? You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“You may be able to get the bone down your throat But if it reaches your stomach it will tear your navel. (Gulistan)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/you-may-be-able-to-get-the-bone-down-your-throat-but-if-it-reaches/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“People are always trying to understand. There is only one way to do that. It is to discover < + i + >why< +…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/people-are-always-trying-to-understand-there-is-only-one-way-to-do/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [We view Sufism not as an ideology that molds people to the right way of belief or action, but as an art or science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/we-view-sufism-not-as-an-ideology-that-molds-people-to-the-right-way/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) [Explore all 365 Idries Shah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) ## More Assessment quotes > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [A mighty maze! But not without a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/a-mighty-maze-but-not-without-a-plan/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Even without voting, illegal aliens do affect who gets elected president, and that's since the Electoral College elects the president, and the states are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-without-voting-illegal-aliens-do-affect-who-gets-elected/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [President Obama had voiced strong support for the effort in Afghanistan during his campaign, pledging to add two brigades, which he did. But since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/president-obama-had-voiced-strong-support-for-the-effort-in/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [Before the curse of statistics fell upon mankind we lived a happy, innocent life, full of merriment and go and informed by fairly good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/before-the-curse-of-statistics-fell-upon-mankind-we-lived-a-happy/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [If you want to zoom down the expert slope tomorrow, you have to fall down the bunny slope today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-lewis/if-you-want-to-zoom-down-the-expert-slope-tomorrow-you-have-to-fall/) [Cynthia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-lewis/) > [Commercialism that has absolutely no relationship to quality whatsoever, only quantitative assessment of a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/commercialism-that-has-absolutely-no-relationship-to-quality/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [I made my own assessment of my life, and I began to live it. That was freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-flores/i-made-my-own-assessment-of-my-life-and-i-began-to-live-it-that-was/) [Fernando Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-flores/) > [Patronizing the Arts is a brilliantly nuanced assessment of why universities must become art patrons. Learning from the twentieth-century university's embrace of Big Science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-phelan/patronizing-the-arts-is-a-brilliantly-nuanced-assessment-of-why/) [Peggy Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-phelan/) > [“The Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System measures accuracy, comprehension, and fluency. (There are also assessments in the system that measure phonemic awareness, phonics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-landrigan/the-fountas-and-pinnell-benchmark-assessment-system-measures-accuracy/) [Clare Landrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-landrigan/) > [“In fact, they’re trained in risk assessment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/in-fact-they-re-trained-in-risk-assessment/) [Yrsa Sigurðardóttir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/) Browse all 313 Assessment quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One can give or withhold in a manner far more effective, sophisticated, useful, which is quite invisible to people who think that giving or withholding is done by external assessment. If you seek some mark of favour or 'promotion', know that you are not ready for it. Progress comes through capacity to learn, and is irresistible. 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