---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We had a bishop this morning and what do…"
description: "\"“We had a bishop this morning and what do you think he said? \"The most beneficent promise made us in the Bible is this,'The poor ye have always with yo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/jean-webster-7791_bible_we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do_1282998.jpg"
---

#  We had a bishop this morning and what do you think he…

![“We had a bishop this morning and what do you think he said? &quot;The most beneficent promise made us in the Bible is this,'The poor ye have always with you.' They were put here in order to keep us charitable.&quot; The poor, please observe, being a sort of useful domestic animal. If I hadn't grown into…” quote by Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/jean-webster-7791_bible_we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do_1282998.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/jean-webster-7791_bible_we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do_1282998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/jean-webster-7791_bible_we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do_1282998.jpg)

> ““We had a bishop this morning and what do you think he said? "The most beneficent promise made us in the Bible is this,'The poor ye have always with you.' They were put here in order to keep us charitable." The poor, please observe, being a sort of useful domestic animal. If I hadn't grown into such a perfect lady, I should have gone up after service and told him what I thought.””

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker mocks a bishop’s charitable rhetoric, suggesting the poor are treated like useful animals and that true charity is lacking.

**In simple terms:** Mocking shallow charity and hypocrisy.

Key Takeaway

Question true motives behind charitable acts.

Themes

hypocrisy charity social critique

Mood

irritated critical skeptical

Type

satirical social commentary

When to use this quote

- church gatherings
- social reform meetings
- personal reflection
- activism

Key Concepts

social hierarchy religious rhetoric class oppression

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we distinguish genuine help from patronage?
- What responsibilities do we have toward the poor?

A Different Perspective

Charity without genuine empathy can become patronizing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beneficent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beneficent-360377/) [Beneficent Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beneficent-promise-4151974/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-poor-4151975/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Said Beneficent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-beneficent-4151973/)

## Related quotes

> [“there is no thought in the Bible that poor people would become permanent recipients of gifts of money, year after year, or would become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-asmus/there-is-no-thought-in-the-bible-that-poor-people-would-become/)

[Barry Asmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-asmus/)

> [But he alone having reached our deep corruption, he alone having taken upon himself our labors, he alone having suffered the punishments due for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eusebius/but-he-alone-having-reached-our-deep-corruption-he-alone-having-taken/)

[Eusebius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eusebius/)

> [“I mean this: we were right to agree that good men must be beneficent, and that this could not be otherwise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-mean-this-we-were-right-to-agree-that-good-men-must-be-beneficent/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“And whoever turns himself away from remembrance of the Beneficent, We appoint for him a devil so he is his associate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/compton-gage/and-whoever-turns-himself-away-from-remembrance-of-the-beneficent-we/)

[Compton Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/compton-gage/)

> [A beneficent person is like a fountain watering the earth, and spreading fertility; it is, therefore, more delightful to give than to receive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/a-beneficent-person-is-like-a-fountain-watering-the-earth-and/)

[Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/)

> [Kant does not think there is anything wrong with being beneficent from sympathy. He thinks we have a duty to cultivate sympathetic feelings by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kant-does-not-think-there-is-anything-wrong-with-being-beneficent/)

[Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/)

> [Just in proportion as a man becomes good, divine, Christ-like, he passes out of the region of theorizing, of system-building, and hireling service, into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/just-in-proportion-as-a-man-becomes-good-divine-christ-like-he-passes/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [The truly beneficent mind looks upon every child of sorrow as their relation, and entitled to their assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-parsons/the-truly-beneficent-mind-looks-upon-every-child-of-sorrow-as-their/)

[Eliza Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-parsons/)

> [In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail/in-the-name-of-allah-the-most-beneficent-the-most-merciful/)

[Ismail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail/)

> [And if we are good, we are beneficent: for all good things are beneficial. Are they not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/and-if-we-are-good-we-are-beneficent-for-all-good-things-are/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [All that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful, all that is beneficent, be it great or small, be it perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-newman/all-that-is-good-all-that-is-true-all-that-is-beautiful-all-that-is/)

[John Henry Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-newman/)

> [Nature is beneficent. I praise her and all her works. She is silent and wise. She is cunning, but for good ends. She has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nature-is-beneficent-i-praise-her-and-all-her-works-she-is-silent-and/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [“Life and the Universe are beneficent. If we make friends with our experience and work with the flow of life rather than against it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-parker/life-and-the-universe-are-beneficent-if-we-make-friends-with-our/)

[Katherine Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-parker/)

> [Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request, 'Do as Thou hast said.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-promise-of-scripture-is-a-writing-of-god-which-may-be-pleaded/)

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

> [If you ponder the scriptures and begin to do what you covenanted with God to do, I can promise you that you will feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/if-you-ponder-the-scriptures-and-begin-to-do-what-you-covenanted-with/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

## More by Jean Webster

> [“It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/it-isn-t-the-big-troubles-in-life-that-require-character-anybody-can/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Please be thinking about me. I'm quite lonely and I want to be thought about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/please-be-thinking-about-me-i-m-quite-lonely-and-i-want-to-be-thought/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [Half of the time I don't know what they're talking about; their jokes seem to relate to a past that everyone but me has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/half-of-the-time-i-don-t-know-what-they-re-talking-about-their-jokes/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [... in spite of being happier than I ever dreamed I could be, I'm also soberer. The fear that something may happen to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/in-spite-of-being-happier-than-i-ever-dreamed-i-could-be-i-m-also/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Do you want to know something? I have three pairs of kid gloves. I've had kid mittens before from the Christmas tree, but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/do-you-want-to-know-something-i-have-three-pairs-of-kid-gloves-i-ve/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“I don't believe it pays to be a great author.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-don-t-believe-it-pays-to-be-a-great-author/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Examinations are even entertaining, if you know the right answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/examinations-are-even-entertaining-if-you-know-the-right-answers/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Her eyes wandered back to the campus again, and she suddenly grew sober as the thought swept over her that in a few weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/her-eyes-wandered-back-to-the-campus-again-and-she-suddenly-grew/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [I think that the most necessary quality for any person to have is imagination. It makes people able to put themselves in other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-think-that-the-most-necessary-quality-for-any-person-to-have-is/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [I went to bed last night utterly dejected; I thought I was never going to amount to anything, and that you had thrown away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-went-to-bed-last-night-utterly-dejected-i-thought-i-was-never-going/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“One does not miss what one has never had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/one-does-not-miss-what-one-has-never-had/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“You remember that illuminated text over the dining-room door--"The Lord Will Provide." We've painted it out, and covered the spot with rabbits. It's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/you-remember-that-illuminated-text-over-the-dining-room-door-the-lord/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“The bitterness of wearing your enemies' cast-off clothes eats into your soul. If I wore silk stockings for the rest of my life, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/the-bitterness-of-wearing-your-enemies-cast-off-clothes-eats-into/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/the-world-is-full-of-happiness-and-plenty-to-go-round-if-you-are-only/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [This is your heart.Keep it locked until the chap turns up who has the key.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/this-is-your-heart-keep-it-locked-until-the-chap-turns-up-who-has-the/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

[Explore all 79 Jean Webster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

## More Bible quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

[Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/)

> [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/)

[Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/)

> [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/)

[Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/)

> [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/)

[Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/)

> [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/)

[Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/)

> [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/)

[Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/)

> [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We had a bishop this morning and what do you think he said? \"The most beneficent promise made us in the Bible is this,'The poor ye have always with you.' They were put here in order to keep us charitable.\" The poor, please observe, being a sort of useful domestic animal. If I hadn't grown into such a perfect lady, I should have gone up after service and told him what I thought.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jean Webster"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do-you-think-he-said-the-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do-you-think-he-said-the-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/jean-webster-7791_bible_we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do_1282998.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/jean-webster-7791_bible_we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do_1282998.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/jean-webster-7791_bible_we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do_1282998.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We had a bishop this morning and what do you think he said? \"The most beneficent promise made us in the…” — Jean Webster",
                "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": "Jean Webster",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We had a bishop this morning...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do-you-think-he-said-the-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/we-had-a-bishop-this-morning-and-what-do-you-think-he-said-the-most/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
