--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: prepare a little hot tea or broth and it…" description: "\"prepare a little hot tea or broth and it should be brought to them . . . without their being asked if they would care for it. Those who are in great di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/joan-didion-497_care_prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it_624160.jpg" --- # prepare a little hot tea or broth and it should be brought… ![“prepare a little hot tea or broth and it should be brought to them . . . without their being asked if they would care for it. Those who are in great distress want no food, but if it is handed to them, they will mechanically take it ' ... There was something arresting about the matter-of-fact…” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/joan-didion-497_care_prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it_624160.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/joan-didion-497_care_prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it_624160.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/joan-didion-497_care_prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it_624160.jpg) > “prepare a little hot tea or broth and it should be brought to them . . . without their being asked if they would care for it. Those who are in great distress want no food, but if it is handed to them, they will mechanically take it ' ... There was something arresting about the matter-of-fact wisdom here, the instinctive understanding of the physiological disruptions... I will not forget the instinctive wisdom of the friend who, every day for those first few weeks, brought me a quart container of scallion-and-ginger congee from Chinatown. Congee I could eat. Congee was all I could eat.” [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Providing simple nourishment to the distressed shows compassion and meets unspoken needs, highlighting quiet, practical empathy. **In simple terms:** Giving food to those in need is a gentle, effective kindness. Key Takeaway Offer practical help without waiting for a request. Themes compassion practicality caregiving empathy Mood warm thoughtful supportive Type advice inspirational practical When to use this quote - hospital visits - disaster relief - homecare for the ill Key Concepts humanitarian aid psychological comfort social support Questions to Reflect On - How can you offer aid without imposing? - When is silent support more powerful than words? A Different Perspective Some may reject help due to pride or trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Chinatown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinatown/) [Disruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disruption/) [Distress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distress/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Hot tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot-tea/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [I try to always have flowers in the house. I have a florist in Chinatown, and they deliver orchids every two weeks. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lim/i-try-to-always-have-flowers-in-the-house-i-have-a-florist-in/) [Phillip Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lim/) > [Human beings are like detectives. They love a mystery. They love going where the mystery pulls them. What we don't like is a mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/human-beings-are-like-detectives-they-love-a-mystery-they-love-going/) [David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/) > [“Yes, yes," Gee Sook said. "Look how Jung stands like a man today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayson-choy/yes-yes-gee-sook-said-look-how-jung-stands-like-a-man-today/) Wayson Choy > [I guess 'The Player' was a pretty good L.A. movie. And 'Chinatown.' Was there ever a better L.A. movie about a certain period in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/i-guess-the-player-was-a-pretty-good-l-a-movie-and-chinatown-was/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [I goddamn near lost my nose. And I like it. I like breathing through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-goddamn-near-lost-my-nose-and-i-like-it-i-like-breathing-through-it/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“You must be dumber than you think I think you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-towne/you-must-be-dumber-than-you-think-i-think-you-are/) [Robert Towne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-towne/) > [Hiro watches the large, radioactive, spear-throwing killer drug lord ride his motorcycle into Chinatown. Which is the same as riding it into China, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/hiro-watches-the-large-radioactive-spear-throwing-killer-drug-lord/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Anna lifted her chin, “Forgive my interruption, Mr. President, but I am Assistant Matron Anna Blanc, and I’ve come about the singsong girls.” She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-kincheloe/anna-lifted-her-chin-forgive-my-interruption-mr-president-but-i-am/) Jennifer Kincheloe > [My daughter Alexandra once told me, "Mother, you're a pioneer. Now, hardly anybody cooks, but you were one of the first to stop." After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/my-daughter-alexandra-once-told-me-mother-you-re-a-pioneer-now-hardly/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-towne/politicians-ugly-buildings-and-whores-all-get-respectable-if-they/) [Robert Towne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-towne/) > [I took a Chinatown bus to New York to enroll in the International Culinary Center's pastry program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-tosi/i-took-a-chinatown-bus-to-new-york-to-enroll-in-the-international/) [Christina Tosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-tosi/) > [My mother imparted her daily truths so she could help my older brothers and me rise above our circumstances. We lived in San Francisco's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/my-mother-imparted-her-daily-truths-so-she-could-help-my-older/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Films like 'The Godfather,' 'Chinatown' and 'The Exorcist' brought a realism and currency and understatement to their genres that we wanted for 'Mildred Pierce.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/films-like-the-godfather-chinatown-and-the-exorcist-brought-a-realism/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I became addicted to the movie-going experience in the 1970s, when I attended multiple screenings of films such as 'Chinatown', 'Jaws', 'Star Wars' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-roeper/i-became-addicted-to-the-movie-going-experience-in-the-1970s-when-i/) [Richard Roeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-roeper/) > [Either you bring the water to L.A. or you bring L.A. to the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-towne/either-you-bring-the-water-to-l-a-or-you-bring-l-a-to-the-water/) [Robert Towne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-towne/) ## More by Joan Didion > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Style is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/style-is-character/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I no longer want reminders of what was, what got broken, what got lost, what got wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-no-longer-want-reminders-of-what-was-what-got-broken-what-got-lost/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Was there ever in anyone's life span a point free in time, devoid of memory, a point when choice was any more than sum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-there-ever-in-anyone-s-life-span-a-point-free-in-time-devoid-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/research-to-date-has-shown-that-like-many-other-stressors-grief/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I just can't see the upside in this," I heard myself say by way of explanation. Later he said that if John had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-just-can-t-see-the-upside-in-this-i-heard-myself-say-by-way-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) [Explore all 515 Joan Didion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More Care quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "prepare a little hot tea or broth and it should be brought to them . . . without their being asked if they would care for it. Those who are in great distress want no food, but if it is handed to them, they will mechanically take it ' ... There was something arresting about the matter-of-fact wisdom here, the instinctive understanding of the physiological disruptions... I will not forget the instinctive wisdom of the friend who, every day for those first few weeks, brought me a quart container of scallion-and-ginger congee from Chinatown. Congee I could eat. Congee was all I could eat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Didion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it-should-be-brought-to-them/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Care" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it-should-be-brought-to-them/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/joan-didion-497_care_prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it_624160.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/joan-didion-497_care_prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it_624160.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11a/joan-didion-497_care_prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it_624160.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“prepare a little hot tea or broth and it should be brought to them . . . without their being asked if they…” — Joan Didion", "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": "Joan Didion", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "prepare a little hot tea or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it-should-be-brought-to-them/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/prepare-a-little-hot-tea-or-broth-and-it-should-be-brought-to-them/#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 } } ] } ```