--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard to salvage jettisoned cargo…" description: "\"“It's hard to salvage jettisoned cargo and, if it is retrieved, it's usually irreparably damaged. And I fear that when you can afford to fish up the ho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/margaret-mitchell-692_kindness_it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-an_1042403.jpg" --- # It's hard to salvage jettisoned cargo and, if it is… ![“It's hard to salvage jettisoned cargo and, if it is retrieved, it's usually irreparably damaged. And I fear that when you can afford to fish up the honor and virtue and kindness you've thrown overboard, you'll find they have suffered a sea change and not, I fear, into something rich and strange.” quote by Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/margaret-mitchell-692_kindness_it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-an_1042403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/margaret-mitchell-692_kindness_it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-an_1042403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/margaret-mitchell-692_kindness_it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-an_1042403.jpg) > ““It's hard to salvage jettisoned cargo and, if it is retrieved, it's usually irreparably damaged. And I fear that when you can afford to fish up the honor and virtue and kindness you've thrown overboard, you'll find they have suffered a sea change and not, I fear, into something rich and strange.”” [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recovering lost honor often yields it altered and sometimes unrecognizable. **In simple terms:** Regaining virtue can change its nature. Key Takeaway Expect change when reclaiming past values. Themes redemption change value Mood thoughtful melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - leadership - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts ethics literature transformation Questions to Reflect On - What costs come with retrieving lost honor? - Can change be positive or negative? A Different Perspective Not all recovered virtues remain pure or useful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Salvage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salvage/) [Sea change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-change/) [Virtues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtues/) ## Related quotes > [“Salvage Boats For Sale Here are best quality Salvage Boats for sale presents the I Bid Safely Inc Company. You also check the wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-bid-safely-inc/salvage-boats-for-sale-here-are-best-quality-salvage-boats-for-sale/) I Bid Safely Inc > [Though collecting quotations could be considered as merely an ironic mimetism -- victimless collecting, as it were... in a world that is well on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/though-collecting-quotations-could-be-considered-as-merely-an-ironic-2/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Time waste differs from material waste in that there can be no salvage. The easiest of all wastes and the hardest to correct is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/time-waste-differs-from-material-waste-in-that-there-can-be-no/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [ Look at Obama - he is now \[2015\] trying to help us environmentally but he should have done it eight years ago. He's trying… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/look-at-obama-he-is-now-2015-trying-to-help-us-environmentally-but-he/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [She would grab whatever she could -a look , a whisper , a moan - to salvage from perishing , to perserve. But time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/she-would-grab-whatever-she-could-a-look-a-whisper-a-moan-to-salvage/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [You have to salvage what you can, even if you're the one who buried it in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/you-have-to-salvage-what-you-can-even-if-you-re-the-one-who-buried-it/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [It's as if women are in a totally rigged race. A lot of men are driving souped-up, low-slung racing cars and we're running as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-weisstein/it-s-as-if-women-are-in-a-totally-rigged-race-a-lot-of-men-are/) [Naomi Weisstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-weisstein/) > [“All that we did in this world was to salvage scraps of freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-diaz/all-that-we-did-in-this-world-was-to-salvage-scraps-of-freedom/) [Glenn Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-diaz/) > [The organizer of industry who thinks he has 'made' himself and his business has found a whole social system ready to his hand in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-trelawny-hobhouse/the-organizer-of-industry-who-thinks-he-has-made-himself-and-his/) Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse > [The great challenge of the '90s... is to salvage and improve the UN and to develop it into an agency capable of meeting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-great-challenge-of-the-90s-is-to-salvage-and-improve-the-un-and/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [We salvage what we can, what truly matters to us, even at the gates of despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/we-salvage-what-we-can-what-truly-matters-to-us-even-at-the-gates-of/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [Often if a picture is in trouble one way or another, there are ways to salvage it, through reshoots or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/often-if-a-picture-is-in-trouble-one-way-or-another-there-are-ways-to/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [With Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward has written the best sort of novel-a beautiful, important book that's both unflinching and tender, heartbreaking and triumphant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skip-horack/with-salvage-the-bones-jesmyn-ward-has-written-the-best-sort-of-novel/) Skip Horack > [She was the murderous mother who cut us to the bone but left us alive, left us naked and bewildered as wrinkled newborn babies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/she-was-the-murderous-mother-who-cut-us-to-the-bone-but-left-us-alive/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [To salvage a society, it is necessary to aid, abet, raise and increase that state of mind. If you were to set up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/to-salvage-a-society-it-is-necessary-to-aid-abet-raise-and-increase/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) ## More by Margaret Mitchell > [I won't think of it now. I can't stand it now. I'll think of it later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-won-t-think-of-it-now-i-can-t-stand-it-now-i-ll-think-of-it-later/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“I don't want any money for it," he said. "It's a gift." Scarlett's mouth dropped open. The line was so closely, so carefully drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-don-t-want-any-money-for-it-he-said-it-s-a-gift-scarlett-s-mouth/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [Until you lose your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/until-you-lose-your-reputation-you-never-realize-what-a-burden-it-was/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [And apologies, once postponed, become harder and harder to make, and finally impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/and-apologies-once-postponed-become-harder-and-harder-to-make-and/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“There was a glow of grim pride in her usually gentle face, approbation and a fierce joy in her smile that equaled the fiery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/there-was-a-glow-of-grim-pride-in-her-usually-gentle-face-approbation/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [Her lips on his could tell him better than all her stumbling words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/her-lips-on-his-could-tell-him-better-than-all-her-stumbling-words/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [The way to get a man interested and to hold his interest was to talk about himself, and then gradually lead the conversation around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/the-way-to-get-a-man-interested-and-to-hold-his-interest-was-to-talk/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [She was as forthright and simple as the winds that blew over Tara and the yellow river that wound around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-was-as-forthright-and-simple-as-the-winds-that-blew-over-tara-and/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“The very mystery of him excited her curiosity like a door that had neither lock nor key.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/the-very-mystery-of-him-excited-her-curiosity-like-a-door-that-had/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“He had never once crossed the borders of friendliness with her and, when she thought of this, fresh anger rose, the anger of hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/he-had-never-once-crossed-the-borders-of-friendliness-with-her-and/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“The husband is always the last to find out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/the-husband-is-always-the-last-to-find-out/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [People must do what they must do. We all don't think alike or act alike and it's wrong to-to judge others by ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/people-must-do-what-they-must-do-we-all-don-t-think-alike-or-act/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [All you have done is to be different from other women and you have made a little success of it. This is unforgivable sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/all-you-have-done-is-to-be-different-from-other-women-and-you-have/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“She felt puzzled and ashamed, as always when people attributed to her emotions and motives they possessed and thought she shared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-felt-puzzled-and-ashamed-as-always-when-people-attributed-to-her/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“I do not want to marry you or anyone else. I am not a marrying man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-do-not-want-to-marry-you-or-anyone-else-i-am-not-a-marrying-man/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) [Explore all 391 Margaret Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) ## More Kindness quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Each of our acts makes a statement as to our purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/each-of-our-acts-makes-a-statement-as-to-our-purpose/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Kindness unlocks doors that were thought to be closed forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/kindness-unlocks-doors-that-were-thought-to-be-closed-forever/) Unkown > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [Praise will come to those whose kindness leaves you without debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/praise-will-come-to-those-whose-kindness-leaves-you-without-debt/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) > [“A little bit of kindness goes a long way with women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/a-little-bit-of-kindness-goes-a-long-way-with-women/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [The smartest people are the ones who can bring a little bit of heaven to earth by using there kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isiahnunn/the-smartest-people-are-the-ones-who-can-bring-a-little-bit-of-heaven/) IsiahNunn > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) Talib al Habib > [“A man full of warm, speculative benevolence may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-man-full-of-warm-speculative-benevolence-may-wish-his-society/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [(I)f we are going to be kind, let it be out of simple generosity, not because we fear guilt or retribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-f-we-are-going-to-be-kind-let-it-be-out-of-simple-generosity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 6,600 Kindness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It's hard to salvage jettisoned cargo and, if it is retrieved, it's usually irreparably damaged. And I fear that when you can afford to fish up the honor and virtue and kindness you've thrown overboard, you'll find they have suffered a sea change and not, I fear, into something rich and strange.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-and-if-it-is-retrieved-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kindness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-and-if-it-is-retrieved-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/margaret-mitchell-692_kindness_it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-an_1042403.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/margaret-mitchell-692_kindness_it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-an_1042403.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/margaret-mitchell-692_kindness_it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-an_1042403.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's hard to salvage jettisoned cargo and, if it is retrieved, it's usually irreparably damaged. And I fear…” — Margaret Mitchell", "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": "Margaret Mitchell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It's hard to salvage jettisoned cargo...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-and-if-it-is-retrieved-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/it-s-hard-to-salvage-jettisoned-cargo-and-if-it-is-retrieved-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```