--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always heard, Sancho, that doing…" description: "\"I have always heard, Sancho, that doing good to base fellows is like throwing water into the sea.\" — Miguel de Cervantes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/miguel-de-cervantes-715_doing-good_i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-go_1948591.png" --- # I have always heard, Sancho, that doing good to base… ![“I have always heard, Sancho, that doing good to base fellows is like throwing water into the sea.” quote by Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/miguel-de-cervantes-715_doing-good_i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-go_1948591.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/miguel-de-cervantes-715_doing-good_i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-go_1948591.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/miguel-de-cervantes-715_doing-good_i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-go_1948591.png) > “I have always heard, Sancho, that doing good to base fellows is like throwing water into the sea.” [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Helping others without expectation is futile, as the good is lost like water in the sea. **In simple terms:** Good deeds can be wasted. Key Takeaway Focus on meaningful impact. Themes ality altruism efficacy Mood reflective thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - charitable work - community service - volunteering - philanthropy Key Concepts Stoicism social contribution Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure help truly benefits others? - What measures make aid effective? A Different Perspective Even generous acts may not reach those in need. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-good/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [To be good to the vile is to throw water into the sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/to-be-good-to-the-vile-is-to-throw-water-into-the-sea/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“Shortly after this exchange my roommate suggested we start throwing water balloons at the construction workers. Not really at them because, I know, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/shortly-after-this-exchange-my-roommate-suggested-we-start-throwing/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Throwing water balloons wakes you up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-jonas/throwing-water-balloons-wakes-you-up/) [Kevin Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-jonas/) > [I once threw a water balloon on a girl because I caught her cheating on me. She was kissing my friend and I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breckin-meyer/i-once-threw-a-water-balloon-on-a-girl-because-i-caught-her-cheating/) [Breckin Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breckin-meyer/) > [“My thoughts, my dreams, they had been nothing in comparison. They were a single drop of water, and this, the whole sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-miller/my-thoughts-my-dreams-they-had-been-nothing-in-comparison-they-were-a/) J.M. Miller > [A really great unfortunate person is one who cannot find water even in the sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-really-great-unfortunate-person-is-one-who-cannot-find-water-even/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [A little water is a sea to an ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afghan-proverb/a-little-water-is-a-sea-to-an-ant/) Afghan Proverb > [But in a way you can say that after leaving the sea, after all those millions of years of living inside of the sea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/but-in-a-way-you-can-say-that-after-leaving-the-sea-after-all-those/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [In search of water i found a sea and in search of love i found you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-search-of-water-i-found-a-sea-and-in-search-of-love-i-found-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Entire water of sea cant sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship similarly negativty of world cant put u down unless u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mee/entire-water-of-sea-cant-sink-a-ship-unless-it-gets-inside-the-ship/) [Mee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mee/) > [Entire water of sea can't sink a ship,unless it gets inside the ship. 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The small truth has words which are clear; the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-water-in-a-vessel-is-sparkling-the-water-in-the-sea-is-dark-the/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [What we were seeing was a little bit like throwing the apple up in the air and seeing it blast off into space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-perlmutter/what-we-were-seeing-was-a-little-bit-like-throwing-the-apple-up-in/) [Saul Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-perlmutter/) ## More by Miguel de Cervantes > [Beware, gentle knight - the greatest monster of them all is reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/beware-gentle-knight-the-greatest-monster-of-them-all-is-reason/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [He had a face like a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/he-had-a-face-like-a-blessing/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [It is one thing to praise discipline, and another to submit to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/it-is-one-thing-to-praise-discipline-and-another-to-submit-to-it/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Those who'll play with cats must expect to be scratched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/those-who-ll-play-with-cats-must-expect-to-be-scratched/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“So it appears to me, for when he could and should have wielded his pen to praise the virtues of so good a knight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/so-it-appears-to-me-for-when-he-could-and-should-have-wielded-his-pen/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/too-much-sanity-may-be-madness-and-maddest-of-all-to-see-life-as-it/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Old, that's an affront no woman can well bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/old-that-s-an-affront-no-woman-can-well-bear/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [One should not talk of hatters in the house of the hanged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/one-should-not-talk-of-hatters-in-the-house-of-the-hanged/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [It is courage that vanquishes in war, and not good weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/it-is-courage-that-vanquishes-in-war-and-not-good-weapons/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Alas! all music jars when the soul's out of tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/alas-all-music-jars-when-the-soul-s-out-of-tune/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [I follow a more easy, and, in my opinion, a wiser course, namely--to inveigh against the levity of the female sex, their fickleness, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-follow-a-more-easy-and-in-my-opinion-a-wiser-course-namely-to/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Every man is as heaven made him, and sometimes a great deal worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/every-man-is-as-heaven-made-him-and-sometimes-a-great-deal-worse/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Great people create great acts of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/great-people-create-great-acts-of-kindness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [One day, in the San Francisco walk, he came upon some badly painted figures and observed that good painters imitate nature but bad ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/one-day-in-the-san-francisco-walk-he-came-upon-some-badly-painted/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Drink moderately, for drunkeness neither keeps a secret, nor observes a promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/drink-moderately-for-drunkeness-neither-keeps-a-secret-nor-observes-a/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) [Explore all 386 Miguel de Cervantes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) ## More Doing good quotes > [There's nothing like getting feedback that's positive and supportive. That's what I'm all about. I'm really just genuinely doing good music. I'm not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-villarreal/there-s-nothing-like-getting-feedback-that-s-positive-and-supportive/) [Tiffany Villarreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-villarreal/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When things are going bad that does not mean God has stopped doing good It's mean He is shifting things around you to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christianquotes/when-things-are-going-bad-that-does-not-mean-god-has-stopped-doing/) ChristianQuotes > [“doing good required taking risks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/doing-good-required-taking-risks/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ngos-have-a-complicated-space-in-neoliberal-politics-they-are/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Rich and famous and doing good," mused Schlichtmann. "Rich isn't so difficult. Famous isn't so difficult. Rich and famous together aren't so difficult. Rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-harr/rich-and-famous-and-doing-good-mused-schlichtmann-rich-isn-t-so/) Jonathan Harr > [There is only one way of not hating those who do us wrong, and that is by doing them good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/there-is-only-one-way-of-not-hating-those-who-do-us-wrong-and-that-is/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [“What is an artist? For every thousand people there's nine hundred doing the work, ninety doing well, nine doing good, and one lucky bastard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/what-is-an-artist-for-every-thousand-people-there-s-nine-hundred/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Being a good person is appreciable. But doing good things in life is what shows others who really you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/being-a-good-person-is-appreciable-but-doing-good-things-in-life-is/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [As long as any one has the means of doing good to his neighbours, and does not do so, he shall be reckoned a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irenaeus-of-lyons/as-long-as-any-one-has-the-means-of-doing-good-to-his-neighbours-and/) [Irenaeus of Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irenaeus-of-lyons/) > [My mum supported me after she saw I was doing good in weightlifting, I was able to get a scholarship, I was able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hidilyn-diaz/my-mum-supported-me-after-she-saw-i-was-doing-good-in-weightlifting-i/) [Hidilyn Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hidilyn-diaz/) > [We've always tried to convey these strong messages of strength and power and doing good in the world and, at the same time, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-halford/we-ve-always-tried-to-convey-these-strong-messages-of-strength-and/) [Rob Halford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-halford/) > [The pulpit only "teaches" to be honest; the market-place "trains" to overreaching and fraud; and teaching has not a tithe of the efficiency of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-pulpit-only-teaches-to-be-honest-the-market-place-trains-to/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [We are not to preach the doing of good things; good deeds are not to be preached, they are to be performed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-not-to-preach-the-doing-of-good-things-good-deeds-are-not-to/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Even if everyone elseIs not doing good,I alone will.Even if everyone elseis doing wrong,I alone will not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/even-if-everyone-elseis-not-doing-good-i-alone-will-even-if-everyone/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) [Browse all 783 Doing good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always heard, Sancho, that doing good to base fellows is like throwing water into the sea.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Miguel de Cervantes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-good-to-base-fellows-is-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doing good" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-good-to-base-fellows-is-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/miguel-de-cervantes-715_doing-good_i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-go_1948591.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/miguel-de-cervantes-715_doing-good_i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-go_1948591.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/miguel-de-cervantes-715_doing-good_i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-go_1948591.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have always heard, Sancho, that doing good to base fellows is like throwing water into the sea.” — Miguel de Cervantes", "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": "Miguel de Cervantes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have always heard, Sancho, that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-good-to-base-fellows-is-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-have-always-heard-sancho-that-doing-good-to-base-fellows-is-like/#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 } } ] } ```