--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I gave my wife a twenty-five-dollar gift…" description: "\"I gave my wife a twenty-five-dollar gift certificate. She used it as a down payment on a mink coat.\" — Milton Berle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/milton-berle-3246_certificates_i-gave-my-wife-a-twenty-five-dollar-gift_751087.png" --- # I gave my wife a twenty-five-dollar gift certificate. She… ![“I gave my wife a twenty-five-dollar gift certificate. She used it as a down payment on a mink coat.” quote by Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/milton-berle-3246_certificates_i-gave-my-wife-a-twenty-five-dollar-gift_751087.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/milton-berle-3246_certificates_i-gave-my-wife-a-twenty-five-dollar-gift_751087.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/milton-berle-3246_certificates_i-gave-my-wife-a-twenty-five-dollar-gift_751087.png) > “I gave my wife a twenty-five-dollar gift certificate. She used it as a down payment on a mink coat.” [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A modest gift can be transformed into a lavish purchase, showing generosity’s impact. **In simple terms:** Small gifts can lead to big outcomes. Key Takeaway Give thoughtfully, expect unexpected uses. Themes generosity surprise value Mood lighthearted humorous Type anecdotal observational When to use this quote - holiday gifting - charitable donations - team incentives Key Concepts economics social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure gifts are appropriate? - What expectations arise from giving? A Different Perspective The recipient may feel obligated, causing discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certificates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certificates/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coats/) [Dollar Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollar-gift-2047873/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Gave Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-wife-4461730/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Gift Certificate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift-certificate-2047869/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mink/) [Mink coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mink-coats-122838/) [My wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-wife/) [Payment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/payment/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Twenty five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenty-five/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [Wife Dollar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife-dollar-5842922/) ## Related quotes > [“Actual message in letter I mailed: Congrats on getting married! Here’s a hundred-dollar gift certificate to Amazon.com. You could buy something practical, or you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/actual-message-in-letter-i-mailed-congrats-on-getting-married-here-s/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Nobody really needs a mink coat... Except the mink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/nobody-really-needs-a-mink-coat-except-the-mink/) [Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/) > [I don't know what the country's coming to. Everyone trying to be better than their betters--mink coats and no manners. No wonder Germany's arming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-wimperis/i-don-t-know-what-the-country-s-coming-to-everyone-trying-to-be/) [Arthur Wimperis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-wimperis/) > [Nobody needs a mink coat but the mink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-z-sakall/nobody-needs-a-mink-coat-but-the-mink/) [S. Z. Sakall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-z-sakall/) > [No one in the world needs a mink coat but a mink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-banks/no-one-in-the-world-needs-a-mink-coat-but-a-mink/) [Murray Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-banks/) > [Minks are mean little critters. Vicous, horrible little animals who eat their own. They're not beavers. I wouldn't wear beavers. I'd rather have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-perrine/minks-are-mean-little-critters-vicous-horrible-little-animals-who-eat/) [Valerie Perrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-perrine/) > [If you eat chicken, maybe you're on one level. If you wear a mink coat, maybe you're on another level. But if you wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/if-you-eat-chicken-maybe-you-re-on-one-level-if-you-wear-a-mink-coat/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [A woman's mink coat represents the sacrifice of a lot of little animals, including her husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/a-woman-s-mink-coat-represents-the-sacrifice-of-a-lot-of-little/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [I may not have been wearing a mink coat, but I was traveling with a dog. That should have made you think I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-may-not-have-been-wearing-a-mink-coat-but-i-was-traveling-with-a/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I gave my wife a gift certificate for Christmas. She ran out to exchange it for a bigger size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-gave-my-wife-a-gift-certificate-for-christmas-she-ran-out-to/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Donorschoose.org is the one place where somebody with $10 gets the same level of impact and feedback from the recipients that Bill Gates gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/donorschoose-org-is-the-one-place-where-somebody-with-10-gets-the/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [The citizens of this nation gave us - my wife and I - a health care plan that saved our daughter's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sestak/the-citizens-of-this-nation-gave-us-my-wife-and-i-a-health-care-plan/) [Joe Sestak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sestak/) > [Fred Durst gave my first wife a tattoo of a star on the bottom of her foot when she was 14 years old in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-jane-grace/fred-durst-gave-my-first-wife-a-tattoo-of-a-star-on-the-bottom-of-her/) [Laura Jane Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-jane-grace/) > [“If I wanted to buy you off I'd, I dunno, give you a big gift certificate to Amazon or something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mah-tippetts/if-i-wanted-to-buy-you-off-i-d-i-dunno-give-you-a-big-gift/) [Emily Mah Tippetts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mah-tippetts/) > [I gave my wife a kiss this morning. She jumped out of bed and did a lap of honour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-carson/i-gave-my-wife-a-kiss-this-morning-she-jumped-out-of-bed-and-did-a/) [Frank Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-carson/) ## More by Milton Berle > [A man falls down a flight of stairs and somebody rushes over to him and asks, Did you miss a step? No, he answers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/a-man-falls-down-a-flight-of-stairs-and-somebody-rushes-over-to-him/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Anytime a person goes into a delicatessen and orders a pastrami on white bread, somewhere a Jew dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/anytime-a-person-goes-into-a-delicatessen-and-orders-a-pastrami-on/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Like every comedian, if I heard a joke that I thought would work, I used it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/like-every-comedian-if-i-heard-a-joke-that-i-thought-would-work-i/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [My sister-in-law found a real surprise in her stockings - my brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/my-sister-in-law-found-a-real-surprise-in-her-stockings-my-brother/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [When I was in school, one of my teachers was crazy about me. I once heard her tell another teacher, "I wish he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/when-i-was-in-school-one-of-my-teachers-was-crazy-about-me-i-once/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-d-rather-be-a-could-be-if-i-cannot-be-an-are-because-a-could-be-is/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [Every year my boss used to give me a bottle of expensive brandy because I'd told him that my doctor suggested a drink once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/every-year-my-boss-used-to-give-me-a-bottle-of-expensive-brandy/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [The problem with life is, by the time you can read women like a book, your library card has expired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/the-problem-with-life-is-by-the-time-you-can-read-women-like-a-book/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [If you hire relatives, you'll have a payroll that won't quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/if-you-hire-relatives-you-ll-have-a-payroll-that-won-t-quit/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [It's amazing how fast later comes when you buy now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/it-s-amazing-how-fast-later-comes-when-you-buy-now/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [I don't mind personal insults, but when you insult the jokes that I tell you're insulting Fred Allen, Bob Hope, Burns and Allen, Trevor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-don-t-mind-personal-insults-but-when-you-insult-the-jokes-that-i/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [I like to think of myself as the middleman between Fred Allen and Henny Youngman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-like-to-think-of-myself-as-the-middleman-between-fred-allen-and/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [What an orchestra! They just sit there, but their minds are thousands of miles away with their bookies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/what-an-orchestra-they-just-sit-there-but-their-minds-are-thousands/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [My son gave me a nice bottle of cologne - Eau de Owe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/my-son-gave-me-a-nice-bottle-of-cologne-eau-de-owe/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) > [I was in a department store and I saw a weird-looking gadget. I asked the young saleslady what it was. She answered, "It doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-berle/i-was-in-a-department-store-and-i-saw-a-weird-looking-gadget-i-asked/) [Milton Berle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) [Explore all 135 Milton Berle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-berle/) ## More Certificates quotes > [He removed several pages of death certificates, which were picked up by another breeze and sent into the trees. Some would fall with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/he-removed-several-pages-of-death-certificates-which-were-picked-up/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Bonds are guaranteed certificates of confiscation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-pick/bonds-are-guaranteed-certificates-of-confiscation/) [Franz Pick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-pick/) > [Now I have something. In fact, I have posted on the Internet more than Obama has. My birth certificate actually has signatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orly-taitz/now-i-have-something-in-fact-i-have-posted-on-the-internet-more-than/) [Orly Taitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orly-taitz/) > [No birth certificate is issued when friendship is born. There is nothing tangible. There is just a feeling that your life is different and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-tesich/no-birth-certificate-is-issued-when-friendship-is-born-there-is/) [Steve Tesich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-tesich/) > [What do Obama and God have in common? Neither has a birth certificate. How do they differ? God does not think he's Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/what-do-obama-and-god-have-in-common-neither-has-a-birth-certificate/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ I have people that have been studying \[Obama's birth certificate\] and they cannot believe what they're finding... I would like to have him show… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-have-people-that-have-been-studying-obama-s-birth-certificate-and/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I believe that every single human being is entitled to the protection of our laws, whether they can vote or not. Whether they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-believe-that-every-single-human-being-is-entitled-to-the-protection/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I don't have my diploma from the University of Nebraska hanging on my office wall, and I don't have my diploma from Columbia up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-don-t-have-my-diploma-from-the-university-of-nebraska-hanging-on-my/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [President Obama announced his re-election campaign, though it’s not really a surprise. He did all the things that make it official: He filed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/president-obama-announced-his-re-election-campaign-though-it-s-not/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [A mutual and satisfied sexual act is of great benefit to the average woman, the magnetism of it is health giving. When it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/a-mutual-and-satisfied-sexual-act-is-of-great-benefit-to-the-average/) [Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/) > [The only name on my birth certificate was Henley, no first name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickey-henderson/the-only-name-on-my-birth-certificate-was-henley-no-first-name/) [Rickey Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickey-henderson/) > [People should be \_very\_ careful when choosing the future fathers and mothers of their children. For that reason alone, it is extremely mean to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/people-should-be-very-careful-when-choosing-the-future-fathers-and/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [Girls like Diana Spencer, armed with nothing more than a guinea-pig-rearing certificate, proud to say in that old Sloane way that she was 'as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-york/girls-like-diana-spencer-armed-with-nothing-more-than-a-guinea-pig/) [Peter York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-york/) > [There is no country in which so absolute a homage is paid to wealth. In America there is a touch of shame when a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-no-country-in-which-so-absolute-a-homage-is-paid-to-wealth/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The world is deathly ill. It is dying. The Great Physician has already signed the death certificate. Yet, there is still a great work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrie-ten-boom/the-world-is-deathly-ill-it-is-dying-the-great-physician-has-already/) [Corrie Ten Boom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrie-ten-boom/) [Browse all 157 Certificates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certificates/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I gave my wife a twenty-five-dollar gift certificate. 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