--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ralph Waldo Emerson had this truth in…" description: "\"“Ralph Waldo Emerson had this truth in mind when he said (in his essay on Compensation), “If you serve an ungrateful master, serve him the more. Put Go..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/napoleon-hill-201_compound-interest_ralph-waldo-emerson-had-this-truth-in-mi_412229.jpg" --- # Ralph Waldo Emerson had this truth in mind when he said… ![“Ralph Waldo Emerson had this truth in mind when he said (in his essay on Compensation), “If you serve an ungrateful master, serve him the more. Put God in your debt. Every stroke shall be repaid. The longer the payment is withholden, the better for you; for compound interest on compound interest…” quote by Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/napoleon-hill-201_compound-interest_ralph-waldo-emerson-had-this-truth-in-mi_412229.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/napoleon-hill-201_compound-interest_ralph-waldo-emerson-had-this-truth-in-mi_412229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/napoleon-hill-201_compound-interest_ralph-waldo-emerson-had-this-truth-in-mi_412229.jpg) > ““Ralph Waldo Emerson had this truth in mind when he said (in his essay on Compensation), “If you serve an ungrateful master, serve him the more. Put God in your debt. Every stroke shall be repaid. The longer the payment is withholden, the better for you; for compound interest on compound interest is the rate and usage of this exchequer”” [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Serving an ungrateful master intensifies future reward; patience yields compound returns. **In simple terms:** Patience and service to difficult people bring greater payoff. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges for long‑term gain. Themes patience service reward Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career setbacks - personal grievances - financial planning Key Concepts philosophy economics Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance patience with self‑care? - When is it time to quit? A Different Perspective May justify staying in toxic situations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compound interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compound-interest/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Put God in your debt. Every stroke shall be repaid. The longer the payment is with-held, the better for you; for compound interest on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/put-god-in-your-debt-every-stroke-shall-be-repaid-the-longer-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [There is a third silent party to all our bargains. The nature and soul of things takes on itself the guaranty of the fulfillment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-a-third-silent-party-to-all-our-bargains-the-nature-and-soul/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Those who put their faith in fire, in fire their faith shall be repaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/those-who-put-their-faith-in-fire-in-fire-their-faith-shall-be-repaid/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [On a certain day shall every soul come to plead for itself, and every soul shall be repaid according to its deeds; and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-muhammad/on-a-certain-day-shall-every-soul-come-to-plead-for-itself-and-every/) [Elijah Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-muhammad/) > [When I realize that it is not God who is in my debt but I who am in His great debt, then doesn't all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/when-i-realize-that-it-is-not-god-who-is-in-my-debt-but-i-who-am-in/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Debt is always repaid, either by the borrower or by the lender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/debt-is-always-repaid-either-by-the-borrower-or-by-the-lender/) [James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/) > [“Freedom is a gift that can never adequately be repaid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-r-ford/freedom-is-a-gift-that-can-never-adequately-be-repaid/) [S.R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-r-ford/) > [“I love what Jesus said in Luke 19:29-30: “Everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-love-what-jesus-said-in-luke-19-29-30-everyone-who-has-given-up/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [No man ever did me so much good, or enemy so much harm, but I repaid him with interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sulla/no-man-ever-did-me-so-much-good-or-enemy-so-much-harm-but-i-repaid/) Sulla > [“She would but be repaid by my taking her to wife, and that I could not grant her, for love cometh of the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-s-holland/she-would-but-be-repaid-by-my-taking-her-to-wife-and-that-i-could-not/) Rupert S. Holland > [“You are necessary to that end, and to me...you are all I have of the garden. You are the image of me and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tosca-lee/you-are-necessary-to-that-end-and-to-me-you-are-all-i-have-of-the/) [Tosca Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tosca-lee/) > [If grace is to be free - which is the very meaning of grace - we cannot view it as something to be repaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/if-grace-is-to-be-free-which-is-the-very-meaning-of-grace-we-cannot/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Investment in AIDS will be repaid a thousand-fold in lives saved and communities held together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-piot/investment-in-aids-will-be-repaid-a-thousand-fold-in-lives-saved-and/) [Peter Piot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-piot/) > [No friend ever served me, and no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sulla/no-friend-ever-served-me-and-no-enemy-ever-wronged-me-whom-i-have-not/) Sulla > [“A life for a life. All debts have to be repaid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-london/a-life-for-a-life-all-debts-have-to-be-repaid/) [Alex London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-london/) ## More by Napoleon Hill > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The best way to succeed in this world is to act on the advice you give to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-best-way-to-succeed-in-this-world-is-to-act-on-the-advice-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The mind requires regular use to remain strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-mind-requires-regular-use-to-remain-strong/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The vast majority of people are born, grow up, struggle and go through life in misery and failure, not realizing that it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-vast-majority-of-people-are-born-grow-up-struggle-and-go-through/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-accurate-thinker-will-judge-another-person-by-that-which-the-other/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“To all these I wish to convey the thought that all achievement, no matter what may be its nature, or its purpose, must begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/to-all-these-i-wish-to-convey-the-thought-that-all-achievement-no/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“Tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it.” This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/tell-the-world-what-you-intend-to-do-but-first-show-it-this/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Handicaps can be converted into stepping stones on which one may climb toward some worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles, and used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/handicaps-can-be-converted-into-stepping-stones-on-which-one-may/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [You become what you think about](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/you-become-what-you-think-about/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Every man's own character is written so all who will may read it, in the expression of his eyes, the tone of his voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/every-man-s-own-character-is-written-so-all-who-will-may-read-it-in/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Life is a mirror of your consistent thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/life-is-a-mirror-of-your-consistent-thoughts/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Success requires no explanations. Failure permits no alibis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/success-requires-no-explanations-failure-permits-no-alibis/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The habit of taking the line of least resistance makes all rivers and some men crooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-habit-of-taking-the-line-of-least-resistance-makes-all-rivers-and/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“There are no limitations to the mind except those that we acknowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/there-are-no-limitations-to-the-mind-except-those-that-we-acknowledge/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) [Explore all 928 Napoleon Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) ## More Compound interest quotes > [The strongest force in the universe is Compound Interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-strongest-force-in-the-universe-is-compound-interest/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“And again, damn. Of troubles I considered myself amply possessed. But those who have do seem to get. Some spiritual form of compound interest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/and-again-damn-of-troubles-i-considered-myself-amply-possessed-but/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [Compound interest on debt was the banker's greatest invention, to capture, and enslave, a productive society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/compound-interest-on-debt-was-the-banker-s-greatest-invention-to/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Thus far we have considered the problem of conservation of land purely as an economic issue. A false front of exclusively economic determinism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/thus-far-we-have-considered-the-problem-of-conservation-of-land/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [“That law of nature whereby everything climbs to higher platforms, and bodily vigor becomes mental and moral vigor. The bread he eats is first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/that-law-of-nature-whereby-everything-climbs-to-higher-platforms-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/good-and-evil-both-increase-at-compound-interest-that-is-why-the/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [In raising the price of commodities, the rise of wages operates in the same manner as simple interest does in the accumulation of debt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/in-raising-the-price-of-commodities-the-rise-of-wages-operates-in-the/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [Read 500 pages every day. That's how knowledge works. It builds up like compound interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/read-500-pages-every-day-that-s-how-knowledge-works-it-builds-up-like/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“Payday loans: “If you were the sort of person who was ever going to understand compound interest, you wouldn’t be in this mess. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/payday-loans-if-you-were-the-sort-of-person-who-was-ever-going-to/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [As with our colleges, so with a hundred "modern improvements"; there is an illusion about them; there is not always a positive advance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-with-our-colleges-so-with-a-hundred-modern-improvements-there-is/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“About 4,400 years ago 8 people stepped off Noah’s ark. According to the United Nations Population Growth Statistics, the world’s population grows at about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-zehabe/about-4-400-years-ago-8-people-stepped-off-noah-s-ark-according-to/) [Michael Ben Zehabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ben-zehabe/) > [“The Power of the Dog by Rudyard Kipling There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/the-power-of-the-dog-by-rudyard-kipling-there-is-sorrow-enough-in-the/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [“As with our colleges, so with a hundred ‘modern improvements;’ there is an illusion about them; there is not always a positive advance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-with-our-colleges-so-with-a-hundred-modern-improvements-there-is-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Remember that accumulated knowledge, like accumulated capital, increases at compound interest: but it differs from the accumulation of capital in this; that the increase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-babbage/remember-that-accumulated-knowledge-like-accumulated-capital/) [Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-babbage/) > [Mathematically, debts grow exponentially at compound interest. Banks recycle the interest into new loans, so debts grow exponentially, faster than the economy can afford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/mathematically-debts-grow-exponentially-at-compound-interest-banks/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) [Browse all 68 Compound interest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compound-interest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ralph Waldo Emerson had this truth in mind when he said (in his essay on Compensation), “If you serve an ungrateful master, serve him the more. Put God in your debt. Every stroke shall be repaid. 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