--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is so much wretchedness in the…" description: "\"There is so much wretchedness in the world, that we may safely take the word of any mortal professing to need our assistance; and, even should we be de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_assistance_there-is-so-much-wretchedness-in-the-wor_2312208.jpg" --- # There is so much wretchedness in the world, that we may… ![“There is so much wretchedness in the world, that we may safely take the word of any mortal professing to need our assistance; and, even should we be deceived, still the good to ourselves resulting from a kind act is worth more than the trifle by which we purchase it.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_assistance_there-is-so-much-wretchedness-in-the-wor_2312208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_assistance_there-is-so-much-wretchedness-in-the-wor_2312208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_assistance_there-is-so-much-wretchedness-in-the-wor_2312208.jpg) > “There is so much wretchedness in the world, that we may safely take the word of any mortal professing to need our assistance; and, even should we be deceived, still the good to ourselves resulting from a kind act is worth more than the trifle by which we purchase it.” [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even if we are deceived by others, a kind act still benefits us more than the small cost of being tricked. **In simple terms:** Kindness helps us even when misled. Key Takeaway Help others, regardless of motive. Themes kindness trust human nature Mood reflective compassionate Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - charity - daily interactions - helping strangers - community service Key Concepts altruism ethical reciprocity Questions to Reflect On - What small kindness can you offer today? - How do you balance caution with generosity? A Different Perspective If the deceiver exploits you, the act may enable further exploitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/) [Mortals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortals/) [Trifles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trifles/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [A great proportion of the wretchedness which has embittered married life, has originated in a negligence of trifles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sprat/a-great-proportion-of-the-wretchedness-which-has-embittered-married/) [Thomas Sprat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sprat/) > [Doing acts of kindness is not the same as being kind. An act of kindness is finite. Being kind is an internal virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-d-schiers/doing-acts-of-kindness-is-not-the-same-as-being-kind-an-act-of/) B D Schiers > [But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/but-remember-boy-that-a-kind-act-can-sometimes-be-as-powerful-as-a/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [When we make the choice to care, we set into motion a snowball effect that touches many people, most of whom we will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/when-we-make-the-choice-to-care-we-set-into-motion-a-snowball-effect/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [“Have we become so defensive that we cannot even tolerate a kind act?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyra-gregory/have-we-become-so-defensive-that-we-cannot-even-tolerate-a-kind-act/) [Kyra Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyra-gregory/) > [But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. As a mortal, I was never a great fighter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/but-remember-boy-that-a-kind-act-can-sometimes-be-as-powerful-as-a-2/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“If you have not often felt the joy of doing a kind act, you have neglected much, and most of all yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-neilen/if-you-have-not-often-felt-the-joy-of-doing-a-kind-act-you-have/) A. Neilen > [“Good acts grow upon a person. I have sometimes thought that many men, judging from their utter lack of kindness and of a disposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heber-j-grant/good-acts-grow-upon-a-person-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-many-men/) [Heber J. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heber-j-grant/) > [Life, within doors, has few pleasanter prospects than a neatly-arranged and well-provisioned breakfast-table. We come to it freshly, in the dewy youth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/life-within-doors-has-few-pleasanter-prospects-than-a-neatly-arranged/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There is an alchemy of quiet malice by which women can concoct a subtle poison from ordinary trifles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-is-an-alchemy-of-quiet-malice-by-which-women-can-concoct-a/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [How evil life must be if it were indeed necessary that such imploring cries, such cries of physical and moral wretchedness, should ever and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/how-evil-life-must-be-if-it-were-indeed-necessary-that-such-imploring/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [The purpose of the whole (work) is to remove those who are living in this life from a state of wretchedness and lead them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-purpose-of-the-whole-work-is-to-remove-those-who-are-living-in/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [All acts suppose certain dispositions, and habits of mind and heart, which may be in themselves states of enjoyment or of wretchedness, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-acts-suppose-certain-dispositions-and-habits-of-mind-and-heart/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“The wretchedness of a child interests a mother, the wretchedness of a young man interests a young girl, the wretchedness of an old man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-wretchedness-of-a-child-interests-a-mother-the-wretchedness-of-a/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [My writing table has seen all my wretchedness, knows all my plans, has overheard all my thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/my-writing-table-has-seen-all-my-wretchedness-knows-all-my-plans-has/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) ## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) [Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## More Assistance quotes > [Even during my youth, I can recall very few black people living on any kind of public assistance. People were working, doing some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-smith/even-during-my-youth-i-can-recall-very-few-black-people-living-on-any/) [Ed Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-smith/) > [It has been hard to muster the resources to support fledgling democracies and to intervene on behalf of the most desperate. The AIDS orphans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/it-has-been-hard-to-muster-the-resources-to-support-fledgling/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Student loans have been helpful to many. But they offer neither incentive nor assistance to those students who, by reason of family or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/student-loans-have-been-helpful-to-many-but-they-offer-neither/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [The Republicans have chosen to neglect young Americans who need assistance with the costs of higher education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-conyers/the-republicans-have-chosen-to-neglect-young-americans-who-need/) [John Conyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-conyers/) > [In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/in-terms-of-the-unemployed-of-which-we-have-over-a-million-and-a-half/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [Nearly all the Gauls are of a lofty stature, white, and of ruddy complexion; terrible from the sternness of their eyes, very quarrelsome, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammianus-marcellinus/nearly-all-the-gauls-are-of-a-lofty-stature-white-and-of-ruddy/) [Ammianus Marcellinus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammianus-marcellinus/) > [The longer people receive economic assistance, the worse their social condition and behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-longer-people-receive-economic-assistance-the-worse-their-social/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [We hope that more assistance will be available to the nations of the region, to include Egypt, on the three pillars that I discussed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/we-hope-that-more-assistance-will-be-available-to-the-nations-of-the/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [... happily the Government of the United States... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/happily-the-government-of-the-united-states-gives-to-bigotry-no/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Now one of the most essential branches of English liberty, is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle; and while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-otis/now-one-of-the-most-essential-branches-of-english-liberty-is-the/) [James Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-otis/) > [The lower the family income, the higher the probability that the mother must work. Today, 1 out of 5 of these working mothers has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-lower-the-family-income-the-higher-the-probability-that-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [China has established friendship with many African countries, and is opening itself up to Africa and providing assistance. It is cooperating with African countries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wen-jiabao/china-has-established-friendship-with-many-african-countries-and-is/) [Wen Jiabao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wen-jiabao/) > [ I'd say that \[Louis\] Brandeis practiced a kind of a "living originalism," to use the title of Jack Balkin's great book. 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