--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our bounty, like a drop of water…" description: "\"Our bounty, like a drop of water, disappears, when diffus'd too widely\" — Oliver Goldsmith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/oliver-goldsmith-772_bounty_our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappea_2569006.png" --- # Our bounty, like a drop of water, disappears, when… ![“Our bounty, like a drop of water, disappears, when diffus'd too widely” quote by Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/oliver-goldsmith-772_bounty_our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappea_2569006.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/oliver-goldsmith-772_bounty_our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappea_2569006.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/oliver-goldsmith-772_bounty_our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappea_2569006.png) > “Our bounty, like a drop of water, disappears, when diffus'd too widely” [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A bounty, like a widely shared drop of water, loses its value when overly dispersed. **In simple terms:** Too much sharing dilutes value. Key Takeaway Limit distribution to preserve worth. Themes resource management scarcity value Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - budgeting - information sharing - exclusive offers Key Concepts economics psychology Questions to Reflect On - When should you share widely? - How does scarcity affect perception? A Different Perspective Scarcity can create inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drop of water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drop-of-water/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [That was one of the problems with the Narcissus figure. Here is a face looking at a face, and the problem is the image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-alison/that-was-one-of-the-problems-with-the-narcissus-figure-here-is-a-face/) [Jane Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-alison/) > [No one can know the infinite importance of a tiny drop of water better than a thirsty bird or a little ant or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/no-one-can-know-the-infinite-importance-of-a-tiny-drop-of-water/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [We may not be God, but we are of God, even as a little drop of water is of the ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/we-may-not-be-god-but-we-are-of-god-even-as-a-little-drop-of-water-is/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I am like a drop of water on a rock. After drip, drip, dripping in the same place, I begin to leave a mark,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-am-like-a-drop-of-water-on-a-rock-after-drip-drip-dripping-in-the/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [A drop of water is not immortal; it can be resolved into oxygen and hydrogen. If, therefore, a drop of water were to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/a-drop-of-water-is-not-immortal-it-can-be-resolved-into-oxygen-and/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [No drowning man can know which drop of water his last breath did stop;...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-drowning-man-can-know-which-drop-of-water-his-last-breath-did-stop/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You do not have to explain every single drop of water contained in a rain barrel. You have to explain one drop-H2O. The reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-singleton/you-do-not-have-to-explain-every-single-drop-of-water-contained-in-a/) [George Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-singleton/) > [If you want to be noticed as a drop of water, why would you move to the ocean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neko-case/if-you-want-to-be-noticed-as-a-drop-of-water-why-would-you-move-to/) [Neko Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neko-case/) > [A drop of water, if it could write out its own history, would explain the universe to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/a-drop-of-water-if-it-could-write-out-its-own-history-would-explain/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [Penetrate the heart of just one drop of water, and you will be flooded by a hundred oceans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmud-shabistari/penetrate-the-heart-of-just-one-drop-of-water-and-you-will-be-flooded/) [Mahmud Shabistari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmud-shabistari/) > [When a drop of water touches a drop of water there is no holding back - it joins. Water responds to water. Your being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/when-a-drop-of-water-touches-a-drop-of-water-there-is-no-holding-back/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [You cried when He took away your drop of water, not knowing He'd saved for you, the sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/you-cried-when-he-took-away-your-drop-of-water-not-knowing-he-d-saved/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [A drop of water is as powerful as a thunder-bolt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/a-drop-of-water-is-as-powerful-as-a-thunder-bolt/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [“The earth’s surface is over 70 percent covered in water, and sometimes I wonder about a drop of water resting on my shoulder, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsh-oxenreider/the-earth-s-surface-is-over-70-percent-covered-in-water-and-sometimes/) [Tsh Oxenreider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsh-oxenreider/) > [“Knowing before ever seeing it that her ass was like a stationary drop of water on a flower stem”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcgreevy/knowing-before-ever-seeing-it-that-her-ass-was-like-a-stationary-drop/) [Brian McGreevy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcgreevy/) ## More by Oliver Goldsmith > [The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-fortunate-circumstances-of-our-lives-are-generally-found-at-last/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [How happy he who crowns in shades like these, A youth of labour with an age of ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/how-happy-he-who-crowns-in-shades-like-these-a-youth-of-labour-with/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [One man is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and the other with a wooden ladle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/one-man-is-born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-his-mouth-and-the-other-with-a/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [He cast off his friends as a huntsman his pack, For he knew when he pleas'd he could whistle them back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/he-cast-off-his-friends-as-a-huntsman-his-pack-for-he-knew-when-he/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Even children follow'd with endearing wile, And pluck'd his gown, to share the good man's smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/even-children-follow-d-with-endearing-wile-and-pluck-d-his-gown-to/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [The premises being thus settled, I proceed to observe that the concatenation of self-existence, proceeding in a reciprocal duplicate ratio, naturally produces a problematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-premises-being-thus-settled-i-proceed-to-observe-that-the/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, and fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/truth-from-his-lips-prevailed-with-double-sway-and-fools-who-came-to/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Politics resemble religion; attempting to divest either of ceremony is the most certain mode of bringing either into contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/politics-resemble-religion-attempting-to-divest-either-of-ceremony-is/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [To what fortuitous occurrence do we not owe every pleasure and convenience of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/to-what-fortuitous-occurrence-do-we-not-owe-every-pleasure-and/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Every acknowledgment of gratitude is a circumstance of humiliation; and some are found to submit to frequent mortifications of this kind, proclaiming what obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/every-acknowledgment-of-gratitude-is-a-circumstance-of-humiliation/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [ \[T\]here are depths of thousands of miles which are hidden from our inquiry. The only tidings we have from those unfathomable regions are by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/t-here-are-depths-of-thousands-of-miles-which-are-hidden-from-our/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Like the bee, we should make our industry our amusement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/like-the-bee-we-should-make-our-industry-our-amusement/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Age, that lessens the enjoyment of life, increases our desire of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/age-that-lessens-the-enjoyment-of-life-increases-our-desire-of-living/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Thus let me hold thee to my heart, And every care resign: And we shall never, never part, My life-my all that's mine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/thus-let-me-hold-thee-to-my-heart-and-every-care-resign-and-we-shall/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Here lies David Garrick, describe me who can, An abridgment of all that was pleasant in man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/here-lies-david-garrick-describe-me-who-can-an-abridgment-of-all-that/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) [Explore all 375 Oliver Goldsmith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) ## More Bounty quotes > [Stop and go: always on some journey. My bounty is a photograph or two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plachy/stop-and-go-always-on-some-journey-my-bounty-is-a-photograph-or-two/) [Sylvia Plachy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plachy/) > [Our acts of kindness we reserve for our friends, our bounties for our dependants, our riches for our children and relations, our praises for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/our-acts-of-kindness-we-reserve-for-our-friends-our-bounties-for-our/) [Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/) > [The pious farmer, who ne'er misses pray'rs, With patience suffers unexpected rain; He blesses Heav'n for what its bounty spares, And sees, resign'd, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/the-pious-farmer-who-ne-er-misses-pray-rs-with-patience-suffers/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [Allah (swt) by His grace has given you some ni'ma (blessing), some bounty. So, the best way to be thankful to Allah (swt) is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junaid-jamshed/allah-swt-by-his-grace-has-given-you-some-ni-ma-blessing-some-bounty/) [Junaid Jamshed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junaid-jamshed/) > [Let us give out of our own bounty, just as God gives to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-us-give-out-of-our-own-bounty-just-as-god-gives-to-us/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [The bounty of nature is too little for the greedy person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-bounty-of-nature-is-too-little-for-the-greedy-person/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [We have a greedy cycle where Human Rights Commissions fine citizens in order to pay their own salaries so they can employ more Human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/we-have-a-greedy-cycle-where-human-rights-commissions-fine-citizens/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The bible teaches that woman brought sin and death into the world, that she precipitated the fall of the race, that she was arraigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-bible-teaches-that-woman-brought-sin-and-death-into-the-world/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [“Champagne arrived in flûtes on trays, and we emptied them with gladness in our hearts... for when feasts are laid and classical music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/champagne-arrived-in-fl-tes-on-trays-and-we-emptied-them-with/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [O blessed bounty, giving ail content! The only fautress of all noble arts That lend'st success to every good intent. A grace that rests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-drayton/o-blessed-bounty-giving-ail-content-the-only-fautress-of-all-noble/) [Michael Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-drayton/) > [Diversity creates harmony, and harmony creates beauty, balance, bounty and peace in nature and society, in agriculture and culture, in science and in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/diversity-creates-harmony-and-harmony-creates-beauty-balance-bounty/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [We have learned to turn out lots of goods and services, but we haven't learned as well how to have everybody share in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/we-have-learned-to-turn-out-lots-of-goods-and-services-but-we-haven-t/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [ There are certain aspects of celebrity that I understand, although that's not the main point of the story \[in Assassination of Jesse James\] ,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/there-are-certain-aspects-of-celebrity-that-i-understand-although/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [Halloween is an ancient druidic holiday, one the Celtic peoples have celebrated for millennia. It is the crack between the last golden rays of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-colgan/halloween-is-an-ancient-druidic-holiday-one-the-celtic-peoples-have/) [Jenny Colgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-colgan/) > [We should be happy. We should be enjoying that there is all this bounty. Somebody can take an iPod and have all the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-stock/we-should-be-happy-we-should-be-enjoying-that-there-is-all-this/) [Gregory Stock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-stock/) Browse all 141 Bounty quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our bounty, like a drop of water, disappears, when diffus'd too widely", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver Goldsmith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappears-when-diffus-d-too-widely/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bounty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappears-when-diffus-d-too-widely/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/oliver-goldsmith-772_bounty_our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappea_2569006.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/oliver-goldsmith-772_bounty_our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappea_2569006.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/oliver-goldsmith-772_bounty_our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappea_2569006.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our bounty, like a drop of water, disappears, when diffus'd too widely” — Oliver Goldsmith", "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": "Oliver Goldsmith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Our bounty, like a drop of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappears-when-diffus-d-too-widely/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/our-bounty-like-a-drop-of-water-disappears-when-diffus-d-too-widely/#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 } } ] } ```