--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Riches, though they may reward virtues…" description: "\"Riches, though they may reward virtues, yet they cannot cause them; he is much more noble who deserves a benefit than he who bestows one.\" — Owen Feltham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/owen-feltham-9361_benefits_riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-ye_1204168.jpg" --- # Riches, though they may reward virtues, yet they cannot… ![“Riches, though they may reward virtues, yet they cannot cause them; he is much more noble who deserves a benefit than he who bestows one.” quote by Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/owen-feltham-9361_benefits_riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-ye_1204168.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/owen-feltham-9361_benefits_riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-ye_1204168.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/owen-feltham-9361_benefits_riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-ye_1204168.jpg) > “Riches, though they may reward virtues, yet they cannot cause them; he is much more noble who deserves a benefit than he who bestows one.” [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wealth may recognize virtue but cannot create it; true nobility lies in deserving a benefit rather than giving it **In simple terms:** Wealth can't create virtue; deserving is nobler than giving Key Takeaway Value deserving over giving Themes virtue wealth nobility Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal development - leadership - philanthropy - recognition of merit Key Concepts moral philosophy ethical merit Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to deserve a benefit? - How can societies reward deserving over giving? A Different Perspective Wealth alone may not inspire true virtue ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserve/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Noble Deserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble-deserves-3623427/) [Reward Virtues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward-virtues-3623426/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riches/) [Riches Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riches-reward-3623428/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Virtues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtues/) [Virtues Cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtues-cause-2372070/) ## Related quotes > [“They still possess virtues which might cause shame to most Christians. No hospitals are needed among them, because there are neither mendicants nor paupers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuben-gold-thwaites/they-still-possess-virtues-which-might-cause-shame-to-most-christians/) [Reuben Gold Thwaites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuben-gold-thwaites/) > [Party spirit enlists a man's virtues in the cause of his vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/party-spirit-enlists-a-man-s-virtues-in-the-cause-of-his-vices/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [It is rare to see a rich man religious; for religion preaches restraint, and riches prompt to unlicensed freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/it-is-rare-to-see-a-rich-man-religious-for-religion-preaches/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [“The leaders have the responsibility to protect and hold in high esteem the law and virtues of the land.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-leaders-have-the-responsibility-to-protect-and-hold-in-high/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“He sees as well as you do that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/he-sees-as-well-as-you-do-that-courage-is-not-simply-one-of-the/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [I may be stupid, as you say, to believe in honour and friendship and loyalty without price. But these are virtues to be cherished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-may-be-stupid-as-you-say-to-believe-in-honour-and-friendship-and/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [“Fruits doesn't fall far from the tree but there seeds can go places and wherever they go by their virtues they leave their traces”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-mukhopadhyay/fruits-doesn-t-fall-far-from-the-tree-but-there-seeds-can-go-places/) [Indira Mukhopadhyay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-mukhopadhyay/) > [Now know I well what people sought formerly above all else when they sought Teachers of virtue. Good sleep they sought for themselves, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/now-know-i-well-what-people-sought-formerly-above-all-else-when-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/) [Miguel Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cervantes/) > [Conductors make too much fuss about conductors! Humility and hard work are virtues. We're nothing without our musicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-rattle/conductors-make-too-much-fuss-about-conductors-humility-and-hard-work/) [Simon Rattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-rattle/) > [Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private Women to Shine in. If they must be showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/female-virtues-are-of-a-domestick-turn-the-family-is-the-proper/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/gratitude-is-not-only-the-greatest-of-virtues-but-the-parent-of-all/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [When you rely on incentives, you undermine virtues. Then when you discover that you actually need people who want to do the right thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/when-you-rely-on-incentives-you-undermine-virtues-then-when-you/) [Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/) > [The queen of virtues is the recognition of one's own flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-queen-of-virtues-is-the-recognition-of-one-s-own-flaws/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More by Owen Feltham > [The boundary of man is moderation. When once we pass that pale our guardian angel quits his charge of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/the-boundary-of-man-is-moderation-when-once-we-pass-that-pale-our/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Of all trees, I observe God hath chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/of-all-trees-i-observe-god-hath-chosen-the-vine-a-low-plant-that/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [To go to law is for two persons to kindle a fire, at their own cost, to warm others and singe themselves to cinders;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/to-go-to-law-is-for-two-persons-to-kindle-a-fire-at-their-own-cost-to/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Virtue is the truest liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/virtue-is-the-truest-liberty/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Fear, if it be not immoderate, puts a guard about us that does watch and defend us; but credulity keeps us naked, and lays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/fear-if-it-be-not-immoderate-puts-a-guard-about-us-that-does-watch/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Where there is plenty, charity is a duty, not a courtesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/where-there-is-plenty-charity-is-a-duty-not-a-courtesy/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Meditation is the soul's perspective glass, whereby, in her long remove, she discerneth God, as if He were nearer at hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/meditation-is-the-soul-s-perspective-glass-whereby-in-her-long-remove/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Truth and fidelity are the pillars of the temple of the world; when these are broken, the fabric falls, and crushes all to pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/truth-and-fidelity-are-the-pillars-of-the-temple-of-the-world-when/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [There is no one subsists by himself alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/there-is-no-one-subsists-by-himself-alone/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Promises may get friends, but it is performance that must nurse and keep them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/promises-may-get-friends-but-it-is-performance-that-must-nurse-and/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [It is rare to see a rich man religious; for religion preaches restraint, and riches prompt to unlicensed freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/it-is-rare-to-see-a-rich-man-religious-for-religion-preaches/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Pleasures can undo a man at any time, if yielded to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/pleasures-can-undo-a-man-at-any-time-if-yielded-to/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Human life has not a surer friend, nor oftentimes a greater enemy, than hope. It is the miserable man's god, which in the hardest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/human-life-has-not-a-surer-friend-nor-oftentimes-a-greater-enemy-than/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [Negligence is the rust of the soul that corrodes through all her best resolves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/negligence-is-the-rust-of-the-soul-that-corrodes-through-all-her-best/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) > [To be gentle is the test of a lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/to-be-gentle-is-the-test-of-a-lady/) [Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) [Explore all 73 Owen Feltham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/) ## More Benefits quotes > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Shortly after I turned 50, both Ted Turner and the AARP came into my life. The only difference? With AARP, there were benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/shortly-after-i-turned-50-both-ted-turner-and-the-aarp-came-into-my/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-think-of-education-as-the-means-of-developing-our-greatest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/to-really-be-of-benefit-to-others-as-the-buddha-always-taught-we/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [I won the seat of Oxley largely on an issue that has resulted in me being called a racist. That issue related to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/i-won-the-seat-of-oxley-largely-on-an-issue-that-has-resulted-in-me/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I've always said that I benefit, as an actor, from not having the illusion of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-ve-always-said-that-i-benefit-as-an-actor-from-not-having-the/) [Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/) > [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) [Browse all 3,616 Benefits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Riches, though they may reward virtues, yet they cannot cause them; he is much more noble who deserves a benefit than he who bestows one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Owen Feltham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-yet-they-cannot-cause-them-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Benefits" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-yet-they-cannot-cause-them-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/owen-feltham-9361_benefits_riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-ye_1204168.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/owen-feltham-9361_benefits_riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-ye_1204168.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/owen-feltham-9361_benefits_riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-ye_1204168.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Riches, though they may reward virtues, yet they cannot cause them; he is much more noble who deserves a…” — Owen Feltham", "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": "Owen Feltham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Riches, though they may reward virtues,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-yet-they-cannot-cause-them-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/riches-though-they-may-reward-virtues-yet-they-cannot-cause-them-he/#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 } } ] } ```