--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It may be that them whose pleasure brings…" description: "\"It may be that them whose pleasure brings you into this world owes you a living, but it don't mean the world is responsible.\" — Owen Wister" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/owen-wister-21300_life_it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-bring_2588378.jpg" --- # It may be that them whose pleasure brings you into this… ![“It may be that them whose pleasure brings you into this world owes you a living, but it don't mean the world is responsible.” quote by Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/owen-wister-21300_life_it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-bring_2588378.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/owen-wister-21300_life_it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-bring_2588378.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/owen-wister-21300_life_it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-bring_2588378.jpg) > “It may be that them whose pleasure brings you into this world owes you a living, but it don't mean the world is responsible.” [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledges that benefactors may not be accountable for the world’s problems despite providing for you. **In simple terms:** Not all support means responsibility. Key Takeaway Distinguish gratitude from entitlement. Themes responsibility gratitude social contract Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - employment - family support - charitable aid - government policy Key Concepts ethics dependence Questions to Reflect On - Who do you feel indebted to? - Do you expect reciprocity? A Different Perspective Assuming others owe you can breed resentment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Don't go around thinking the world owes you a living. It was here first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/don-t-go-around-thinking-the-world-owes-you-a-living-it-was-here-first/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Don't go around saying the world owes you a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-go-around-saying-the-world-owes-you-a-living/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dont go around saying the world owes you a living,the world owes you nothing because it was here first](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/dont-go-around-saying-the-world-owes-you-a-living-the-world-owes-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/don-t-go-around-saying-the-world-owes-you-a-living-the-world-owes-you-2/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Some people feel that the world owes them a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/some-people-feel-that-the-world-owes-them-a-living/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing—it was here i rst. —MARK TWAIN, GREAT AMERICAN NOVELIST”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-go-around-saying-the-world-owes-you-a-living-the-world-owes-you-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is too little idea of personal responsibility; too much of "the world owes me a living," forgetting that if the world does owe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-newton-vail/there-is-too-little-idea-of-personal-responsibility-too-much-of-the/) Theodore Newton Vail > [It's not good for government to tell people that the world owes them a living and that things are free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/it-s-not-good-for-government-to-tell-people-that-the-world-owes-them/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [“The world owes me a living'--that's passive. 'I owe the world and God a life'--that's active.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/the-world-owes-me-a-living-that-s-passive-i-owe-the-world-and-god-a/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [Don't be misled into believing that somehow the world owes you a living. The boy who believes that his parents, or the government, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sarnoff/don-t-be-misled-into-believing-that-somehow-the-world-owes-you-a/) [David Sarnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sarnoff/) > [The men who start out with the notion that the world owes them a living generally find that the world pays its 'debt' in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-men-who-start-out-with-the-notion-that-the-world-owes-them-a/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > ['Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.' Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-go-around-saying-the-world-owes-you-a-living-the-world-owes-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life owes me a living worth living. Yes, Eden regarded life as her debtor, she its relentless paymaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-hurst/life-owes-me-a-living-worth-living-yes-eden-regarded-life-as-her/) [Fannie Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-hurst/) > [I decree today that life is simply taking and not giving, England is mine and it owes me a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/i-decree-today-that-life-is-simply-taking-and-not-giving-england-is/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [Collecting everything that this world owes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/collecting-everything-that-this-world-owes-me/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) ## More by Owen Wister > [“It was through the Declaration of Independence that we Americans acknowledged the eternal inequality of man. For by it we abolished a cut-and-dried aristocracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/it-was-through-the-declaration-of-independence-that-we-americans/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [I reckon some parsons have a right to tell yu' to be good. The bishop of this hyeh Territory has a right. But I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/i-reckon-some-parsons-have-a-right-to-tell-yu-to-be-good-the-bishop/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [“All America is divided into two classes - the quality and the equality. The latter will always recognize the former when mistaken for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/all-america-is-divided-into-two-classes-the-quality-and-the-equality/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [“Here in flesh and blood was a truth which I had long believed in words, but never met before. The creature we call a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/here-in-flesh-and-blood-was-a-truth-which-i-had-long-believed-in/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [I thought there should in truth be heavy damages for malpractice on human souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/i-thought-there-should-in-truth-be-heavy-damages-for-malpractice-on/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [“The cowboy has now gone to worlds invisible; the wind has blown away the white ashes of his campfires; but the empty sardine box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/the-cowboy-has-now-gone-to-worlds-invisible-the-wind-has-blown-away/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [But no earthly foot can step between a man and his destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/but-no-earthly-foot-can-step-between-a-man-and-his-destiny/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [With a gun against my belly I... I always smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/with-a-gun-against-my-belly-i-i-always-smile/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [“Forgive my asking you to use your mind. It is a thing which no novelist should expect of his reader...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/forgive-my-asking-you-to-use-your-mind-it-is-a-thing-which-no/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [“Providence makes use of instruments I'd not touch with a ten-foot pole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/providence-makes-use-of-instruments-i-d-not-touch-with-a-ten-foot-pole/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [An aristocrat in morals as in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/an-aristocrat-in-morals-as-in-mind/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [“He possessed that quality in his profanity of not offending by it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/he-possessed-that-quality-in-his-profanity-of-not-offending-by-it/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [“When a man ain't got no ideas of his own," said Scipio, "he'd ought to be kind o' careful who he borrows 'em from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/when-a-man-ain-t-got-no-ideas-of-his-own-said-scipio-he-d-ought-to-be/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [“It was through the Declaration of Independence that we Americans acknowledged the eternal quality of man. For by it we abolished a cut-and-dried aristocracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/it-was-through-the-declaration-of-independence-that-we-americans-2/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) > [When a man ain't got no ideas of his own, he'd ought to be kind o' careful who he borrows 'em from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/when-a-man-ain-t-got-no-ideas-of-his-own-he-d-ought-to-be-kind-o/) [Owen Wister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) [Explore all 29 Owen Wister quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It may be that them whose pleasure brings you into this world owes you a living, but it don't mean the world is responsible.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Owen Wister" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-brings-you-into-this-world-owes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-brings-you-into-this-world-owes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/owen-wister-21300_life_it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-bring_2588378.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/owen-wister-21300_life_it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-bring_2588378.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/owen-wister-21300_life_it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-bring_2588378.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It may be that them whose pleasure brings you into this world owes you a living, but it don't mean the world…” — Owen Wister", "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 Wister", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wister/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It may be that them whose...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-brings-you-into-this-world-owes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wister/it-may-be-that-them-whose-pleasure-brings-you-into-this-world-owes/#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 } } ] } ```