--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not without a purpose when a rich…" description: "\"It is not without a purpose when a rich man greets a poor one with kindness.\" — Plautus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/plautus-1263_kindness_it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich_2191617.jpg" --- # It is not without a purpose when a rich man greets a poor… ![“It is not without a purpose when a rich man greets a poor one with kindness.” quote by Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/plautus-1263_kindness_it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich_2191617.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/plautus-1263_kindness_it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich_2191617.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/plautus-1263_kindness_it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich_2191617.jpg) > “It is not without a purpose when a rich man greets a poor one with kindness.” [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kindness from the wealthy to the poor serves a purpose beyond mere charity, often reflecting social values and personal motives. **In simple terms:** Rich kindness has purpose. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden motives in generosity. Themes social class kindness motivation Mood thoughtful analytical Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - charitable acts - business networking - political patronage Key Concepts human nature social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What drives your generosity? - How does power affect giving? A Different Perspective Kindness may be self‑serving rather than altruistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greets Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greets-poor-4775669/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Man Greets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-greets-2781705/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-kindness-4775670/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Rich man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-man/) ## Related quotes > [To say that past managements of Citigroup were poor would be a kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-eisman/to-say-that-past-managements-of-citigroup-were-poor-would-be-a/) [Steve Eisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-eisman/) > [“The king greeted the document (the Collectanea) not so much as a drowning man greets a straw but as he might a rescue party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ives/the-king-greeted-the-document-the-collectanea-not-so-much-as-a/) [Eric Ives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ives/) > [the sun is as dispassionate as the hand of a man who greets you with his mind on other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/the-sun-is-as-dispassionate-as-the-hand-of-a-man-who-greets-you-with/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I trust no rich man who is officiously kind to a poor man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/i-trust-no-rich-man-who-is-officiously-kind-to-a-poor-man/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [I know that a man who shows me his wealth is like the beggar who shows me his poverty; they are both looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/i-know-that-a-man-who-shows-me-his-wealth-is-like-the-beggar-who/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) > [The rich man can afford to be happy and wise; the poor man is wiser still, for he understands sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-chase/the-rich-man-can-afford-to-be-happy-and-wise-the-poor-man-is-wiser/) [William Henry Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-chase/) > [In the world of high finance the shilling of the idle rich man can buy more than that of the poor, industrious man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-world-of-high-finance-the-shilling-of-the-idle-rich-man-can/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [What you lend is lost; when you ask for it back, you may find a friend made an enemy by your kindness. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/what-you-lend-is-lost-when-you-ask-for-it-back-you-may-find-a-friend/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [The poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than what we give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/the-poor-are-great-the-poor-are-wonderful-the-poor-are-very-generous/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Elect me to office. I will protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Because there's no constitutional authority for Congress spending on the objects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/elect-me-to-office-i-will-protect-and-defend-the-u-s-constitution/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [As soon as I find myself in the presence of a rich man, I cannot help looking upon him as an exceptional and beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/as-soon-as-i-find-myself-in-the-presence-of-a-rich-man-i-cannot-help/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [The rich man in goal the poor man in filth. The rich man lay on his lazy boy leather couch. The poor man sits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/the-rich-man-in-goal-the-poor-man-in-filth-the-rich-man-lay-on-his/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [Rich men are resolved to be astonished at nothing. When they see a masterpiece, they must needs at one glance recognize some flaw to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/rich-men-are-resolved-to-be-astonished-at-nothing-when-they-see-a/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [“...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/) > [“To our benefit, death isn't affected by an economic failure, and it never takes a holiday. In addition, a bereaved rich man is easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/to-our-benefit-death-isn-t-affected-by-an-economic-failure-and-it/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) ## More by Plautus > [Remind a man of what he remembers, and you will make him forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/remind-a-man-of-what-he-remembers-and-you-will-make-him-forget-it/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [I suspect that hunger was my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/i-suspect-that-hunger-was-my-mother/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [He is happy in his wisdom who has learned at another's expense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/he-is-happy-in-his-wisdom-who-has-learned-at-another-s-expense/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [He who dies for virtue does not perish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/he-who-dies-for-virtue-does-not-perish/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [The man who would be fully employed should procure a ship or a woman, for no two things produce more trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/the-man-who-would-be-fully-employed-should-procure-a-ship-or-a-woman/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [If you speak insults you will hear them also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/if-you-speak-insults-you-will-hear-them-also/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [ No man has perpetual good fortune. \[Lat., Nulli est homini perpetuum bonum.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/no-man-has-perpetual-good-fortune-lat-nulli-est-homini-perpetuum-bonum/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [What you lend is lost; when you ask for it back, you may find a friend made an enemy by your kindness. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/what-you-lend-is-lost-when-you-ask-for-it-back-you-may-find-a-friend/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Things unhoped for happen oftener than things we desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/things-unhoped-for-happen-oftener-than-things-we-desire/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [“Ut saepe summa ingenia in occulto latent (How often the greatest talents are shrouded in obscurity)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/ut-saepe-summa-ingenia-in-occulto-latent-how-often-the-greatest/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [ You little know what a ticklish thing it is to go to law. \[Lat., Nescis tu quam meticulosa res sit ire ad judicem.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/you-little-know-what-a-ticklish-thing-it-is-to-go-to-law-lat-nescis/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Modesty should accompany youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/modesty-should-accompany-youth/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [It is wisdom to think upon anything before we execute it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/it-is-wisdom-to-think-upon-anything-before-we-execute-it/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [A woman smells well when she smells of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/a-woman-smells-well-when-she-smells-of-nothing/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) [Explore all 259 Plautus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) ## More Kindness quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Each of our acts makes a statement as to our purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/each-of-our-acts-makes-a-statement-as-to-our-purpose/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Kindness unlocks doors that were thought to be closed forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/kindness-unlocks-doors-that-were-thought-to-be-closed-forever/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [Praise will come to those whose kindness leaves you without debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/praise-will-come-to-those-whose-kindness-leaves-you-without-debt/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) > [“A little bit of kindness goes a long way with women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/a-little-bit-of-kindness-goes-a-long-way-with-women/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [The smartest people are the ones who can bring a little bit of heaven to earth by using there kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isiahnunn/the-smartest-people-are-the-ones-who-can-bring-a-little-bit-of-heaven/) [IsiahNunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isiahnunn/) > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) [Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/) > [“A man full of warm, speculative benevolence may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-man-full-of-warm-speculative-benevolence-may-wish-his-society/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [(I)f we are going to be kind, let it be out of simple generosity, not because we fear guilt or retribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-f-we-are-going-to-be-kind-let-it-be-out-of-simple-generosity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 6,600 Kindness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not without a purpose when a rich man greets a poor one with kindness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plautus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich-man-greets-a-poor-one-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kindness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich-man-greets-a-poor-one-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/plautus-1263_kindness_it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich_2191617.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/plautus-1263_kindness_it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich_2191617.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/plautus-1263_kindness_it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich_2191617.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not without a purpose when a rich man greets a poor one with kindness.” — Plautus", "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": "Plautus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is not without a purpose...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich-man-greets-a-poor-one-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/it-is-not-without-a-purpose-when-a-rich-man-greets-a-poor-one-with/#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 } } ] } ```