--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having been battered by the world in his…" description: "\"“Having been battered by the world in his earlier years, he had come to rely on family and friends and never forgot that lesson. When he offered an app..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ron-chernow-1189_civil-war_having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his_1990878.png" --- # Having been battered by the world in his earlier years, he… ![“Having been battered by the world in his earlier years, he had come to rely on family and friends and never forgot that lesson. When he offered an appointment to a former St. Louis friend, the man felt obliged to point out that he was a Democrat. Grant waved away this concern. “Just before the…” quote by Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ron-chernow-1189_civil-war_having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his_1990878.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ron-chernow-1189_civil-war_having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his_1990878.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ron-chernow-1189_civil-war_having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his_1990878.png) > ““Having been battered by the world in his earlier years, he had come to rely on family and friends and never forgot that lesson. When he offered an appointment to a former St. Louis friend, the man felt obliged to point out that he was a Democrat. Grant waved away this concern. “Just before the Civil War,” he said, “when I was standing on a street corner in St. Louis by a wagon loaded with wood, you approached and said: ‘Captain, haven’t you been able to sell your wood?’ I answered: ‘No.’ Then you said: ‘I’ll buy it; and whenever you haul a load of wood to the city and can’t sell it, just take it around to my residence . . . and I’ll pay you for it.’ I haven’t forgotten it.”” [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grant’s early hardships taught him to value loyalty and generosity, shaping his character. **In simple terms:** Early struggles taught him loyalty and generosity. Key Takeaway Remember and honor those who helped you. Themes loyalty generosity character history Mood grateful historical Type biographical inspirational When to use this quote - networking - mentorship - community service - personal reflection Key Concepts personal ethics historical influence social bonds Questions to Reflect On - Who has helped you in tough times? - How can you repay that generosity? 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Grant waved away this concern. “Just before the Civil War,” he said, “when I was standing on a street corner in St. Louis by a wagon loaded with wood, you approached and said: ‘Captain, haven’t you been able to sell your wood?’ I answered: ‘No.’ Then you said: ‘I’ll buy it; and whenever you haul a load of wood to the city and can’t sell it, just take it around to my residence . . . and I’ll pay you for it.’ I haven’t forgotten it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ron Chernow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his-earlier-years-he-had-come-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civil war" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his-earlier-years-he-had-come-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ron-chernow-1189_civil-war_having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his_1990878.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ron-chernow-1189_civil-war_having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his_1990878.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ron-chernow-1189_civil-war_having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his_1990878.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Having been battered by the world in his earlier years, he had come to rely on family and friends and never…” — Ron Chernow", "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": "Ron Chernow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Having been battered by the world...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his-earlier-years-he-had-come-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/having-been-battered-by-the-world-in-his-earlier-years-he-had-come-to/#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 } } ] } ```