---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let him who desires to be harsh in making…"
description: "\"Let him who desires to be harsh in making demands upon his debtors consider that he is God’s debtor.\" — Saint Augustine"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/saint-augustine-328_debtors_let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-makin_2011868.png"
---

#  Let him who desires to be harsh in making demands upon his…

![“Let him who desires to be harsh in making demands upon his debtors consider that he is God’s debtor.” quote by Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/saint-augustine-328_debtors_let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-makin_2011868.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/saint-augustine-328_debtors_let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-makin_2011868.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/saint-augustine-328_debtors_let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-makin_2011868.png)

> “Let him who desires to be harsh in making demands upon his debtors consider that he is God’s debtor.”

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Treat others as you would want to be treated, recognizing mutual indebtedness.

**In simple terms:** Treat others kindly because you owe them.

Key Takeaway

Practice empathy and humility.

Themes

ethics reciprocity humility justice

Mood

thoughtful serene

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- conflict resolution
- leadership
- community service

Key Concepts

moral philosophy Christian ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What debts do you owe to others?
- How does humility change your expectations?

A Different Perspective

May overlook power dynamics in relationships.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consider God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider-god-380772/) [Debtors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debtors/) [Debtors Consider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debtors-consider-3596791/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Demands Debtors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demands-debtors-3596789/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desires Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desires-harsh-3596792/) [God Debtor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-debtor-3596790/) [Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh/)

## Related quotes

> [The fellow who eggs you on to avenge yourself will rob you of what you were going to say - as we forgive our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-fellow-who-eggs-you-on-to-avenge-yourself-will-rob-you-of-what/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Everything is a part of what God's up to in your life, so I think our job is to embrace it. Everything. Embrace it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-gaither/everything-is-a-part-of-what-god-s-up-to-in-your-life-so-i-think-our/)

[Gloria Gaither](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-gaither/)

> [Instead of considering your circumstance today,why don't you consider your God?Dare to say God I don't see a way,but I know you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sainah/instead-of-considering-your-circumstance-today-why-don-t-you-consider/)

[Sainah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sainah/)

> [“Whom can you consider as God? It is he who has become completely independent in this world and he does not have anyone above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/whom-can-you-consider-as-god-it-is-he-who-has-become-completely/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Prayer may seem at first like disengagement, a reflective time to consider God's point of view. But that vantage presses us back to accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/prayer-may-seem-at-first-like-disengagement-a-reflective-time-to/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“Did you ever stop to consider that God made us to remake us? He created us so we would seek Him and be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-burroughs/did-you-ever-stop-to-consider-that-god-made-us-to-remake-us-he/)

[Dillon Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-burroughs/)

> [There is no god, so how can I consider myself a god? God is the greatest lie invented by man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/there-is-no-god-so-how-can-i-consider-myself-a-god-god-is-the/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [He answered, "The woman whom You gave to be with me" (Gen 3:9-12), he did not say, "the woman deceived me," but "The woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorotheus-of-gaza/he-answered-the-woman-whom-you-gave-to-be-with-me-gen-3-9-12-he-did/)

[Dorotheus of Gaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorotheus-of-gaza/)

> [“Have you honestly pondered your individual worth? Consider every lower life form in the world—the animals, plants, fouls and fishes. Consider the land forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/have-you-honestly-pondered-your-individual-worth-consider-every-lower/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [“Stop just for a moment and consider something. We all know that in our own strength we don’t accomplish much for the Kingdom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-saffrin/stop-just-for-a-moment-and-consider-something-we-all-know-that-in-our/)

[Bob Saffrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-saffrin/)

> [I beseech you to consider that God does not deal by you as you deal with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-burroughs/i-beseech-you-to-consider-that-god-does-not-deal-by-you-as-you-deal/)

[Jeremiah Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-burroughs/)

> [Consider God's love for you. Now double it. Now multiply that by 900 trillion. You're still not even close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hart/consider-god-s-love-for-you-now-double-it-now-multiply-that-by-900/)

[Mark Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hart/)

> [“It's nice to consider that God may not count imperfection as an obstacle to working out his will in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-carson/it-s-nice-to-consider-that-god-may-not-count-imperfection-as-an/)

[Rae Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-carson/)

> [“POINT TO PONDER: God smiles when I trust him. VERSE TO REMEMBER: “The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/point-to-ponder-god-smiles-when-i-trust-him-verse-to-remember-the/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [Think back over your day and consider when God spoke. How did you sense it, or why did you fail to sense it at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonni-collins-pratt/think-back-over-your-day-and-consider-when-god-spoke-how-did-you/)

[Lonni Collins Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonni-collins-pratt/)

## More by Saint Augustine

> [Lust indulged became habit, and habit unresisted became necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/lust-indulged-became-habit-and-habit-unresisted-became-necessity/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [The playthings of our elders are called business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-playthings-of-our-elders-are-called-business/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Do what you can and pray for what you cannot yet do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/do-what-you-can-and-pray-for-what-you-cannot-yet-do/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [For I did not know that the soul needs to be enlightened by light from outside itself, so that it can participate in truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/for-i-did-not-know-that-the-soul-needs-to-be-enlightened-by-light/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [My mother spoke of Christ to my father, by her feminine and childlike virtues, and, after having borne his violence without a murmur or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/my-mother-spoke-of-christ-to-my-father-by-her-feminine-and-childlike/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Wicked sons do not have the Holy Ghost in the same way as do beloved sons, and yet they do have Baptism. So, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/wicked-sons-do-not-have-the-holy-ghost-in-the-same-way-as-do-beloved/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [To wisdom belongs the intellectual apprehension of things eternal; to knowledge, the rational apprehension of things temporal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/to-wisdom-belongs-the-intellectual-apprehension-of-things-eternal-to/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [It is this one Spirit who makes it possible for an infant to be regenerated . . . when that infant is brought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/it-is-this-one-spirit-who-makes-it-possible-for-an-infant-to-be/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [God has no need of your money, but the poor have. You give it to the poor, and God receives it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/god-has-no-need-of-your-money-but-the-poor-have-you-give-it-to-the/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Nothing conquers except truth and the victory of truth is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/nothing-conquers-except-truth-and-the-victory-of-truth-is-love/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [“O God, who is ever at work and ever at rest. May I be ever at work and ever at rest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/o-god-who-is-ever-at-work-and-ever-at-rest-may-i-be-ever-at-work-and/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Our Lord reserved to Himself certain things which He would do in due time in a manner outside the course and order of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/our-lord-reserved-to-himself-certain-things-which-he-would-do-in-due/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/give-me-chastity-and-continence-but-not-yet/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Nothing, therefore, happens unless the Omnipotent wills it to happen. He either permits it to happen, or He brings it about Himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/nothing-therefore-happens-unless-the-omnipotent-wills-it-to-happen-he/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [The reward of patience Is patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-reward-of-patience-is-patience/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

[Explore all 672 Saint Augustine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

## More Debtors quotes

> [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [The Bible says forgive your debtors; the world says "sue them for their dough."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sunday/the-bible-says-forgive-your-debtors-the-world-says-sue-them-for-their/)

[Billy Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sunday/)

> [The creditor whose appearance gladdens the heart of a debtor may hold his head in sunbeams and his foot on storms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/the-creditor-whose-appearance-gladdens-the-heart-of-a-debtor-may-hold/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [Ah, fortune and fame shall follow me ... and I shall dwell in the world of the chosen for a few moments of fleeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/ah-fortune-and-fame-shall-follow-me-and-i-shall-dwell-in-the-world-of/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [The aim of New Deals is to exterminate the class of creditors and thrust all men into that of debtors. It is like trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-aim-of-new-deals-is-to-exterminate-the-class-of-creditors-and/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [“IMF is really designed to protect creditors not debtors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/imf-is-really-designed-to-protect-creditors-not-debtors/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [You really struggle to be a successful empire if you are also the world's biggest debtor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/you-really-struggle-to-be-a-successful-empire-if-you-are-also-the/)

[Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/)

> [We are debtors to every man to give him the gospel in the same measure in which we have received it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-debtors-to-every-man-to-give-him-the-gospel-in-the-same/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Were a stranger to drop on a sudden into this world, I would show him, as a specimen of its ills, a hospital full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/were-a-stranger-to-drop-on-a-sudden-into-this-world-i-would-show-him/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Not everyone is a debtor who wishes to be; not everyone who wishes makes creditors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/not-everyone-is-a-debtor-who-wishes-to-be-not-everyone-who-wishes/)

[Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/)

> [A father who is a chronic debtor, an adulterous mother, a beautiful wife, and an unlearned son are enemies in one's own home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-father-who-is-a-chronic-debtor-an-adulterous-mother-a-beautiful/)

[Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/)

> [Grace finds us beggars but leaves us debtors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-toplady/grace-finds-us-beggars-but-leaves-us-debtors/)

[Augustus Toplady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-toplady/)

> [When we are exalted by ideas, we do not owe this to Plato, but to the idea, to which also Plato was debtor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-we-are-exalted-by-ideas-we-do-not-owe-this-to-plato-but-to-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [So long as there is a human being who does not know Jesus Christ, I am his debtor to serve him until he does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/so-long-as-there-is-a-human-being-who-does-not-know-jesus-christ-i-am/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [We are a debtor nation, and we owe now $19 trillion and it's going to go up very fast by the way from this point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-are-a-debtor-nation-and-we-owe-now-19-trillion-and-it-s-going-to/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

[Browse all 100 Debtors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debtors/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Let him who desires to be harsh in making demands upon his debtors consider that he is God’s debtor.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Saint Augustine"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-making-demands-upon-his-debtors/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Debtors"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-making-demands-upon-his-debtors/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/saint-augustine-328_debtors_let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-makin_2011868.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/saint-augustine-328_debtors_let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-makin_2011868.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/saint-augustine-328_debtors_let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-makin_2011868.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Let him who desires to be harsh in making demands upon his debtors consider that he is God’s debtor.” — Saint Augustine",
                "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": "Saint Augustine",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Let him who desires to be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-making-demands-upon-his-debtors/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/let-him-who-desires-to-be-harsh-in-making-demands-upon-his-debtors/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
