--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged…" description: "\"Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc9/samuel-johnson-50_merit_merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged_2452291.png" --- # Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded ![“Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc9/samuel-johnson-50_merit_merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged_2452291.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc9/samuel-johnson-50_merit_merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged_2452291.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc9/samuel-johnson-50_merit_merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged_2452291.png) > “Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often give praise cheaply but give true rewards only after real achievement. **In simple terms:** Praise is easy, reward is hard. Key Takeaway Value genuine reward over empty praise. Themes recognition motivation value Mood reflective critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - workplace performance - academic grading - public acknowledgment Key Concepts social validation intrinsic vs extrinsic reward Questions to Reflect On - Do you accept praise without effort? - How can you seek meaningful rewards? A Different Perspective Rewards may be delayed or withheld, reducing motivation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [See nations slowly wise, and meanly just, to buried merit raise the tardy bust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/see-nations-slowly-wise-and-meanly-just-to-buried-merit-raise-the/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [He that writes may be considered as a kind of general challenger, whom every one has a right to attack; since he quits the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/he-that-writes-may-be-considered-as-a-kind-of-general-challenger-whom/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [No cause more frequently produces bashfulness than too high an opinion of our own importance. He that imagines an assembly filled with his merit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/no-cause-more-frequently-produces-bashfulness-than-too-high-an/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [No man, however enslaved to his appetites, or hurried by his passions, can, while he preserves his intellects unimpaired, please himself with promoting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/no-man-however-enslaved-to-his-appetites-or-hurried-by-his-passions/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Merit rather enforces respect than attracts fondness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/merit-rather-enforces-respect-than-attracts-fondness/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Youth enters the world with very happy prejudices in her own favor. She imagines herself not only certain of accomplishing every adventure, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/youth-enters-the-world-with-very-happy-prejudices-in-her-own-favor/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is not possible to be regarded with tenderness, except by a few. That merit which gives greatness and renown diffuses its influence to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-not-possible-to-be-regarded-with-tenderness-except-by-a-few/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“It’s like I did something really god damn fucking virtuous in a past life to be rewarded with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigal-ehrlich/it-s-like-i-did-something-really-god-damn-fucking-virtuous-in-a-past/) [Sigal Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigal-ehrlich/) > [Most people have an aversion to risk, my college economics professor told me. 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You do things your way well enough, for long enough, you'll get rewarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sami-zayn/i-m-an-idealist-you-do-things-your-way-well-enough-for-long-enough/) [Sami Zayn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sami-zayn/) > [It's not like basketball, football or rugby, where they judge you on potential. In this sport it's about 'what have you done lately' -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-blaydes/it-s-not-like-basketball-football-or-rugby-where-they-judge-you-on/) [Curtis Blaydes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-blaydes/) > [The things that get rewarded, get done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leboeuf/the-things-that-get-rewarded-get-done/) [Michael LeBoeuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leboeuf/) > [When fans know they are being rewarded, they are more engaged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/when-fans-know-they-are-being-rewarded-they-are-more-engaged/) [Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Merit quotes > [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Even the most abject have a sense of superiority based on powerful though undefined merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-abject-have-a-sense-of-superiority-based-on-powerful/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I could give you some names of Workshop participants who are as good as many who are being published but haven't had the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-could-give-you-some-names-of-workshop-participants-who-are-as-good/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Whatever we may say against collections, which present authors in a disjointed form, they nevertheless bring about many excellent results. We are not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/whatever-we-may-say-against-collections-which-present-authors-in-a/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and commonsense."... "We must treat each man on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/let-the-watchwords-of-all-our-people-be-the-old-familiar-watchwords/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Misfortune is the test of a person's merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/misfortune-is-the-test-of-a-person-s-merit/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [There is no discussion inside this boardroom to say we've got to get into this or that. We look at every growth opportunity on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-packer/there-is-no-discussion-inside-this-boardroom-to-say-we-ve-got-to-get/) [James Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-packer/) > [I know well, Monsieur, how much you have to endure in your present duty, and I ask Our Lord to strengthen you in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-know-well-monsieur-how-much-you-have-to-endure-in-your-present-duty/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [Before I met Ayn Rand, I was a logical positivist, and accordingly, I didn't believe in absolutes, moral or otherwise. If I couldn't prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/before-i-met-ayn-rand-i-was-a-logical-positivist-and-accordingly-i/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [He makes his cook his merit, and the world visits his dinners and not him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/he-makes-his-cook-his-merit-and-the-world-visits-his-dinners-and-not/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [The most successful businessmen were often uneducated when measured by the scholastic standards of the teaching profession. But they were equal to their social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-most-successful-businessmen-were-often-uneducated-when-measured/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great. To many people, being nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the-2/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [The story of the Jews in the Bible is replete with incidents of their ingratitude to God for His gifts to them: incidents that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-story-of-the-jews-in-the-bible-is-replete-with-incidents-of-their/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) Browse all 1,373 Merit quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged-than-rewarded/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Merit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged-than-rewarded/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc9/samuel-johnson-50_merit_merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged_2452291.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc9/samuel-johnson-50_merit_merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged_2452291.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc9/samuel-johnson-50_merit_merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged_2452291.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged-than-rewarded/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/merit-is-much-more-cheaply-acknowledged-than-rewarded/#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 } } ] } ```