--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It may be very generous in one person to…" description: "\"It may be very generous in one person to offer what it would be ungenerous in another to accept.\" — Samuel Richardson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-richardson-1695_generous_it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to_2001409.png" --- # It may be very generous in one person to offer what it… ![“It may be very generous in one person to offer what it would be ungenerous in another to accept.” quote by Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-richardson-1695_generous_it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to_2001409.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-richardson-1695_generous_it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to_2001409.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-richardson-1695_generous_it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to_2001409.png) > “It may be very generous in one person to offer what it would be ungenerous in another to accept.” [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Generosity is relative; what feels generous to one may be burdensome to another. **In simple terms:** Giving depends on the receiver’s capacity. Key Takeaway Consider others’ circumstances before giving. Themes ethics generosity perspective Mood considerate analytical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - charitable donations - gift giving - helping friends Key Concepts moral relativism social expectation Questions to Reflect On - How do you gauge appropriate generosity? - When might refusing be kinder? A Different Perspective Assuming generosity without consent can cause resentment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [Generous person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous-person/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) ## Related quotes > [If you're a generous person, when you get money and fame, you're going to be more generous. If you're a sharer, you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/if-you-re-a-generous-person-when-you-get-money-and-fame-you-re-going/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [At the end of the day, the NFL teams should fall in love with me based on who I am as a person, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-grier/at-the-end-of-the-day-the-nfl-teams-should-fall-in-love-with-me-based/) [Will Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-grier/) > [Sometimes it's more generous to take than give, he said. "How?" Caroline asked. "To let the other person give you what he has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luanne-rice/sometimes-it-s-more-generous-to-take-than-give-he-said-how-caroline/) [Luanne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luanne-rice/) > [Don't tie your heart to a person to a person who has nothing to offer you. Let it go. It might hurt for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-tie-your-heart-to-a-person-to-a-person-who-has-nothing-to-offer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Any writer knows he has to pay for his compliments. As soon as he has said, Why, thank you, that's very generous of you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jane-ward/any-writer-knows-he-has-to-pay-for-his-compliments-as-soon-as-he-has/) [Mary Jane Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jane-ward/) > [At my funeral, if one said, 'Nick was a generous person,' trust me I won't be doing cartwheels in my coffin. Recognition from people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/at-my-funeral-if-one-said-nick-was-a-generous-person-trust-me-i-won-t/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [The generous person is always just, and the just who is always generous may, unannounced, approach the throne of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/the-generous-person-is-always-just-and-the-just-who-is-always/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [As I am generous towards others ... As I see a person in need and don't just say, 'God bless you.' I am proclaiming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/as-i-am-generous-towards-others-as-i-see-a-person-in-need-and-don-t/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [Who will be the happiest person? The one who brings happiness to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-satchidananda/who-will-be-the-happiest-person-the-one-who-brings-happiness-to-others/) [Swami Satchidananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-satchidananda/) > [Success may or may not mean that you've acquired a lot. It does mean that you have become a generous person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/success-may-or-may-not-mean-that-you-ve-acquired-a-lot-it-does-mean/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [I'm not as soft or as generous a person as I would be if the world hadn't changed me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-fischer/i-m-not-as-soft-or-as-generous-a-person-as-i-would-be-if-the-world/) [Bobby Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-fischer/) > [I love it. It's silly to say that it is a world of false and stupid people. Sure there are witches and swindlers, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/i-love-it-it-s-silly-to-say-that-it-is-a-world-of-false-and-stupid/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [If you are not generous when it's difficult, you will not be generous when it's easy. Generosity is a function of the heart, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/if-you-are-not-generous-when-it-s-difficult-you-will-not-be-generous/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [A generous person forgets what he gives and remembers what he receives. Learn, earn, return. These are the three phases of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-generous-person-forgets-what-he-gives-and-remembers-what-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“variety of kinds of practices of generosity are positively and significantly associated with five important good life outcomes. Giving money, volunteering, being relationally generous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-smith/variety-of-kinds-of-practices-of-generosity-are-positively-and/) [Christian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-smith/) ## More by Samuel Richardson > [I never knew a man who deserved to be thought well of for his morals who had a slight opinion of our Sex in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/i-never-knew-a-man-who-deserved-to-be-thought-well-of-for-his-morals/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [The life of a good man was a continual warfare with his passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-life-of-a-good-man-was-a-continual-warfare-with-his-passions/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [A beautiful woman must expect to be more accountable for her steps, than one less attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/a-beautiful-woman-must-expect-to-be-more-accountable-for-her-steps/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [The person who is worthiest to live, is fittest to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-person-who-is-worthiest-to-live-is-fittest-to-die/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [Vast is the field of Science... the more a man knows, the more he will find he has to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/vast-is-the-field-of-science-the-more-a-man-knows-the-more-he-will/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [The difference in the education of men and women must give the former great advantages over the latter, even where geniuses are equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-difference-in-the-education-of-men-and-women-must-give-the-former/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [There are men who think themselves too wise to be religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/there-are-men-who-think-themselves-too-wise-to-be-religious/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [Love is a blazing, crackling, green-wood flame, as much smoke as flame; friendship, married friendship particularly, is a steady,intense, comfortable fire. Love, in courtship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/love-is-a-blazing-crackling-green-wood-flame-as-much-smoke-as-flame/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [A good man will honor him who lives up to his religious profession, whatever it be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/a-good-man-will-honor-him-who-lives-up-to-his-religious-profession/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [Quantity in diet is more to be regarded than quality. A full meal is a great enemy both to study and industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/quantity-in-diet-is-more-to-be-regarded-than-quality-a-full-meal-is-a/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [Superstitious notions propagated in infancy are hardly ever totally eradicate, not even in minds grown strong enough to despise the like credulous folly in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/superstitious-notions-propagated-in-infancy-are-hardly-ever-totally/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [The eye is the casement at which the heart generally looks out. Many a woman who will not show herself at the door, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-eye-is-the-casement-at-which-the-heart-generally-looks-out-many-a/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [People of little understanding are most apt to be angry when their sense is called into question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/people-of-little-understanding-are-most-apt-to-be-angry-when-their/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [I have my choice: who can wish for more? Free will enables us to do everything well while imposition makes a light burden heavy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/i-have-my-choice-who-can-wish-for-more-free-will-enables-us-to-do/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [There would be no supporting life were we to feel quite as poignantly for others as we do for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/there-would-be-no-supporting-life-were-we-to-feel-quite-as-poignantly/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) [Explore all 215 Samuel Richardson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) ## More Generous quotes > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) Giambattista Bodoni > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [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/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Generous in spirit, richly poetic, and packed with memorable characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-millman/generous-in-spirit-richly-poetic-and-packed-with-memorable-characters/) [Lawrence Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-millman/) > [As most New Yorkers have done, I have given serious and generous thought to the state of my apartment should I get killed during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/as-most-new-yorkers-have-done-i-have-given-serious-and-generous/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Love is the key to the mystery. Love by its very nature is not selfish, but generous. It seeks not its own, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/love-is-the-key-to-the-mystery-love-by-its-very-nature-is-not-selfish/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [SCIENCE! thou fair effusive ray From the great source of mental Day, Free, generous, and refin'd! Descend with all thy treasures fraught, Illumine each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-akenside/science-thou-fair-effusive-ray-from-the-great-source-of-mental-day/) [Mark Akenside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-akenside/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [If you're a generous person, when you get money and fame, you're going to be more generous. If you're a sharer, you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/if-you-re-a-generous-person-when-you-get-money-and-fame-you-re-going/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [You know, whenever women make imaginary female kingdoms in literature, they are always very permissive, to use the jargon word, and easy and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-whenever-women-make-imaginary-female-kingdoms-in-literature/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/in-terms-of-the-unemployed-of-which-we-have-over-a-million-and-a-half/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [Precise, graceful, and generous, the poems in SuperLoop, seem to be born out of a deep, careful attention and a profound compassion. Sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-limon/precise-graceful-and-generous-the-poems-in-superloop-seem-to-be-born/) [Ada Limon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-limon/) [Browse all 1,450 Generous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It may be very generous in one person to offer what it would be ungenerous in another to accept.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Richardson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to-offer-what-it-would-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Generous" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to-offer-what-it-would-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-richardson-1695_generous_it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to_2001409.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-richardson-1695_generous_it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to_2001409.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/samuel-richardson-1695_generous_it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to_2001409.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It may be very generous in one person to offer what it would be ungenerous in another to accept.” — Samuel Richardson", "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 Richardson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It may be very generous in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to-offer-what-it-would-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/it-may-be-very-generous-in-one-person-to-offer-what-it-would-be/#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 } } ] } ```