--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In short, the Gaon was a one-sided…" description: "\"In short, the Gaon was a one-sided, severe ascetic, and would never have deserved the title of a good father, a good husband, an amiable man ... [T]her..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/solomon-schechter-51525_amiable_in-short-the-gaon-was-a-one-sided-severe_2425564.jpg" --- # In short, the Gaon was a one-sided, severe ascetic, and… ![“In short, the Gaon was a one-sided, severe ascetic, and would never have deserved the title of a good father, a good husband, an amiable man ... [T]here is no occasion at all for pitying Mrs. Gaon. ... Saints are happy in their suffering, and noble souls find their happiness in sacrificing…” quote by Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/solomon-schechter-51525_amiable_in-short-the-gaon-was-a-one-sided-severe_2425564.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/solomon-schechter-51525_amiable_in-short-the-gaon-was-a-one-sided-severe_2425564.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/solomon-schechter-51525_amiable_in-short-the-gaon-was-a-one-sided-severe_2425564.jpg) > “In short, the Gaon was a one-sided, severe ascetic, and would never have deserved the title of a good father, a good husband, an amiable man ... \[T\]here is no occasion at all for pitying Mrs. Gaon. ... Saints are happy in their suffering, and noble souls find their happiness in sacrificing themselves for these sufferers.” [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A strict ascetic father is undeserving of praise; true happiness comes from self‑sacrifice for others. **In simple terms:** Self‑sacrifice brings happiness, not harshness. Key Takeaway Value compassion over severity. Themes compassion self‑sacrifice family Mood reflective thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - community service - personal growth - ethical debates Key Concepts ethical philosophy spiritual teaching Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance self‑sacrifice with self‑care? - Is harshness ever justified in leadership? A Different Perspective Extreme asceticism may neglect personal well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amiable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amiable/) [Annoying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annoying/) [Ascetic Deserved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ascetic-deserved-6151663/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Gaon Saints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaon-saints-6151662/) [Gaon Sided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaon-sided-6151664/) [Good father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-father/) [Good husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-husband/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Occasion Pitying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasion-pitying-6151665/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) [One sided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-sided/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Pitying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pitying-648156/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint/) [Severe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/severe/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Sufferers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufferers/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Titles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/titles/) ## Related quotes > [I believe, in general, that even people that are self-pitying, you can feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-white/i-believe-in-general-that-even-people-that-are-self-pitying-you-can/) [Mike White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-white/) > [We often quarrel with the unfortunate to get rid of pitying them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-often-quarrel-with-the-unfortunate-to-get-rid-of-pitying-them/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [“Great, I couldn’t even have a self-pitying moment without his awesomeness ruining it and making me feel guilty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-carlisle/great-i-couldn-t-even-have-a-self-pitying-moment-without-his/) [Natalie Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-carlisle/) > [“Sometimes I go about pitying myself when all the time I am carried on great wings across the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ojibwa-song/sometimes-i-go-about-pitying-myself-when-all-the-time-i-am-carried-on/) [Ojibwa Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ojibwa-song/) > [“Sometimes I go about pitying myself. And all the while I am being carried on great winds across the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-lakota-sioux/sometimes-i-go-about-pitying-myself-and-all-the-while-i-am-being/) [The Lakota Sioux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-lakota-sioux/) > [American rock has a sort of self-pitying whine to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/american-rock-has-a-sort-of-self-pitying-whine-to-it/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [You are being self-pitying." "I'm nearly done. You don't have much more of this to bear." "I like you better this way." "Crushed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/you-are-being-self-pitying-i-m-nearly-done-you-don-t-have-much-more/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“But those who are incapable of pitying animals are, as a matter of fact, incapable of pitying men. A physician who would cut a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ingersoll/but-those-who-are-incapable-of-pitying-animals-are-as-a-matter-of/) [Robert Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ingersoll/) > [If you wish me well, do not stand pitying me, but lend me some succour as fast as you can; for pity is but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/if-you-wish-me-well-do-not-stand-pitying-me-but-lend-me-some-succour/) [Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/) > [“He looks in my eyes in a pitying sort of way. “It’s such a shame,” he says, “that we couldn’t have met under different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-edwards/he-looks-in-my-eyes-in-a-pitying-sort-of-way-it-s-such-a-shame-he/) [Scarlett Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-edwards/) > [“Darren gave me a pitying look. “Believe me, Ryiah, a man can carry the sentiment a lot longer than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-e-carter/darren-gave-me-a-pitying-look-believe-me-ryiah-a-man-can-carry-the/) [Rachel E. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-e-carter/) > [You don't know what is going to come to you in this world; you have to go on living and worrying. Those who die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/you-don-t-know-what-is-going-to-come-to-you-in-this-world-you-have-to/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [It is extremely interesting to me that black males, and other black folk, are viewed as self-pitying, by either other blacks who have failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/it-is-extremely-interesting-to-me-that-black-males-and-other-black/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [“I can't see the world as a great hospital with us all nursing and pitying each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-harrower/i-can-t-see-the-world-as-a-great-hospital-with-us-all-nursing-and/) [Elizabeth Harrower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-harrower/) > [That most risky and volatile of all things a self-pitying majority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/that-most-risky-and-volatile-of-all-things-a-self-pitying-majority/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More by Solomon Schechter > [Judaism is absolutely incompatible with the abandonment of the Torah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/judaism-is-absolutely-incompatible-with-the-abandonment-of-the-torah/) [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) > [You cannot be anything if you want to be everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/you-cannot-be-anything-if-you-want-to-be-everything/) [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) > [Ages employed in making history have no time for studying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/ages-employed-in-making-history-have-no-time-for-studying-it/) [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) > [By vulgarity I mean that vice of civilization which makes man ashamed of himself and his next of kin, and pretend to be somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/by-vulgarity-i-mean-that-vice-of-civilization-which-makes-man-ashamed/) [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) > [Whatever the faults of the rabbis, consistency was not one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/whatever-the-faults-of-the-rabbis-consistency-was-not-one-of-them/) [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) > [Self-complacency is the companion of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/self-complacency-is-the-companion-of-ignorance/) [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) [Explore all 7 Solomon Schechter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) ## More Amiable quotes > [We must hold fast to the austere but true doctrine as to what really governs politics and saves or destroys states. Having in mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/we-must-hold-fast-to-the-austere-but-true-doctrine-as-to-what-really/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Drivers in a traffic jam, frustrated by each others presence, are not the most amiable of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-riesman/drivers-in-a-traffic-jam-frustrated-by-each-others-presence-are-not/) [David Riesman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-riesman/) > [“However amiable her temper, her heart was not likely to be easily touched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/however-amiable-her-temper-her-heart-was-not-likely-to-be-easily/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [In the taverns all was amiable and easy, but the coffeehouses were cauldrons of edgy malcontents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-holland/in-the-taverns-all-was-amiable-and-easy-but-the-coffeehouses-were/) [Barbara Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-holland/) > [If you'd be beloved, make yourself amiable. A true friend is the best possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/if-you-d-be-beloved-make-yourself-amiable-a-true-friend-is-the-best/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Our respect for the dead, when they are just dead, is something wonderful, and the way we show it more wonderful still. We show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/our-respect-for-the-dead-when-they-are-just-dead-is-something/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [There are only two kinds of people in the modern world who know what they are after. One, quite frankly, is the Communist. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-fisher/there-are-only-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-modern-world-who-know-what/) [Geoffrey Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-fisher/) > [He could not forgive her, but he could not be unfeeling. Though condemning her for the past, and considering it with high and unjust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/he-could-not-forgive-her-but-he-could-not-be-unfeeling-though/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Aamir and Kiran Rao are a very nice, gentle and amiable couple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shatrughan-sinha/aamir-and-kiran-rao-are-a-very-nice-gentle-and-amiable-couple/) [Shatrughan Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shatrughan-sinha/) > [The beauty of the person of Christ, as represented in the Scripture, consists in things invisible unto the eyes of flesh. They are such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/the-beauty-of-the-person-of-christ-as-represented-in-the-scripture/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [Failure on the other hand is infectious. The world is full of charming failures (for all charming people have something to conceal, usually their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/failure-on-the-other-hand-is-infectious-the-world-is-full-of-charming/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [Of all the Beauties, it is that which attracts the most lasting Admiration, gives the greatest Charm to every thing we say or do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-haywood/of-all-the-beauties-it-is-that-which-attracts-the-most-lasting/) [Eliza Haywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-haywood/) > [Admonition never sinks so deeply on the heart as in the hour of trial; young, amiable as you are, life teems, I doubt not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-maria-roche/admonition-never-sinks-so-deeply-on-the-heart-as-in-the-hour-of-trial/) [Regina Maria Roche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-maria-roche/) > [Paul Ryan, who teamed up with Akin in the House to sponsor harsh anti-abortion bills, may look young and hip and new generation, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/paul-ryan-who-teamed-up-with-akin-in-the-house-to-sponsor-harsh-anti/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [It is an amiable part of human nature, that we should love our animals; it is even better to love them to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/it-is-an-amiable-part-of-human-nature-that-we-should-love-our-animals/) [Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/) [Browse all 121 Amiable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amiable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In short, the Gaon was a one-sided, severe ascetic, and would never have deserved the title of a good father, a good husband, an amiable man ... 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