--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [T]hrough bitter experience I have…" description: "\"“[T]hrough bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity.”\" — Tahir Shah" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/tahir-shah-3083_bitter-experience_t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learne_710753.png" --- # \[T\]hrough bitter experience I have learned that it is best… ![“[T]hrough bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity.” quote by Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/tahir-shah-3083_bitter-experience_t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learne_710753.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/tahir-shah-3083_bitter-experience_t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learne_710753.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/tahir-shah-3083_bitter-experience_t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learne_710753.png) > ““\[T\]hrough bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity.”” [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hard work deserves generous rewards, while promises should be modest to avoid disappointment. **In simple terms:** Reward effort, keep promises small. Key Takeaway Reward diligence generously. Themes generosity work ethic expectations Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - team leadership - volunteer projects - parenting - mentorship Key Concepts reciprocity motivation humility Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance modest promises with generous rewards? - What risks arise from overpromising? A Different Perspective Overpromising can undermine trust and morale. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bitter experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-experience/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Through bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/through-bitter-experience-i-have-learned-that-it-is-best-to-promise/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [People think that if a man has undergone any hardship, he should have a reward; but for my part, if I have done the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/people-think-that-if-a-man-has-undergone-any-hardship-he-should-have/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [There is always a reward in all hard-work and sacrifices, so you must be patient and stay strong in all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/there-is-always-a-reward-in-all-hard-work-and-sacrifices-so-you-must/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Riches should come as the reward for hard work, preferably by one's forebears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-runciman/riches-should-come-as-the-reward-for-hard-work-preferably-by-one-s/) [Steven Runciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-runciman/) > [“Life is a game and there are many ways to keep score. Stick with your gut, reward your hard work with hard play, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-marhamat/life-is-a-game-and-there-are-many-ways-to-keep-score-stick-with-your/) Bobby Marhamat > [Racing is the fun part; it's the reward of all the hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-goucher/racing-is-the-fun-part-it-s-the-reward-of-all-the-hard-work/) [Kara Goucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-goucher/) > [One who will study for three years. Without thought of reward. Would be hard indeed to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/one-who-will-study-for-three-years-without-thought-of-reward-would-be/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [On the basis of the familiar experience that that which is learned with difficulty is better retained, it would have been safe to prophesy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-ebbinghaus/on-the-basis-of-the-familiar-experience-that-that-which-is-learned/) [Hermann Ebbinghaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-ebbinghaus/) > [The entire 'Top Chef' experience was a learning experience. I learned about myself as a competitor, a teammate, a friend, a chef, a mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-lofaso/the-entire-top-chef-experience-was-a-learning-experience-i-learned/) [Antonia Lofaso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-lofaso/) > [But through experience I learned to control my body and locate the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/but-through-experience-i-learned-to-control-my-body-and-locate-the/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [The lessons of experience are always learned too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/the-lessons-of-experience-are-always-learned-too-late/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [Even the bad experience can be learned from. Those lessons are the hardest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-the-bad-experience-can-be-learned-from-those-lessons-are-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In her own experience she's learned that happiness and sadness find their own level no matter what's biting you, mosquitoes or meatskins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alden-bell/in-her-own-experience-she-s-learned-that-happiness-and-sadness-find/) [Alden Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alden-bell/) > [A lot happened in Vancouver. It was my first Western experience. I learned English, which is my second language. I became very acquainted with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-wu/a-lot-happened-in-vancouver-it-was-my-first-western-experience-i/) [Jason Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-wu/) > [My first reality show, 'Bigg Boss 2,' was a good experience, as I learned a lot of things inside the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/payal-rohatgi/my-first-reality-show-bigg-boss-2-was-a-good-experience-as-i-learned/) [Payal Rohatgi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/payal-rohatgi/) ## More by Tahir Shah > [“As the head of an expedition, you can't pussyfoot around being polite to everyone. You have to show your teeth once in a while;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/as-the-head-of-an-expedition-you-can-t-pussyfoot-around-being-polite/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“The last thing we wanted was for the Machiguenga to be sad again. Sadness appeared to bring out their violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/the-last-thing-we-wanted-was-for-the-machiguenga-to-be-sad-again/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [If hot food is they key to maintaining an expedition's stamina, then low grade gut-rot alcohol is the key to sustaining its sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/if-hot-food-is-they-key-to-maintaining-an-expedition-s-stamina-then/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“Normally I would have been the first to go in search of cannibal monks, particularly as I had heard of a similar tradition at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/normally-i-would-have-been-the-first-to-go-in-search-of-cannibal/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“Inscribed on it was a verse from the Quatrains of Omar Khayyam, the eleventh-century Persian mystic. Reading the words aloud I prepared for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/inscribed-on-it-was-a-verse-from-the-quatrains-of-omar-khayyam-the/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“Moroccan traffic isn't like normal traffic. It's armed combat, a war of wills, in which only the very bravest have a chance to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/moroccan-traffic-isn-t-like-normal-traffic-it-s-armed-combat-a-war-of/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“Prideep pointed to the flames of paraffin lamps as they came alive in the distance and cackled in awe at the experience. (…) I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/prideep-pointed-to-the-flames-of-paraffin-lamps-as-they-came-alive-in/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“The very fact that a Frenchman was prepared, after tow minutes of conversation, to be so friendly towards anyone, especially one who had come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/the-very-fact-that-a-frenchman-was-prepared-after-tow-minutes-of/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [The taste for glory can make ordinary men behave in extraordinary ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/the-taste-for-glory-can-make-ordinary-men-behave-in-extraordinary-ways/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“As anyone who's ever taken an Ethiopian bus knows, there is an unwritten rule that the windows must remain firmly closed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/as-anyone-who-s-ever-taken-an-ethiopian-bus-knows-there-is-an/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“In some warped way, having an embalmed body with us made perfect sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/in-some-warped-way-having-an-embalmed-body-with-us-made-perfect-sense/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“Back at the guest house I tried to acclimatise. A travel-worn adventurer had once told me that leaning with one's head dangling over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/back-at-the-guest-house-i-tried-to-acclimatise-a-travel-worn/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [Any man who has ever led an army, an expedition, or a group of Boy Scouts has sadism in his bones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/any-man-who-has-ever-led-an-army-an-expedition-or-a-group-of-boy/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [In some peculiar way, indeed, the rules were now beginning to seem quite logical. It was then I knew that I had been in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/in-some-peculiar-way-indeed-the-rules-were-now-beginning-to-seem/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [The forest did not tolerate frailty of body or mind. Show your weakness, and it would consume you without hesitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/the-forest-did-not-tolerate-frailty-of-body-or-mind-show-your/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) [Explore all 140 Tahir Shah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) ## More Bitter experience quotes > [Do we behave out of fear of punishment, or out of the demands of our heart? For me, it is the latter, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-we-behave-out-of-fear-of-punishment-or-out-of-the-demands-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Experience often repeated, truly bitter experience, had taught him long ago that with decent people, especially Moscow people -- always slow to move and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/experience-often-repeated-truly-bitter-experience-had-taught-him-long/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Let every one of us cultivate, in every word that issues from our mouth, absolute truth. I say cultivate, because to very few people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/let-every-one-of-us-cultivate-in-every-word-that-issues-from-our/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [It takes a major unhappiness, a prolonged and bitter experience, to drive us away from loyalties once formed. And sometimes no amount of punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-a-major-unhappiness-a-prolonged-and-bitter-experience-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If things are tough, remember that every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/if-things-are-tough-remember-that-every-flower-that-ever-bloomed-had/) [Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/) > [“Bitter experience has taught me that you don't engage with intellectually superior wankers who make long speeches about moral relativism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/bitter-experience-has-taught-me-that-you-don-t-engage-with/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“true wisdom ... is the product of hard-won, often bitter experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/true-wisdom-is-the-product-of-hard-won-often-bitter-experience/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [Can advertising foist an inferior product on the consumer? Bitter experience has taught me that it cannot. On those rare occasions when I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/can-advertising-foist-an-inferior-product-on-the-consumer-bitter/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [A woman is not a whole woman without the experience of marriage. In the case of a bad marriage, you win if you lose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-hurst/a-woman-is-not-a-whole-woman-without-the-experience-of-marriage-in/) [Fannie Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-hurst/) > [Through bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/through-bitter-experience-i-have-learned-that-it-is-best-to-promise/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [“But she did not say it, she kept rigidly silent. Ostrakova had already sworn to herself that she would restrain both her quick temper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/but-she-did-not-say-it-she-kept-rigidly-silent-ostrakova-had-already/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [Bitter experience has taught us how fundamental our values are and how great the mission they represent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-peter-balkenende/bitter-experience-has-taught-us-how-fundamental-our-values-are-and/) [Jan Peter Balkenende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-peter-balkenende/) > [I have learnt through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-have-learnt-through-bitter-experience-the-one-supreme-lesson-to/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Down to the closest friend every man is a potential murderer. Often it wasn't necessary to bring out the gun or the lasso or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/down-to-the-closest-friend-every-man-is-a-potential-murderer-often-it/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [People have learned by bitter experience that the "European fraternal union of peoples" cannot be achieved by mere phrases and pious wishes, but only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/people-have-learned-by-bitter-experience-that-the-european-fraternal/) [Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/) [Browse all 50 Bitter experience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-experience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[T]hrough bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work with generosity.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tahir Shah" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learned-that-it-is-best-to-promise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bitter experience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learned-that-it-is-best-to-promise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/tahir-shah-3083_bitter-experience_t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learne_710753.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/tahir-shah-3083_bitter-experience_t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learne_710753.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/tahir-shah-3083_bitter-experience_t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learne_710753.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[T]hrough bitter experience I have learned that it is best to promise little and then to reward hard work…” — Tahir Shah", "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": "Tahir Shah", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“[T]hrough bitter experience I have learned...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learned-that-it-is-best-to-promise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/t-hrough-bitter-experience-i-have-learned-that-it-is-best-to-promise/#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 } } ] } ```