““Especially,” said Mr. Pumblechook, “be grateful, boy, to those who brought you up by hand.” Mrs. Hubble shook her head and, contemplating me with a mournful presentiment that I should come to no good, asked, “Why is it that the young are never grateful?” The moral mystery proved too much for the company until Mr. Hubble tersely solved it by saying, “Naturally vicious.” Everybody then murmured “True!” and looked at me in a particularly unpleasant and personal manner.”
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About this quote
“Especially, be grateful, boy, to those who brought you up by hand.” The line strips away polite excuses and forces a clear look at personal responsibility. It calls out entitlement and demands honest self-assessment rather than excuses. Use it as a hard reminder to return gratitude with action and steady, accountable behavior.
When to use it
- A parent uses the line after their grown child ignores help and never says thanks, then sets a clear task to show appreciation.
- A manager cites the line in a meeting to stop entitlement in the team and demand that people own their contributions.
- A teacher repeats the line to students who expect success without effort and then assigns concrete steps to earn trust.
- A person writes the line in their journal as a blunt prompt to stop blaming circumstance and start practicing visible gratitude.