Always serve too much hot fudge sauce on hot fudge sundaes. It makes people overjoyed, and puts them in your debt.

Olney’s line uses the homely example of a hot fudge sundae to make a broader point about hospitality and generosity. “Too much” here is not wasteful excess so much as a deliberate surplus that signals care: giving more than is strictly required creates delight, not mere satisfaction. The joking phrase “puts them in your debt” nods to the social reciprocity that gifts can generate—small, pleasurable over-deliveries can build goodwill and a sense of obligation. Read charitably, the quote advocates a style of kindness that is tangible and immediate: if you want to make people happy (and remember you fondly), err on the side of abundance in the details that matter to them.