Quote #0
It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving.
Anonymous
About This Quote
The line comes from the opening of an anonymously published poem titled “Only,” printed in 1893 in a Milwaukee education journal. The poem argues that small, inexpensive acts—starting with a smile—can have outsized positive effects on someone’s day and outlook. It was widely reprinted later, which likely helped detach the lines from their original anonymous publication and enabled later attributions to famous names.
Interpretation
A simple smile is portrayed as a low-effort gift that can change the emotional atmosphere around someone, replacing gloom with hope and making life feel more bearable or meaningful.
Extended Quotation
It was only a sunny smile, And little it cost in the giving; But it scattered the night Like morning light, And made the day worth living.
Variations
It was only a sunny smile. It cost so little in giving; But it scattered the night Like the morning light And made the day worth living.
It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light, it scattered the night and made the day worth living.
Misattributions
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Harriett G. Hancock
