"Always try to do something for the other fellow and you will be agreeably surprised how things come your way - how many pleasing things are done for you"
About this Quote
Bristol’s line sells altruism with the clean confidence of a man who knows his audience wants virtue without martyrdom. “Always try” sounds like moral counsel, but the engine of the sentence is reward: you’ll be “agreeably surprised” when “things come your way.” The subtext is transactional, just politely so. Do good, and life (or people) will pay you back - not in a ledger-book way, but in a steady drip of “pleasing things” that makes generosity feel less like sacrifice and more like strategy.
That’s classic early-to-mid 20th-century American self-help logic: ethics rebranded as a practical technology for personal success. Bristol, best known for The Magic of Believing, wrote in a culture obsessed with mental attitude, social polish, and the idea that the world is responsive to your intentions. This quote extends that worldview into the social sphere: goodwill becomes a kind of interpersonal magnetism. It’s not “be kind because it’s right”; it’s “be kind because it works.”
The phrasing matters. “The other fellow” keeps it folksy and universal, smoothing over power dynamics. Helping isn’t framed as solidarity or justice; it’s framed as everyday decency that conveniently boomerangs. That’s why the line has endurance: it reassures readers that generosity is safe. You won’t be taken for a sucker; you’ll be rewarded.
The risk, of course, is that it turns people into instruments of your good fortune. But as motivation, it’s shrewd: it sneaks self-interest into kindness, then calls it a pleasant surprise.
That’s classic early-to-mid 20th-century American self-help logic: ethics rebranded as a practical technology for personal success. Bristol, best known for The Magic of Believing, wrote in a culture obsessed with mental attitude, social polish, and the idea that the world is responsive to your intentions. This quote extends that worldview into the social sphere: goodwill becomes a kind of interpersonal magnetism. It’s not “be kind because it’s right”; it’s “be kind because it works.”
The phrasing matters. “The other fellow” keeps it folksy and universal, smoothing over power dynamics. Helping isn’t framed as solidarity or justice; it’s framed as everyday decency that conveniently boomerangs. That’s why the line has endurance: it reassures readers that generosity is safe. You won’t be taken for a sucker; you’ll be rewarded.
The risk, of course, is that it turns people into instruments of your good fortune. But as motivation, it’s shrewd: it sneaks self-interest into kindness, then calls it a pleasant surprise.
Quote Details
| Topic | Kindness |
|---|---|
| Source | Claude M. Bristol — The Magic of Believing (book). Passage commonly attributed to Bristol in this work. |
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