"Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger"
About this Quote
Basil’s intent is pastoral and corrective. As a fourth-century bishop in Cappadocia, he preached in a world of periodic famine, fragile harvests, and stark inequality. Rain wasn’t a metaphor first; it was an economic event. When he talks about hunger being “driven away,” he’s speaking to communities that could plausibly starve. That urgency keeps the saying from becoming a soft-focus gratitude slogan. It’s less “look on the bright side” than “your judgment is unreliable when it’s based only on discomfort.”
The subtext also carries Basil’s larger ethical project: redistribute attention, then redistribute resources. If rain is God’s provision arriving in an annoying form, then your irritation is not just personal weakness; it’s a spiritual blind spot that can harden into selfishness. The quote nudges listeners toward patience, yes, but also toward humility about interpreting their circumstances - and, implicitly, toward solidarity with the hungry who need that “abundance” to mean something real.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Basil, Saint. (2026, January 16). Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/many-a-man-curses-the-rain-that-falls-upon-his-134338/
Chicago Style
Basil, Saint. "Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/many-a-man-curses-the-rain-that-falls-upon-his-134338/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/many-a-man-curses-the-rain-that-falls-upon-his-134338/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.








