Good SERVICE is a great enchantment

Meaning & Analysis

Providing high-quality assistance or labor has a powerful, captivating effect on the recipient, similar to a magic spell.

Insights

A Tool for Advancement

Exceptional service acts as a powerful, almost magical, tool for social and professional advancement. It can charm and win over superiors, clients, or patrons, opening doors to opportunities through earned loyalty and goodwill.

Transformative Power of Action

The proverb suggests that diligent and thoughtful service can transform relationships, turning indifference or negativity into appreciation and loyalty. This 'enchantment' alters perceptions and builds strong interpersonal bonds.

The Illusion of Effortlessness

Like a magic spell, the best service often appears effortless to the recipient, concealing the hard work and skill involved. This seamless quality is a key part of its 'enchanting' and captivating effect.

Historical Social Dynamics

Originating in a hierarchical society, the proverb highlights how exceptional service was a vital tool for social and economic advancement. For a servant or artisan, providing 'enchanting' service could secure a patron's loyalty, protection, and favor, making it a powerful form of social currency.

Psychological Influence

The term 'enchantment' points to a profound psychological impact. Excellent service makes the recipient feel valued, understood, and important, creating a strong emotional bond and a sense of gratitude and obligation that transcends the mere transaction.

Modern Business Relevance

This proverb is a foundational principle of modern customer relations and branding. Businesses strive for 'customer enchantment' to build loyalty, creating experiences so positive and seamless they feel magical and secure long-term devotion.

Rhetorical Devices

Metaphor

The core of the proverb is the metaphor comparing 'good service' to 'enchantment,' elevating a practical action into the realm of the magical to emphasize its powerful, non-coercive influence.

Hyperbole

The use of 'enchantment' is a form of hyperbole, exaggerating the effect of good service to underscore its exceptional ability to influence feelings and secure loyalty.

serviceinfluenceloyaltypsychologyhospitalitymetaphor
Analyzed with gemini-2.5-pro on November 22, 2025

Transcription

Quotations

No such enchantment as a good service.

1616, DR., no. 1933
1640, HERB., no. 287

(A good).

1658, EDMONDSON, Comes Fac. in Via, p. 237

There is not such an enchantment as good service.

1659, HOW., Span. Prov., p. 2
1659, N.R., p. 38

Original Scan

Good SERVICE is a great enchantment - a scanned entry from Tilley's 1950 Dictionary of Proverbs. Good SERVICE is a great enchantment - a scanned entry from Tilley's 1950 Dictionary of Proverbs. (continuation)
Scan courtesy of HathiTrust Digital Library.
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.

© 2026 TilleyProverbs.com · About

Last updated: January 27, 2026