Giving can take many forms: charitable donations, tithes, mutual aid, volunteering, and more. No matter how you decide to give, you are going to leave a mark on others–and yourself! To celebrate the power of giving, here are our favorite 50 quotes about giving!
50 Quotes About Giving
For some people, giving is about religion and faith. For others, it's a family tradition. And there are so many reasons in between to consider giving. If you are just getting started or looking to give more, these quotes will have you feeling empowered and motivated.
Quotes About Giving Back
Giving is powerful. It's so powerful that some of the most influential people in human history–from Rockefeller to Einstein–spoke out in favor of giving. Take a look at what they had to say about the power of giving back.
1. “Think of giving not only as a duty but as a privilege.” – John Rockefeller
2. “I absolutely believe in the power of tithing. My own experience is that the more I give away, the more that comes back. That is the way life works.” – Ken Blanchard
3. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank
4. “The raising of extraordinarily large sums of money, given voluntarily and freely by millions of our fellow Americans, is a unique American tradition… Philanthropy, charity, giving voluntarily and freely… call it what you like, but it is truly a jewel of an American tradition.” – John Kennedy
5. “It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.” – Albert Einstein
Quotes About Volunteering & Service Work
Giving doesn't have to mean donations, offerings, or tithes (though it certainly can!). Volunteerism and service work are powerful ways to enrich the lives of others and add more meaning to your days.
6. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” – Mohamed Ali
7. “Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew
8. “Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.” – Erma Bombeck
9. “Volunteering is an act of heroism on a grand scale. And it matters profoundly. It does more than help people beat the odds; it changes the odds.” – Bill Clinton
10. “Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud.” -Helen Dyer
11. “If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.” – Kofi Annan
12. “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” – Audrey Hepburn
13. “Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.” – Heather French Henry
14. “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. […] You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
15. “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” – Booker T. Washington
Quotes About Helping Your Community
Whether you give locally or globally, you have the opportunity to cultivate community. A willingness to help others through money, words, and actions strengthens your community today and in the future.
16. “Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even if it is a little thing, do something for which there is no pay but the privilege of doing it. Remember, you don’t live in the world all of your own.” – Albert Schweitzer
17. “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” – Herman Melville
18. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
19. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
20. “If you're in the luckiest one percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.” – Warren Buffet
Quotes About Giving & Growing As a Person
One of the most powerful benefits of giving are the effect felt by giver, not just the receiver. As you look to continue growing as an individual, don't overlook the impact that giving can have on you.
21. “The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your contribution. When you work to improve the lives of others, your life improves automatically.” – Kurek Ashley
22. “Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.” – Jim Rohn
23. “An effort made for the happiness of others lifts us above ourselves.” – Lydia Maria Child
24. “The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.” – Helen Keller
25. “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
26. “Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.” – Horace Mann
27. “What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good.” – Aristotle
28. “To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.” – Abraham Lincoln
29. “Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.” – Albert Camus
30. “Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven.” – Henry Ward Beecher
Quotes About Benefiting as a Giver
It's easy to think about the benefits that giving has on a receiver. But did you know that giving really benefits the giver too? Check out these quotes for proof!
31. “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” – Maya Angelou
32. “Giving does not only precede receiving; it is the reason for it. It is in giving that we receive.” – Israelmore Ayivor
33. “As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
34. “Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
35. “There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.” – Bernard Meltzer
36. “Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.” – Tina Fey
Quotes to Get Started and Keep Going
Whether you are just getting started or want to give more, these quotes about giving will inspire you!
37. “Money is not the only commodity that is fun to give. We can give time, we can give our expertise, we can give our love, or simply give a smile. What does that cost? The point is, none of us can ever run out of something worthwhile to give.” – Steve Goodier
38. “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
39. “He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own.” – Confucius
40. “We rise by lifting others.” – Robert Ingersoll
41. “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” – Maya Angelou
42. “If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.” – Arab Proverb
43. “Giving to others will not take away from what you have but will in fact add to your life. ” – Catherine Pulsifer
44. “It seemed to me that the people who were genuinely thriving in their lives were the ones who had made room for well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving.” – Arianna Huffington
45. “If you knew what I know about the power of giving you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.” – Buddha
46. “The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
47. “You have to start giving first and expect absolutely nothing.” – Dalai Lama
48. “It is in giving, not in seeking gifts, we find our quest.” – James Allen
49. “Selfless giving is the art of living.” – Frederick Lenz
50. “You don't have to be an angel, just be someone who can give.” – Patti LaBelle
51. “Men are rich only as they give.” – Elbert Hubbard
Quotes about the Power of Community
Sometimes, thinking about our place within our community can inspire us to give more. Here are some quotes to help!
52. “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King
53. “The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food.” – Dean Ornish
54. “The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” – Mitch Albom
55. “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” – Cesar Chavez
56. “Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.” – Anthony J. D'Angelo
57. “It only takes one person to mobilize a community and inspire change. Even if you don't feel like you have it in you, it's in you. You have to believe in yourself. People will see your vision and passion and follow you.” – Teyonah Parris
58. “Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.” – Dorothy Height
59. “I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe that the measure of a person's life is the affect they have on others.” – Steve Nash
60. “Quality of life actually begins at home – it's in your street, around your community.” – Charles Kennedy
Quotes about Bright Futures
Through giving and volunteering, we can work to build brighter futures.
61. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln
62. “If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.” – Confucius
63. “The future starts today, not tomorrow.” – Pope John Paul II
64. “Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.” Sitting Bull
65. “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.” – Nelson Mandela
66. “I don't know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.” – Ralph Abernathy
67. “I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life.” – George Burns
68. “Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.” – Albert Camus
69. “Do your duty and a little more and the future will take care of itself.” – Andrew Carnegie
70. “If future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology. We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it.” – Lyndon B. Johnson
71. “I'm a reflection of the community.” – Tupac Shakur
72. “Adopt responsibility for your own well-being, try to put your family together, try to serve your community.” – Jordan Peterson
Quotes about Kindness
Giving time or money is one way to challenge yourself to be more kind. Check out these quotes to see the benefits of kindness.
73. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
74. “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” – Audrey Hepburn
75. “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana
76. “Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.” – Dennis Prager
77. “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. And kindness in giving creates love.” – Lao Tzu
78. “That best portion of a man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” – William Wordsworth
79. “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
80. “To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.” – Confucius
81. “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” – Barbara De Angelis
82. “Together we can change the world, just one random act of kindness at a time.” – Ron Hall
83. “Kindness, I've discovered, is everything in life.” – Isaac Bashevis Singer
84. “What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau
85. “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
More Quotes about Being Kind
In finance, we talk a lot about ROI. Perhaps there is no greater return on investments than acts of kindness, and these quotes prove it!
86. “A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.” – Joseph Joubert
87. “Giving and receiving kindness are easy ways to feel good and to help others feel good too. People, organizations, and societies thrive when they are grounded in a culture of kindness.” – Vivek Murthy
88. “Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows.” – Robert Green Ingersoll
89. “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” – Albert Schweitzer
90. “True beauty is born through our actions and aspirations and in the kindness we offer to others.” – Alek Wek
91. “A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.” – John Ruskin
92. “The first thing a kindness deserves is acceptance, the second, transmission.” – George MacDonald
93. “It's not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even – or rather, especially – when we'd prefer not to be.” – Josh Radnor
More Quotes to Help Guide Your Giving
94. “Every minute of every hour of every day you are making the world, just as you are making yourself, and you might as well do it with generosity and kindness and style.” – Rebecca Solnit
95. “We can all fight against loneliness by engaging in random acts of kindness.” – Gail Honeyman
96. “You can be rich in spirit, kindness, love and all those things that you can't put a dollar sign on.” – Dolly Parton
97. “I'm a big believer in acts of kindness, no matter how small.” – Liam Neeson
98. “Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.” – Eric Hoffer
99. “Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams
100. “Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.” – Samuel Johnson
Final Thoughts on Quotes About Giving
Saving and spending are important parts of your financial journey. But they aren't the only ones!
Giving and sharing with others is a powerful part of money–for the impact it can have on others and ourselves. If you don't know where to start, we suggest checking out Charity Navigator or Volunteer Match today!
Do you have any favorite charities or mutual aid groups? Are you involved in volunteering?
Please let us know in the comments below.
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