Giving
The most powerful and effective people are givers. History can attest to the impact left behind by example figures like Mother Theresa, Albert Schweitzer, and David Livingstone. But they’ve imparted far more than charity, they’ve given us words of wisdom to live by. We collected a few Giving quotes to inspire and remind you just how important the role of giving plays in the course of life…
“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” - Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese philosophical Essayist, Novelist, and Poet; 1883-1931)
“To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of its own.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh (American writer and aviation pioneer; 1906-2001)
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” – Mother Teresa (Catholic nun – founder of Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India; 1910 -1997)
“No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank (Jewish girl – authored chronicled account of holocaust in her famous diary; 1929 – 1945)
“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 (German-born, theoretical physicist; 1979 -1955)
“If you have much, give of your wealth; If you have little, give of your heart” – Old Proverb
“The love we give away is the only love we keep.” – Elbert Hubbard (American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher; 1856 – 1915)
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” Maya Angelou (American autobiographer and poet; 1928 – present)
“There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life — happiness, freedom, and peace of mind — are always attained by giving them to someone else.” – Peyton Conway March (WW1 American soldier and Army Chief of Staff; 1864 – 1955)
“You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it’s a little thing, do something for others – something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.” Albert Schweitzer ( German-French theologian, musician, philosopher, and physician; 1875 – 1965)
“Give what you have to someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (American educator and poet; 1807 – 1882)
We’re always looking for inspiration, so please share with us some of your inspirational giving quotes!
11. April 2009 at 1:03 pm :
If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.
William Arthur Ward
11. April 2009 at 1:04 pm :
If you would create something,
you must be something.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
11. April 2009 at 1:06 pm :
Hearts & Minds – Information for ChangeSM
Generosity and Giving
We get to make a living; we give to make a life.
– Winston Churchill
When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing.
– Anonymous
11. April 2009 at 1:07 pm :
A person’s true wealth is the good he or she does in the world.
– Mohammed
You can’t put a price on generosity
The only gift is a portion of thyself.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
11. April 2009 at 1:08 pm :
Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another’s pain, life is not in vain.
– Helen Keller
11. April 2009 at 1:08 pm :
I love inspiritional quotes. Sorry I think I got a little carried away. LOL
11. April 2009 at 4:24 pm :
“You don’t need anybody to tell you
who you are or what you are.
You are what you are!”
John Lennon
11. April 2009 at 4:32 pm :
“Do not stand on a high pedestal and take 5 cents in your hand and say, “here, my poor man”, but be grateful that the poor man is there, so by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself.It is not the reciever that is blessed, but it is the giver.Be thankful that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercy in the world, and thus become pure and perfect.”
“Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life’s blood. But everyone has something to give.”
By: Barbara Bush
11. April 2009 at 11:47 pm :
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”
Mother Teresa
” The value of man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”
Albert Einstein
Live your life on doing God’s work here on this earth because when you die, God is your only judge.
Christy Lauzon
12. April 2009 at 10:22 am :
“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” – Helen Keller
12. April 2009 at 10:23 am :
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
12. April 2009 at 11:36 am :
Life is what you make it
Only if you try
If you just sit and wonder why
Than life will pass you by……Written by……Myself
12. April 2009 at 12:22 pm :
That was really cute, Home Schooler.
There’s nothing you can’t do
If you put your mind to it.
Christy Lauzon
Happy Easter Everbody
13. April 2009 at 3:25 am :
“Unless you are prepared to give up something valuable you will never be able to truly change at all, because you’ll be forever in the control of things you can’t give up.”
Andy Law
13. April 2009 at 3:30 am :
“If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.”
Mitsugi Saotome
13. April 2009 at 3:32 am :
“The most important thing to remember is this: To be ready at any moment to give up what you are for what you might become.”
W.E.B. Du Bois
13. April 2009 at 3:34 am :
“A great wind is blowing and that gives you either imagination or a headache.”
Catherine the Great
13. April 2009 at 3:35 am :
“Every human has four endowments: self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom — The power to choose, to respond, to change.”
Steven Covey
13. April 2009 at 3:39 am :
24
One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
25
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:24-25
13. April 2009 at 3:41 am :
1
“Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4
so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-4
13. April 2009 at 3:42 am :
13
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
14
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:13-14
13. April 2009 at 3:43 am :
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35
13. April 2009 at 3:47 am :
Like Michelle, I too love the quotes. I thought it funny she continued after she said, “Sorry I think I got a little carried away.” only because that’s what I usually do. Really, I’ll stop this time. It’s Easter! So Happy Easter everyone!
Be Blessed!~!~!
13. April 2009 at 11:50 am :
Wow JT, You can sure write fast to put 10 entries in that quick. I will have to learn how you do that. Giving will always be the best thing that we can do for one another. We need to show the world that we do card. I had a very bad week end at work because of some vendors fighting. I gave time to make sure things worked out and that there was peace at the end. And it did work. Your time to care and give is priceless!!!
13. April 2009 at 7:30 pm :
I have quotes all over the place. Note pads full of them, links to websites bookmarked, and of course the Bible is everywhere and always helpful. Not all my posts are quick. Some take me days to complete. I just save them and continue the following day.
I’m sorry you had a bad weekend, but admire you keeping optimism in life. I just say,
“that had to happen!” and carry on, saying it as loud as I want to get me through these few weeks. 4 days to trial and no matter how much I prepare, it never feels like enough!
13. April 2009 at 8:05 pm :
So, Saturday a friend and I volunteered some time to prepare the church grounds for Easter. While we were digging up exposed wire ends to locate the source and purpose of them, my friend decided to give me a “what if?”
“What if we found a body buried here?” At first, I thought, my friend is morbid! Why a body? Why not a treasure or something?
So I replied jokingly, “I guess we would be C.S.I.” Then he came back with,
“What if there was a reward… say a million dollars? We could split it, 50/50. That’s $500,000. How crazy would that be?”
Now, don’t get me wrong, I would love to be rewarded $500,000 anytime, but I just wasn’t in the mood to fantasize on such a far fetched idea. A buried body on church grounds for a reward that large??? I thought, come on. Be real!
So, ok, I thought about it for a minute to give him a reply so he didn’t think I was crushing his imagination. I thought ‘well this is my home church grounds and how much would I love to give back to the church’. I then replied,
“If I got a $500,000 reward under the circumstances I would give $400,000 to the church. I wouldn’t need that much money to supply my family with what was NEEDED to sustain a comfortable life! I would bring myself out of debt and utilize the remaining monies to build a future for my family.”
The twist to that conclusion was that I truly believe building a future for my family has a direct involvement with building a future for others; hence, microgiving or anyone else less fortunate in the world. I would never know how much of that money I could give before hand, but to know that it would be God’s will for me to make a difference in the lives of others through his reward, would broaden the deliverance and disbursement of the reward I was granted.
I thought it was worth sharing so I hope you all thought so too~
14. April 2009 at 2:04 am :
I agree with my pastor, we should all take a long look at some of the stuff we have around the house that we are not using and give to someone who will. Like shoes and clothings, if you have not worn any them this year give it away. you more likely not going to wear them at all this year. We have stuff like furnitures in the garage we not using . So give them to somebody who in need of them. If we give $5 that is something. give it anyway. someone can use that $5. I know I been through a lot. But I am planning on during better in the future. God willing to help someone. Rather it small donations or stuff around the house i am not using. When giving make sure these are things you will wear yourself. Thank you all for reading!!!!!!
14. April 2009 at 11:13 pm :
Every thing happens in our lives for a reason. It is not what we are dealt with in life it is how we handle it. We have things all around us that can help others and it may be something so simple. Sometimes we have troubles letting go but, when we do we are blessed and something better is in store.
I am struggling to keep my electric on this week. It is supposed to be shut off on the 20th but, today my heart told me that I needed to give $5 to a woman that I have known for a while who is battling cancer and her husband just died. I just feel that somehow, someway things will be ok. It may not always be the way I want it now but, it will work out.
Keep strong and keep caring everyone!!!
21. April 2009 at 12:54 am :
***It is not what we are dealt with in life it is how we handle it. ***
VERY true words!!! Some times it is so hard to not react negatively to various situations and struggles that come our way… but often getting all in a tizzy over them only makes them. Just like if some one is mean or rude to you , if you are rude back… what purpose does it serve ? If you just walk away… you are the much bigger and better person.Or for instance if your rent is 500 and you only have 300… dont look at it as I dont have enough… look at it as Thank God I have most of it! ( then pray your landlord feels the same! )
21. April 2009 at 6:12 pm :
Ok so I can’t stop I love these. hehehehe Thanks for busting me JT. LOL
“Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others.”
Barbara Bush
21. April 2009 at 6:13 pm :
Giving is the secret of a healthy life. Not necessarily money, but whatever a person has of encouragement, sympathy and understanding.
John D. Rockerfeller, Jr.
21. April 2009 at 6:16 pm :
I think giving has to come from the heart from a place that is deep inside. You have to give of yourself and freely. You can’t give with the expectation of getting something in return. If you give with the thought of getting something in return in your heart you will not have given at all. When you give greed or what it will do for you should never come into your mind, if it does than it’s not really the gift of giving. Just my thoughts.
3. May 2009 at 7:09 pm :
All these comments are wonderful!!! I just smiled at Michie, and her comments of getting carried away! You GO GIRL!!! I too seem to have inspirational messages everywhere – hanging on yellow stickies in my office, in my dayplanner, in my Bible…but it seems on those days when I really need something positive, one always catches my eye, or someone will send me a Scripture out of the blue….and it all comes back to giving. There is no greater joy for me, but it wasn’t always that way. I really didn’t feel this passionate about it until I first started serving in the mission field. That’s when the joy of unselfish and anonymous giving really was apparent to me. Last weekend I was invited to speak on Haiti. I never can give a “presentation” so to speak, it’s just what the Lord places on my heart to say, but at the end of the service when people were leaving, an elderly man came up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me for sharing my story. He told me that one thing I said really stuck out to him – that was my statement that I believe if I am able to help one person, hold one child, help even just one in the smallest manner, than I have accomplished some of what the Lord has placed on my heart. Many people often tell me, why bother – you can’t help that place, you can’t change things – well, no I cannot, but I can change things for one person. So this is what this gentleman was speaking of when he thanked me. He asked if I had ever heard the story of the starfish, and even though I had, I wanted to hear him share, and if any of you haven’t heard it, it goes something like this: two elderly men were walking along the beach. One of the men bent down and picked up a starfish that had washed up on the beach, and threw it gently back into the sea. He continued to walk, and again, found another strayed starfish and threw it back. This continued for some time, and the second man asked the first, “why do you do that, you cannot save them all.” “No, replied the first man, but I can save that one”.
I think that sometimes we feel our actions do not make a difference – especially when we see such a tremendous need, we may think our small donation, or our one act of kindness will go unnoticed and make no difference. But our compassion and our sharing of ourselves, if done with a willing and contrite heart, does make an incredible difference. We may not see it immediately – we may never know how it made a difference, but maybe off in the distance out of our line of vision, a young person watches you perform an act of kindness…perhaps that act will remain in their mind, and perhaps it may motivate them to give of themselves, or their time, a gift, or resource, or maybe simply a smile to a stranger. We never realize just how greatly we can impact others by giving kindness, giving compassion, and being willing to step out of our comfort zone and smile at a stranger.
Just rambling on!!
12. May 2009 at 3:36 am :
FOOTPRINTS
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. “LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.
The LORD replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.
I like this paryer because my mother gave me the paryer when I was in the hospital
more people should show love and care for each other like God does for us.
22. May 2009 at 7:29 pm :
[...] posts have spanned many similar topics all pertinent to giving to charity: the importance of giving, reasons to give to others, the positive power of micro philanthropy, and we’ve even [...]