Giving quotes
21.9K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
Explore further
Browse quotes that often appear alongside giving — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.
Quote collection
Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.
"The sage does not hoard. The more he helps others, the more he benefits himself, The more he gives to others, the more he gets himself. The Way of Heaven does one good but never does one harm. The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete."
"Dead men are not friends to living men, and give them no gifts. (Ghan-buri-Ghan, of allies during war)"
"My diary has its own kind of magic. It gives me the feeling of having accomplished something. On days when I don't have time for this, I feel tortured."
"Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness."
"Nature does nothing in vain, and in the use of means to her goals she is not prodigal. Her giving to man reason and the freedom of the will which depends upon it is clear indication of her purpose. Man accordingly was not to be guided by instinct, not nurtured and instructed with ready-made knowledge; rather, he should bring forth everything out of his own resources."
"On the contrary Deepika feels inferior to other people I was surprised when I realised it. She is straightforward & very giving"
"Life cheats us with shadows. We ask it for pleasure. It gives it to us with bitterness and disappointment in its train."
"The way Woody Allen directs, there isn't a lot of direction. He kind of might give a few gentle suggestions, but he really says right from the first day, "Just make it sound natural, and if you don't like something, put it in your own words." And [Woody Allen] gives you a lot of freedom and just very polite."
"I've seen so many of my friends and collaborators struggle and face the challenge of feeling like what they're working so hard to create and put into the world isn't important or appreciated... it's like being in love with someone who won't give you the time of day."
"Give a hippie too much money and anything can happen."
"I drank a second mouthful in which I find nothing more than in the first, then a third which gives me rather less than the second. It is time to stop; the potion is losing its magic."
"People are like ants: Just a few of them give all the orders. And most of them spend their lives getting squashed."
"Fashion can give you confidence. And things have definitely changed in the industry, mostly for the positive. We're more accepting now. For me, someone like Ashley Graham, who loves her body and is always talking about it, is inspiring."
"I don't give a damn about marriage. But I do care about honor."
"Give the people - confidence. Give the people - delight. Give the people - hope. Give the people - the best."
"Give thanks for what had been given to you, However little. Be pure, never falter."
"I understand that the legal position is under review in South Africa and that there will soon be a broader set of organizations to which donors can give and claim tax deductions."
"To give and receive advice - the former with freedom, and yet without bitterness, the latter with patience and without irritation - is peculiarly appropriate to geniune friendship."
"Hours and days and months and years go by; the past returns no more, and what is to be we cannot know; but whatever the time gives us in which we live, we should therefore be content."
"The good thing about writing a true story is that you don't have to worry about giving an impression of realism."
