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 sky is always there for me, while my life has been going through many, many changes. When I look up the sky, it gives me a nice feeling, like looking at an old friend."
"Sometimes the Lord gives us a free sample of religious experience, but for more, we must pay a price with the currency of sincere dedication to the process of cleansing."
"I never liked the idea of giving interviews. One says many things, but when they are published, they become shortened, condensed. The ideas lose their meaning."
"If we wait for some people to become agreeable or attractive before we begin to love them, we will never begin. If we are content to give them a cold impersonal 'charity' that is merely a matter of obligation, we will not trouble to understand them or to sympathize with them at all. And in that case we will not really love them, because love implies an efficacious will not only to do good to others exteriorly but also to find some good in them to which we can respond.""
"At the end of the day, the only thing I can do is keep working on it, keep giving myself chances, and it's going to happen."
"I learned to knit in hospital. They give you stuff to do to keep you busy because you're so ill."
"Being infinitely amazed, so do I give thanks to God, Who has been pleased to make me the first observer of marvelous things, unrevealed to bygone ages."
"Allah always gives you signs, when you are with Him, that He is with you."
"We're going to have to do a whole lot more, and give nature at least a chance to repair some of the damage we've done."
"The only help I need to live, is unprofessional. The only wealth I have to give, is not material. And if you need much more than that, I'm not available."
"I don't understand why prostitution is illegal, Selling is legal, f***ing is legal. So why isn't it legal to sell f***ing? Why should it be illegal to sell something that's legal to give away?"
"Someone said drink the water, but I will drink the wine Someone said take a poor man, the rich don't have a dime Go fool yourself, if you will, I just haven't got the time I'll give you back your water, and I will take the wine."
"Don't give me paper - I can get the same lawyer who drew it up to break it. But if you shake my hand, that's for life."
"I will not give to a woman a pessary to cause abortion."
"Give me your hungry, your tired, your poor, that's what the Statue of Bigotry says. Your poor huddled masses, let's just club them to death, and get it over with."
"Cultivating care and concern for others gives rise to a kind of inner strength. No matter what difficulties or problems you face, in this wider context they’ll seem less significant and troubling to you. The inner strength, self-confidence and courage you gain by focussing on others’ needs instead of your own, brings with it a deep, calm sense of satisfaction."
"A true spiritual teacher does not have anything to teach in the conventional sense of the word, does not have anything to give or add to you, such as new information, beliefs, or rules of conduct. The only function of such a teacher is to help you remove that which separates you from the truth of who you already are and what you already know in the depth of your being"
"It is important to realize that a large percentage of what we hear or see on the news focuses on those places where there is violent conflict...It gives us a slightly or very distorted view of what is going on because there are many other parts of the planet where there is no violent conflict, but that is not on the news."
"If I had to give you one piece of advice, it would be this: don’t be intimidated by other people’s opinions. Only mediocrity is sure of itself, so take risks and do what you really want to do. Seek out people who aren’t afraid of making mistakes and who, therefore, do make mistakes. Because of that, their work often isn’t recognized, but they are precisely the kind of people who change the world and, after many mistakes, do something that will transform their own community completely."
"When we are unable to receive, we deny someone else the pleasure of giving."
