List of Famous Giving Quotes in English with Images

Here are some thoughtful and detailed quotes on the theme of giving, which explore the profound nature and transformative impact of generosity and kindness:
1. "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." – Winston Churchill

  • Meaning: Churchill contrasts material gain with the deeper fulfillment that comes from giving. He suggests that while earning and acquiring things may sustain us, true meaning in life is found through generosity and contribution to others.

2. "No one has ever become poor by giving." – Anne Frank

  • Meaning: Anne Frank reflects on the paradox of giving, emphasizing that it does not diminish the giver. Instead of losing, those who give enrich their own lives in ways beyond material wealth, such as through love, gratitude, or fulfillment.

3. "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." – Pablo Picasso

  • Meaning: Picasso’s quote suggests that each person has a unique talent or gift that they must discover, but the ultimate purpose is to share this gift with the world. Giving becomes the way to realize one’s true potential and contribution to society.

4. "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." – Mahatma Gandhi

  • Meaning: Gandhi highlights the transformative power of giving through service. He suggests that true self-discovery and purpose are found not through self-focus, but through the selfless act of helping others.

5. "You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." – Amy Carmichael

  • Meaning: Carmichael emphasizes that while it’s possible to give out of obligation or duty without emotional attachment, true love always involves giving—whether it be time, care, or support. Giving is an essential expression of love.

6. "It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving." – Mother Teresa

  • Meaning: Mother Teresa points out that the value of giving lies not in the quantity, but in the intention and love behind it. A small gesture given with a big heart can be more meaningful than a large gift given without care or compassion.

7. "For it is in giving that we receive." – St. Francis of Assisi

  • Meaning: St. Francis expresses a spiritual truth that giving brings its own rewards. Whether through happiness, fulfillment, or connection, the act of giving returns positive effects to the giver, often in ways that exceed the material nature of the gift.

8. "Give, but give until it hurts." – Mother Teresa

  • Meaning: This quote from Mother Teresa calls for deep generosity, urging people to give beyond what is comfortable or easy. She suggests that true giving involves sacrifice and commitment, going beyond the surface to a place where generosity truly tests one's character.

9. "The greatest gift you can give someone is your time because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back." – Unknown

  • Meaning: This quote reflects on the value of time as the most precious commodity one can give. Since time is finite and irreversible, offering it to someone demonstrates a profound level of care and generosity, making it one of the most meaningful gifts.

10. "Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give." – Ben Carson

  • Meaning: Carson speaks to the deeper emotional fulfillment that comes from giving. While acquiring things can bring temporary pleasure, lasting happiness often stems from acts of generosity and making a positive impact on others.

11. "Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have." – Jim Rohn

  • Meaning: Rohn suggests that giving expands one’s life in ways that material possessions alone cannot. By being generous, you open up space for new opportunities, relationships, and growth, ultimately gaining more than you started with.

12. "To give and then not feel that one has given is the very best of all ways of giving." – Max Beerbohm

  • Meaning: Beerbohm describes the ideal form of giving, which is done without the need for recognition or reward. When giving is truly selfless, the giver feels no pride or expectation, only the quiet fulfillment of having helped someone.

13. "The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away." – Dorothy Day

  • Meaning: Dorothy Day advocates for the sharing of life’s greatest blessings—whether they be love, kindness, knowledge, or even material wealth. She suggests that these valuable things gain even more meaning when they are passed on to others.

14. "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." – Khalil Gibran

  • Meaning: Gibran emphasizes that true generosity involves giving one’s time, energy, love, and care, not just material goods. Giving of oneself is a more profound and meaningful gesture than simply offering physical items.

15. "Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more." – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

  • Meaning: Brown suggests that the secret to happiness lies in giving rather than receiving. Generosity fosters a sense of fulfillment and joy that acquiring more things cannot match.

16. "Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need." – Kahlil Gibran

  • Meaning: This quote contrasts the virtues of generosity and humility. Gibran suggests that true generosity involves stretching beyond what is comfortable or easy, while pride involves denying one’s own needs or refusing help.

17. "Charity begins at home, but should not end there." – Thomas Fuller

  • Meaning: Fuller reminds us that while it's important to take care of our families and close circles, true charity and giving should extend beyond just those nearest to us. It’s a call to broaden our compassion to the wider community.

18. "A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal." – Steve Maraboli

  • Meaning: Maraboli highlights the healing power of kindness and compassion. Sometimes, simple acts of giving can mend emotional or psychological wounds in ways that nothing else can, offering comfort and care to those in need.

These quotes show that giving is about much more than material gifts; it involves offering time, love, compassion, and oneself. They reflect the deep emotional and spiritual rewards that come from being generous and selfless.

If we have the opportunity to be generous with our hearts, ourselves, we have no idea of the depth and breadth of love's reach.

- Margaret Cho Quote

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.

- Giving Quotes by Albert Schweitzer

The great art of giving consists in this: the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted, so that it maybe the more highly appreciated.

- Giving Quotes by Baltasar Gracian

Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas.  They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.

- Lenore Hershey Quote

The spirit in which a thing is given determines that in which the debt is acknowledged; it's the intention, not the face-value of the gift, that's weighed.

- Seneca Quotes

One must be poor to know the luxury of giving.

- George Eliot Quotes

There is no benefit in the gifts of a bad man.

- Giving Quotes by Euripides

There is no benefit in the gifts of a bad man.

- Giving Quotes by Euripides Download or Share

A compliment is gift, not to be thrown away carelessly, unless you want to hurt the giver. 

- Giving Quotes by Eleanor Hamilton

A compliment is gift, not to be thrown away carelessly, unless you want to hurt the giver.

- Giving Quotes by Eleanor Hamilton Download or Share

The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.

- Giving Quotes by Charles Dudley Warner

The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.

- Giving Quotes by Charles Dudley Warner Download or Share

Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.

- John Wesley Quotes Download or Share

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.

- Kahlil Gibran Quotes

You try to give away what you want yourself.

- Lois McMaster Bujold, Quotes

If you want to see what children can do, you must stop giving them things.

- Norman Douglas Quotes

What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give.

- P. D. James Quotes

A gift in season is a double favor to the needy.

- Publilius Syrus Quotes

He doubly benefits the needy who gives quickly.

- Publilius Syrus Quotes

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

- Sir Winston Churchill Quotes

Purchase not friends by gifts; when thou ceasest to give, such will cease to love.

- Thomas Fuller Quotes

Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.

- William Shakespeare Quotes

Give what you have.  To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Quotes