Generosity & Altruism Quotes

Effective philanthropy requires a lot of time and creativity - the same kind of focus and skills that building a business requires.

Magnanimous people have no vanity, they have no jealousy, and they feed on the true and the solid wherever they find it. And, what is more, they find it everywhere.

I am a generous man, by nature, and far more trusting than I should be. Indeed. The real world is risky territory for people with generosity of spirit. Beware.

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.

To desire and expect nothing for oneself and to have profound sympathy for others is genuine holiness.

Every gift which is given, even though it be small, is in reality great, if it is given with affection.

Money can add very much to one's ability to lead a constructive life, not only pleasant for oneself, but, hopefully, beneficial to others. My grandfather, along with Carnegie, was a pioneer in philanthropy, which my father then practiced on a very large scale. The Christian ethic played an essential part in my upbringing.

Charity bestowed upon those who are worthy of it is like good seed sown on a good soil that yields an abundance of fruits. But alms given to those who are yet under the tyrannical yoke of the passions are like seed deposited in a bad soil. The passions of the receiver of the alms choke, as it were, the growth of merits.

Magnanimous people have no vanity, they have no jealousy, and they feed on the true and the solid wherever they find it. And, what is more, they find it everywhere.

Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.

To find gratitude and generosity when you could reasonably find hurt and resentment will surprise you. It will be so surprising because you will see so much of the opposite: people who have much more than others yet who react with anger when one advantage is lost or with resentment when an added gift is denied.

Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever.

Kindness is wisdom.

For it is in giving that we receive.

A gift, with a kind countenance, is a double present.

Remarkable contributions are typically spawned by a passionate commitment to transcendent values such as beauty, truth, wisdom, justice, charity, fidelity, joy, courage and honor.

Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.

The return we reap from generous actions is not always evident.

The essential elements of giving are power and love - activity and affection - and the consciousness of the race testifies that in the high and appropriate exercise of these is a blessedness greater than any other.

The opposite of corporate greed is personal generosity. Government policies that enable the former and prevent the latter are both worthy of protest.

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.

Blessed are those who give without remembering and take without forgetting.

True generosity is an offering; given freely and out of pure love. No strings attached. No expectations. Time and love are the most valuable possession you can share.

Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the Kingdom of God - the rest will be given.

Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.

Each one of us can do a good deed, every day and everywhere. In hospitals in desperate need of volunteers, in homes for the elderly where our parents and grandparents are longing for a smile, a listening ear, in the street, in our workplaces and especially at home.

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.

Deliberately seek opportunities for kindness, sympathy, and patience.

No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.

Pure love is a willingness to give without a thought of receiving anything in return.

Religion creates community, community creates altruism and altruism turns us away from self and towards the common good... There is something about the tenor of relationships within a religious community that makes it the best tutorial in citizenship and good neighborliness.

Life in abundance comes only through great love.

An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.

The giving of love is an education in itself.

Christmas and the holidays are the season of giving. It's a time when people are more kind and open-hearted.

Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.

The compulsion to do good is an innate American trait. Only North Americans seem to believe that they always should, may, and actually can choose somebody with whom to share their blessings. Ultimately this attitude leads to bombing people into the acceptance of gifts.

Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental characteristic of the noblest men and women I have known.

To feel much for others and little for ourselves; to restrain our selfishness and exercise our benevolent affections, constitute the perfection of human nature.

Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these, they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve.

You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.

Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.

From a relationship perspective, givers build deeper and broader connections.

We may give without loving, but we cannot love without giving.

Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.

I, for one, am profoundly grateful to feel the hand of God at work in my life. But at the beginning and end of the day, when my default setting is to show kindness and love to others, I never regret it. And to me, that is what faith is all about.

Sustainability, ensuring the future of life on Earth, is an infinite game, the endless expression of generosity on behalf of all.

A wise woman recognizes when her life is out of balance and summons the courage to act to correct it, she knows the meaning of true generosity, happiness is the reward for a life lived in harmony, with a courage and grace.

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.

The exercise of benevolence is joy to loving hearts: the more pain it costs, the more joy it is. Kind actions make us happy, and in such joy we find communion with the great heart of Jesus.

It doesn't matter what tradition you come from, what religion you have or don't, what culture you were brought up in or what God you ascribe to: Faith is worthwhile as it helps us to be kinder, more generous, more loving and forgiving people.