Article image

13 Quotes About the Benefits of Giving

The law of diminishing returns states that there is always a point at which putting in more of something will yield smaller and less beneficial results. The theory applies to everything from how many hours an employee works a week to how much junk food one can eat in a sitting. Thankfully, this principle doesn’t apply to giving, because as we all know, giving is literally the gift that keeps on, well, giving.

When we place ourselves in a position of service, we feel more poised to give again, and the cycle continues on. Generosity has been shown to be a necessary component of a meaningful life, and is linked to feelings of fulfillment and gratitude, as well as compassion and grace — and not just toward others, but toward ourselves, too. As the Dalai Lama put it, “Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness.”

In addition to its emotional benefits, giving also has some rather unexpected physical perks. The act of giving has been linked to everything from lower blood pressure to lower stress levels, which can lead to a longer life. Giving — whether it be leaving a small note for a loved one, being of service to a neighbor, or donating to a charity — causes us to step outside of our own troubles and think about the bigger picture and how we fit into it. As such, giving is an important way to better society while also tapping into our own best selves. Below, we’ve rounded up 13 quotes that remind us about the benefits of giving, and how the world can be a better place if we all operate from a space of generosity and abundance.

When you learn, teach. When you get, give.
Maya Angelou

Share Quote

To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.
Abraham Lincoln

Share Quote

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

Share Quote

We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.
Orison Swett Marden, author

Share Quote

A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.
Steve Maraboli, military veteran and motivational speaker

Share Quote

There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
Kahlil Gibran, writer and artist

Share Quote

There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.
John Holmes, military veteran and author

Share Quote

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
Lao Tzu

Share Quote

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

Share Quote

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.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Share Quote

Giving is the master key to success, in all applications of human life.
Bryant McGill, activist and motivational speaker

Share Quote

Giving opens the way for receiving.
Florence Scovel Shinn, artist

Share Quote

No one has ever become poor by giving.
Anne Frank

Share Quote

Photo credit: BrendaLawlor/ iStock

Author image
About the Author
Joyce Chen
Joyce Chen is a writer, editor, and community builder based in Seattle, Washington.
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Fill in the blank: "There will always be someone who can't see your ___. Don't let it be you." - Mel Robbins

More Inspiration

happiness theme icon

Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent.

separator icon
Mignon McLaughlin
motivation theme icon

We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.

separator icon
Seneca
hope theme icon

It takes courage and strength to be empathetic.

separator icon
Jacinda Ardern
love theme icon

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.

separator icon
William Shakespeare
wisdom theme icon

Your passions should fit you exactly but your purpose in life should exceed you.

separator icon
Kevin Kelly
happiness theme icon

Skill and confidence are an unconquered army.

separator icon
George Herbert
motivation theme icon

Perhaps the greatest test of love is the way we act in times of need.

separator icon
Suleika Jaouad
hope theme icon

Your world is a living expression of how you are using and have used your mind.

separator icon
Earl Nightingale
love theme icon

What is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?

separator icon
Albert Camus
wisdom theme icon

Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.

separator icon
Emily Dickinson
happiness theme icon

Life is not what one lived, but what one remembers and how one remembers it.

separator icon
Gabriel García Márquez