Generous Quotes

“None of us are saints, but we can all try to be better. Each time you do something generous, you're shaping yourself into someone who's more likely to be generous next time, and that matters.”
― Ted Chiang, Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity. -Simone Weil”
― Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well

“Human beings have to be more ingenious than this, and more generous. We’ve got to come up with a better answer.”
― Ali Smith, Winter

“There is nothing shameful or reprehensible about putting your needs first. In fact, by doing so, you can pursue your purpose efficiently and be generous to others at the same time.”
― Dr Prem Jagyasi

“We should tell ourselves, once and for all, that it is the first duty of the soul to become as happy, complete, independent, and great as lies in its power. Herein is no egoism, or pride. To become effectually generous and sincerely humble there must be within us a confident, tranquil, and clear comprehension of all that we owe to ourselves.”
― Maurice Maeterlinck, Wisdom and Destiny

“Allah will provide, I say, finger toward heaven. I try pushing past her. I don't like it when Giti gets handsy with my purse. She said, alms, as if my money's sole purpose is to solve her problems. I'm as generous- more generous, than most. I just don't like poor people. They contribute very little to the national economy.”
― Michael Benzehabe, Persianality

“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”
― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words

“Hygge happens when we commit to the pleasure of the present moment in its simplicity.
It's there in the things we do that give everyday life value and meaning, that comfort us, make us feel at home, rooted and generous.”
― Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well

“She'd hurt him, but she'd attempted everything in her power to make things right. She'd shown him in a thousand ways that she was honorable and strong and generous and very human, maybe even more vividly human than anyone he'd ever known.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“We live far happier lives when we are generous in as many ways as possible.”
― Cathy Burnham Martin, Encouragement: How to Be and Find the Best

“Gabriel Duke. You are a complete hypocrite."
"A hypocrite? Me?"
"Yes, you. Mr. I-Know-a-Hidden-Tresaure-When-I-See-It. You said you know how to spot undervalued things. Undervalued people. And yet you persist in selling yourself short. If I'm the crown jewels in camouflage, you're a..." She churned the air with one hand. "... a diamond tiara."
He grimaced.
"Fine, you can be something manlier. A thick, knobby scepter. Will that suffice?"
"I suppose it's an improvement."
"For weeks, you've been insisting you haven't the slightest idea what it means to give a creature a loving home. 'I'm too ruthless, Penny. I'm only motivated by self-interest, Penny. I'm a bad, bad man, Penny.' And all this time, you've been running an orphanage? I could kick you."
"I'm not running an orphanage. I give the orphanage money. That's all."
"You gave them kittens."
"No, you gave them kittens."
"You sent them gifts at Christmas. Playthings and sweets and geese to be roasted for their dinner."
"It was the only business I could attend to on Christmas, and I don't like to waste the day. All the banks and offices are closed."
She skewered him with a look. "Really. You expect me to believe that?"
He pushed a hand through his hair. "What is your aim with this interrogation?"
"I want you to admit the truth. You are giving those children a home. A place of warmth and safety, and yes, even love. Meanwhile, you are stubbornly denying yourself all the same things."
"I can't be denying myself if it's something I don't want."
"Home isn't something a person wants. It's something every last one of us needs. And it's not too late for you, Gabriel." She gentled her voice. "You could have that for yourself.”
― Tessa Dare, The Wallflower Wager

“Actions reveal… If you have to TELL me you’re honest, caring, generous, spiritual, kind, loving, and a good person... you’re doing it wrong.”
― Steve Maraboli

“We wind up in cells of our own making when we're not generous, loving, compassionate, and forgiving. Without love, we build dungeons in our hearts and fill them with our perceived enemies.”
― Martin Sheen, Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and Son

“Hygge is about having less, enjoying more; the pleasure of simply being.
It is generous and celebratory, a way to remember the importance of the simple act of living itself.”
― Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well

“If you have much, be generous; if you have little, be grateful; even if you have nothing, be hopeful.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“In helping yourself, you prove you are strong; in helping others, you prove you are compassionate; in helping many, you prove you are generous; if helping everyone, you prove you are enlightened.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“I am selfish by habit, but sacrificial by nature. Therefore, I’d be wise to develop the habit of following my nature.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Trees generously share their fruit.
Bees generously share their honey.
Flowers generously share their perfume.
Do likewise.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Sacrifice” and “self” both begin with the same letter, but the spelling is way different after that.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Describing the USA health care system as mediocre is being generous.”
― Steven Magee

“In God's economy, you may even harvest a crop in places where you didn't plant seed. When you're generous, you will be blessed, whether it comes to you materially, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, or some other way. God obviously cares much more about what happens in our hearts than what happens in our bank accounts, more about our attitudes than our credit scores. Giving generously changes you. It frees you up, undermines the power that money and possessions can have over you, and it makes you more like Him.”
― Craig Groeschel, Weird: Because Normal Isn't Working

“This was his first trip on the Ossifar Distana, his first real splash in life. Look what it got him. Mister Smiff liked anonymity. He kept a low profile, often traveling under assumed names, claiming to be anything from a banker to a (very) successful life insurance salesman. He’d never broken the law, at least not irreparably. He was quite generous, well liked, sponsoring many charities anonymously – which is why it was so surprising to find him floating face down in the private spa in his apartment, murdered. He had been murdered, unless it was a freak shaving accident. Those old razors weren’t called cut-throats for nothing. Yikes.”
― Christina Engela, Dead Man's Hammer

“If you want little, give little; if you want much, give much; if you want all, give all.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“In matters of love: When giving, be generous! When taking, be thankful!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“It is selfish, true, but there is nothing wrong with selfish thoughts. Sometimes they provide good counsel. But those thoughts must be tempered with more generous ones, lest we [...] forget that the world is filled with beings of equal significance to ourselves.”
― Shane Arbuthnott, Terra Nova

“We're all generous, but with different things, like time, money, talent - criticism.”
― Frank A. Clark

“A person whom lives in a deliberate and thoughtful manner can resist passively assimilating society’s deviant values and unwholesome cultural mores, and live in a courageous and generous manner while passionately pursuing a full life that transcends wastefulness, miserly accumulation, and exploitation of other people.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“A selfish life is as empty as a candle sitting astride of a grave that is doomed to blow out with the next puff of dry wind.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

“For a generous man, the bank is an accommodation facility for his money; for a miser, it is a safe guard of his treasure.”
― Mustafa Donmez, Red-White Love: The Love of Liverpool FC

“Gabriel Duke. You are a complete hypocrite."
"A hypocrite? Me?"
"Yes, you. Mr. I-Know-a-Hidden-Tresaure-When-I-See-It. You said you know how to spot undervalued things. Undervalued people. And yet you persist in selling yourself short. If I'm the crown jewels in camouflage, you're a..." She churned the air with one hand. "... a diamond tiara."
He grimaced.
"Fine, you can be something manlier. A thick, knobby scepter. Will that suffice?"
"I suppose it's an improvement."
"For weeks, you've been insisting you haven't the slightest idea what it means to give a creature a loving home. 'I'm too ruthless, Penny. I'm only motivated by self-interest, Penny. I'm a bad, bad man, Penny.' And all this time, you've been running an orphanage? I could kick you."
"I'm not running an orphanage. I give the orphanage money. That's all."
"You gave them kittens."
"No, you gave them kittens."
"You sent them gifts at Christmas. Playthings and sweets and geese to be roasted for their dinner."
"It was the only business I could attend to on Christmas, and I don't like to waste the day. All the banks and offices are closed."
She skewered him with a look. "Really. You expect me to believe that?"
He pushed a hand through his hair. "What is your aim with this interrogation?"
"I want you to admit the truth. You are giving those children a home. A place of warmth and safety, and yes, even love. Meanwhile, you are stubbornly denying yourself all the same things."
"I can't be denying myself if it's something I don't want."
"Home isn't something a person wants. It's something every last one of us needs. And it's not too late for you, Gabriel." She gentled her voice. "You could have that for yourself.”
― Tessa Dare, The Wallflower Wager