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30 Inspiring Giving Quotes That Perfectly Sum Up the Joy of Being Generous

Tis the season to give back.

Headshot of Rebekah LowinBy Rebekah Lowin
preview for 10 Quotes For a Happy Life

This time of year, it can be easy to caught up in the material aspects of the holiday season. Sure, it's fun to find all of the best Christmas gifts for your friends and family and spend time shopping for show-stopping Christmas decorations, but don't forget the true meaning of the season. Take time out of your busy schedule to find ways to give this year. This roundup of gratitude quotes focus on the joy of giving in the hopes that they'll make your decision to do good that much easier. After all, as Anne Frank wrote, "No one has ever become poor by giving"—so there's no reason why you shouldn't start as soon as possible. Giving Tuesday is a great time to think about generosity and give when you can. This year, it falls on November 29. Of course, any day is a great day to give!

From Mother Teresa's inspiring quote about giving "until it hurts" to Albert Camus' thoughts on "real generosity" and the act of "giving all to the present," there's something here for just about everyone. Parents looking to inspire their children to give back will appreciate Brian Tracy's unforgettable words—"Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting"—while those looking to inspire themselves will be moved by legendary quotes by world leaders such as Winston Churchill: "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." Here's to the joy of giving, and a season that's as beautiful as it is meaningful.

1

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson Giving Quotes
Country Living

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."

2

Abraham Lincoln

Giving Quotes Abraham Lincoln
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"To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own."

3

Anne Frank

Giving Quotes Anne Frank
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"No one has ever become poor by giving."

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4

Amy Carmichael

Giving Quotes Amy Carmichael
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"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."

5

Martin Luther King Jr.

Giving Quotes MLK
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"Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

6

Horace

Giving Quotes Horace
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"Don't just think, do."

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7

Brian Tracy

Giving Quotes Brian Tracy
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"Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting."

8

Winston Churchill

Giving Quotes Churchill
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"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."

9

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Giving Quotes
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"It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved."

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10

Warren Buffett

Giving Quotes Warren BUffett
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"If you're in the luckiest one percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent."

11

Chinua Achebe

Giving Quotes Chinua Achebe
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"While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary."

12

Mother Teresa

Giving Quotes Mother Teresa
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"Give, but give until it hurts."

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13

Albert Camus

Albert Camus Giving Quotes
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"Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present."

14

Albert Schweitzer

Giving Quotes Albert Schweitzer
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"The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve."

15

Erich Fromm

Giving Quotes Erich Fromm
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"What does one person give to another? He gives of himself, of the most precious he has, he gives of his life..."

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16

Carol Ryrie Brink

Giving Quotes Carol Ryrie Brink
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"The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward."

17

Henry Ward Beecher

Henry Ward Beecher Giving Quotes
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"Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven."

18

Andrew Carnegie

Giving Quotes Andrew Carnegie
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"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."

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19

John Holmes

Giving Quotes John Holmes
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"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up."

20

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Giving Quotes Frances Hodgson Burnett
Country Living

"If nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full..."

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