Many of the world’s greatest philanthropists, philosophers, and leaders believe giving is essential to humanity. Get inspired to make a difference of your own with a few famous quotes about giving.

If there's a quote that inspires you, message us on Twitter at @DaffyGiving and you may see it added here soon :D

Maya Angelou

American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

Warren Buffett

American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist

“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.”

Isabel Allende

Chilean-American writer

“You only have what you give. It’s by spending yourself that you become rich.”

President Ronald Reagan

40th President of the United States

“We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

Simone de Beauvoir

French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist

“That’s what I consider true generosity: You give your all and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.”

Malala Yousafzai

Pakistani activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate

“Life isn’t just about taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide.”

Dalai Lama

The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people

“Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness. We are all, by nature, clearly oriented toward the basic human values of love and compassion. We all prefer the love of others to their hatred. We all prefer others' generosity to meanness.”

President Barrack Obama

44th President of the United States

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author

“Happiness is not made by what we own. It is what we share.”

Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)

Founder of Islam

“Every act of kindness is charity."

Jane Goodall

English primatologist and anthropologist

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Roberto Clemente

Puerto Rican baseball player

“Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in the world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on earth.”

Dolly Parton

American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman

“It seems like the more I give, the more I get. And that is the way it’s supposed to go in life.”

Pablo Picasso

Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

Peter Singer

Australian philosopher

“Putting yourself in the place of others...is what thinking ethically is all about.”

Bryan Thao Worra

Laotian American writer

“A single seed can turn into a forest. A single heart can transform a nation.”

Nigerian Proverb

“It is the heart that does the giving; the fingers only let go.”

Diane von Furstenberg

Belgian fashion designer

“Generosity is the best investment.”

Margaret Cho

American actress, musician, stand-up comedian, fashion designer, and author

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

Muhammad Ali

American professional boxer and activist

“Our only hope lies in the power of our love, generosity, tolerance, and understanding and our commitment to making the world a better place for all.”

Winston Churchill

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

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

Sam Harris

American philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and podcast host

“Today you could rescue a child from a burning building. You really can. This isn’t merely a metaphor. You can save a life today or over the course of the next year. A life that would otherwise not be saved, but for your action.”

Anne Frank

German-Dutch diarist

"No one has ever become poor by giving."

Getting inspired by others can help turn giving into a habit, rather than something we think about just a few times a year.

Is there a quote that inspires you that we missed? Message us on Twitter at @DaffyGiving.