It is more blessed to give than to receive, and therefore less blessed to receive than to give.
Interpretation
The act of giving brings more joy and fulfillment than the act of receiving.
This quote emphasizes the principle that generosity and altruism are more rewarding than self-interest. It suggests that the true blessings in life come from what we offer to others rather than what we take for ourselves, advocating for a mindset focused on compassion and giving.
In practice
In a speech on philanthropy, one could quote this to inspire listeners about the importance of charitable acts.
I want to feel my own nothingness, I want to give myself up in absolute resignation to God, to lie prostrate and passive at His feet, with no other disposition in my heart than that of merging my will into His will, and no other language in my mouth than that of prayer for the perfecting of His strength in my weakness.
With the magnificence of eternity before us, let time, with all its fluctuations, dwindle into its own littleness.
Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. He may be a blot radiating his dark influence outward to the very circumference of society, or he may be a blessing spreading benediction over the length and breadth of the world. But a blank he cannot be: there are no moral blanks; there are no neutral characters.
Faith is like the hand of the beggar that takes the gift while adding nothing to it.
I am a part of the part that at first was all, part of the darkness that gave birth to the light, that supercilious light which now disputes with Mother Night her ancient rank and space, and yet cannot succeed; no matter how it struggles, it sticks to matter and can't get free. Light flows from substance, makes it beautiful.
The most interesting thing in the world is another human being who wonders, suffers and raises the questions that have bothered him to the last day of his life, knowing he will never get the answers.
If we are to survive, our loyalties must be broadened further, to include the whole human community, the entire planet Earth.
I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.
To kill a man will be considered as disgusting [in the twentieth century] as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one.
We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it's there for emergencies but he hopes he'll never have to use it.
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