110 Powerful Generosity Quotes to Inspire Happiness

These generosity quotes will inspire you to be more generous so that you can bring joy to yourself and those around you.

Being generous is more than being kind or giving.

The act of being generous is to give more to others than you are expected to give.

Because generosity has a level of unexpectedness to it, it can often cause immense joy and happiness for both the receiver and the giver. 

Do you think generosity can inspire success?

I heard a suggestion once that you should always act on generous impulses.

I have a friend who wears hats a lot.

Every time someone is sincere in complimenting a hat he’s wearing, his first reaction is “thank you,” followed by “would you like it?”

He has given away an uncountable number of hats by impulse, but every time both he and the person whom he gifted his hat to leave the conversation with a huge smile on their faces.

Generosity doesn’t have to be a material gift like a hat or money.

Sometimes generosity is as simple as offering a smile or taking a few extra minutes to talk to someone who needs it.

Take a look at our collection of powerful generosity quotes.

These quotes will inspire you to follow your generosity impulses and bring joy to the people around you.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Check out our entire collection of motivational quotes here. 

Generosity quotes about selflessness

1. “True generosity is an offering; given freely and out of pure love. No strings attached. No expectations.” – Suze Orman

2. “Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.” – Frank A. Clark

3. “Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do.” – Khalil Gibran

4. “Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others.” –Barbara Bush

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

6. “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” – Albert Pike

7. “It is a powerful practice to be generous when you are the one feeling in need.” – Allan Lokos 

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

9. “I come in a world of iron…to make a world of gold” ― Dale Wasserman

10. “Love is the desire for another’s happiness.” ― Marty Rubin

11. “To be happy for the happiness of others, that is true generosity.” – Marty Rubin

Also check out these wise Native American quotes on community, respect, and more.

Generosity quotes about gratitude

12. “In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it’s wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert

13. “He’d been generous, yes, but lots of people are generous; what made him different was the fact that he’d taken responsibility for me.” ― Sebastian Junger

14. “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” ― Kahlil Gibran

15. “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” ― John Bunyan

16. “Earth would be such a better place every second of every day if we could just show up with an attitude of generosity and gratitude, and acceptance for one another.” ― Elisabeth Sheff

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of Gratitude quotes that will transform your perspective.

Generosity quotes about kindness

17. “We live far happier lives when we are generous in as many ways as possible.” ― Cathy Burnham Martin

18. “It requires neither time nor money to be kind.” ― Cathy Burnham Martin

19. “Good words are worth much and cost little.” – George Herbert

20. “It is said that you can’t take it with you; I say there are two things you can take with you: the things you do for others and the things you do to others” – Harold H. Cornett, Jr.

21. “No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.” – Aesop

22. “One good turn deserves another” – Aesop

23. “Without kindness there can be no true joy.” – Thomas Carlyle

24. “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” – Ben Franklin

25. “Generosity could be as contagious as the zombie plague as long as enough people were willing to be carriers.” – Jonathan Maberry

26. Be generous with kindly words, especially about those who are absent.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

27. “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” ― John Holmes

28. “A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” ― Steve Maraboli

29. “I care not for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.” ― Abraham Lincoln

30. “When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

31. “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

32. “You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

You will also enjoy our article on thankful quotes.

Generosity quotes about pride

33. “Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.” ― Kahlil Gibran

34. “It takes generosity to be the one teaching, and humility to be the one being taught.”  ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

35. “It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert.” – Jacques-Yves Cousteau

36. “Being generous often consists of simply extending a hand. That’s hard to do if you are grasping tightly to your righteousness, your belief system, your superiority, your assumptions about others, your definition of normal.” -Patti Digh

37. “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

38. Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality and benevolence, the other from pride or fear.” – Horace Mann

You will also enjoy our article on kindness quotes.

Inspiring generosity quotes

39. “Never measure your generosity by what you give, but rather by what you have left.” -Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

40. “Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life.” ― Confucius

41. “For it is in giving that we receive.” ― St. Francis of Assisi

42. “Generosity can also be a better weapon to manipulation. The most loving person can easily destroy you when you rely on their pity.” ― Kangoma Kindembo

43. “Generosity is based in knowing what you are capable of giving, and going just a little beyond that.” ― Lodro Rinzler

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of giving quotes about the power of generosity.

44. “We are losing the generosity day by day that integrates and increases the way to honour and moral values of us.” ― Ehsan Sehgal

45. “Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.” – Albert Camus

46. “He who cannot give anything away cannot feel anything either.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

47. “One would give generous alms if one had the eyes to see the beauty of a cupped receiving hand.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

48. “Many men have been capable of doing a wise thing, more a cunning thing, but very few a generous thing” – Alexander Pope

49. “It is through generous giving, that we affirm before the world, our nation’s faith in the inalienable right of every man, to a life of freedom, justice and security.” – Harry S. Truman

50. “As desire abates, generosity is born. When we are connected and present, what else is there to do but give?” – Jack Kornfield

You will also enjoy our article on John Proctor quotes.

More generosity quotes and sayings

51. “The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward.” – Carol Ryrie Brink

52. “Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.” – Siddhārtha Gautama

53. “Because when you love something, you want to do it all the time, even if no one is paying you for it. At least that’s how I felt about drawing.” – Meg Cabot

54. “Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.” – Theodore Roosevelt

55. “The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.” – Lao Tzu

56. “Pride only helps us to be generous; it never makes us so, any more than vanity makes us witty.” – George Eliot

57. “Real generosity is anonymous to the extent that a man should be prepared even to be considered ungenerous rather than explain it to others.” – Idries Shah

58. “If truth doesn’t set you free, generosity of spirit will.” – Katerina Stoykova Klemer

59. “Generosity without delicacy, like wit without judgement, generally gives as much pain as pleasure.” – Frances Burney

60. “Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.” – Dennis Prager

Generosity quotes to think about

61. “No single act of generosity remains in isolation. The ripples are many.” ― Sarah Winman

62. “Without love, you cannot survive.
Without generosity, you cannot thrive.”
― Hrishikesh Agnihotri

63. “Giving all you have will leave you with nothing to lose.” ― Brandon Jenner

64. “Generosity leads to prosperity.” ― Jeanette Coron

65. “If you think you have nothing to give, it isn’t true. Be generous. No one is too poor to give.” ― Cuong Lu

66. “Be more generous to others than you would ever expect anyone to be to you.” ― George Hammond

67. “Err on the side of generosity. Not because you want something in return. Banking on reciprocity is a recipe for manipulation. Be generous because you’re human and you care.” ― Richie Norton

68. “Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness.” ― Dalai Lama

69. “To be creative, first we must be generous. Then we must have a quiet, indomitable belief in our own worth.” ― Donna Goddard

70. “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” ― Simone Weil

Generosity quotes that will make you more giving

71. True generosity consists precisely in fighting to destroy the causes which nourish false charity.” ― Paulo Freire

72. “Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.” ― Richard Dawkins

73. “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”  ― H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

74. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” ― Winston Churchill

75. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” ― Anne Frank

76. “The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have.” ― Leonard Nimoy

77. “Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.” ― Jim Rohn

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

79. “Generous people aren’t selfless. Their kind hearts know how to balance between giving and taking. They know that they can’t take without giving and without giving back.” ― Noora Ahmed Alsuwaidi

80. “Taking satisfies you. Giving satisfies two.” ― Maxime Lagacé

Generosity QuotesThat Will Inspire You To Be Kind

81. “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” —  Mother Teresa

82.“Make generosity part of your growth strategy.” — Danielle LaPorte

83.“Lose yourself in generous service, and every day can be a most unusual day, a triumphant day, an abundantly rewarding day!” — William Arthur Ward

84.“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” — Barbara De Angelis

85.“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” — Ronald Reagan

86.“Generosity is an activity that loosens us up. By offering whatever we can – a dollar, a flower, a word of encouragement – we are training in letting go.” — Pema Chodron 

87.“Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.” ― Roy T. Bennett

88.“Generosity is the best investment.” — Diane Con Furstenberg

89.“Generosity isn’t an act. It’s a way of life.” — Chip Ingram

90. “The law of prosperity is generosity. If you want more, give more.” — Bob Proctor

Generosity Quotes to Acknowledge Kindness

91. “God’s extravagant generosity toward us compels us to be extravagantly generous toward others.” ― Andy Stanley

92. “The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are.” ― Johnnetta B. Cole

93. “God is love, generosity and forgiveness; if we believe in this, we will never allow our weaknesses to paralyse us.” ― Paulo Coelho

94. “Generosity is the only legitimate selfishness.” ― Mario Benedetti

95. The sweetness and generosity and politeness and gentleness and humanity of the French had shown me how lovely life can be if one takes time to be friendly.” ― Julia Child

96. “There is incredible generosity in the potentialities of Nature. We only have to discover how to utilize them.” ― E. F. Schumacher

97. “Is it not odd that the only generous person I ever knew, who had money to be generous with, should be a stockbroker.” ― Percy Bysshe Shelley

98. “The truly generous is the truly wise, and he who loves not others lives unblest!” ― Henry Home, Lord Kames

99. Generosity is doing something for someone else expecting nothing in return.” ― Simon Sinek

100. “True generosity is a duty as indispensably necessary as those imposed on us by law.” ― Oliver Goldsmith

101. “I try not to speak about all the charities and people I help, because I believe we can only be truly generous when we expect nothing in return.” ― Muhammad Ali

102. “Generosity has little to do with giving gifts, and everything to do with giving space to others to be who they are.” ― Patti Digh

103. “Some people can be so generous when they give nothing away!” ― Rossana Condoleo

104. “Generosity is also marked by doing what one says one will do.” ― Idries Shah

105. “Whether we live in poverty or prosperity, we can still live generously.” ― Dillon Burroughs

106. “The return we reap from generous actions is not always evident.” ― Francesco Guicciardini

107. “Righteousness and generosity are inseparable. The person whose heart longs for God also longs to give to others.” ― Dillon Burroughs

108. “Asking for and receiving help is a way to prime the pump of generosity.” ― Jay Perry

109. “Give thanks to the earth for the hospitality and generosity

Show gratitude for life, light and every little beauty.” ― Debasish Mridha

110. “The real generosity is when a man does something generous when nobody knows about it.” ― Idries Shah

Which of these generosity quotes resonated with you best?

We know that generosity can cause happiness and what is success if not ultimately being happy?

Generous people are often happier and kinder than others.

Because of these traits they form better relationships both in business and in their personal lives.

They are often more confident and feel an inner sense of freedom because their lives are not built on what they keep, but rather how they can help others. 

Did you enjoy these inspiring generosity quotes?

Which quote was your favorite?

Let us know in the comment section below. If you enjoyed reading these generosity quotes, be sure to also check out the thoughtful and introspective lyrics of rapper J. Cole for more inspiration.