To do more for the world than the world does for you—that is success.
—Henry Ford (1863–1947) American Businessperson, Engineer
How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Everyone needs help from everyone.
—Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) German Poet, Playwright, Theater Personality
The deed is everything, the glory naught.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
—Unknown
Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.
—Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French Theologian, Musician, Philosopher, Physician
The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
—Swedish Proverb
The chief duty I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.
—Helen Keller (1880–1968) American Author
It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
While earning your daily bread, be sure you share a slice with those less fortunate.
—H. Jackson Brown, Jr. (b.1940) American Self-Help Author
Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.
—James Russell Lowell (1819–91) American Poet, Critic
In this world we must help one another.
—Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) French Poet, Short Story Writer
Instead of counting your days, make your days count.
—Unknown
If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are.
—John W. Gardner (1912–2002) American Activist
Sometime in your life, hope that you might see one starved man, the look on his face when the bread finally arrives. Hope that you might have baked it or bought or even kneaded it yourself. For that look on his face, for your meeting his eyes across a piece of bread, you might be willing to lose a lot, or suffer a lot, or die a little, even.
—Daniel Berrigan (b.1921) American Catholic Poet, Peace Activist, Priest
Do not commit the error, common among the young, of assuming that if you cannot save the whole of mankind you have failed.
—Jan de Hartog (1914–2002) Dutch-American Novelist, Playwright
A large heart can be filled with very little.
—Antonio Porchia (1885–1968) Italian Poet
Three helping one another bear the burden of six.
—George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh Anglican Poet, Orator, Clergyman
Don’t be afraid of outgiving God. It is impossible to do that.
—Chuck Swindoll (b.1934) American Evangelical Christian Pastor, Author
I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.
—Leo Rosten (1908–97) Russian-born American Humorist, Teacher, Academic, Short Story Writer
The destroyer of weeds, thistles and thorns is a benefactor, whether he soweth grain or not.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–99) American Lawyer, Orator, Agnostic
Love never reasons but profusely gives; gives, like a thoughtless prodigal, its all, and trembles lest it has done too little.
—Hannah More
There is no use whatever trying to help people who do not help themselves. You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he be willing to climb himself.
—Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) Scottish-American Industrialist
Charity sees the need, not the cause.
—German Proverb
Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.
—Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) Indian Hindu Monk, Mystic
God lends a helping hand to the man who tries hard.
—Aeschylus (525–456 BCE) Greek Playwright
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.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor… let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eye, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.
—Mother Teresa (1910–97) Roman Catholic Missionary, Nun
Advising is easier than helping.
—German Proverb
Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could only do a little.
—Edmund Burke (1729–97) British Philosopher, Statesman
When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own.
—Unknown
If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.
—Mother Teresa (1910–97) Roman Catholic Missionary, Nun
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 (1809–91) American Masonic Scholar, Orator, Jurist
My piece of bread only belongs to me when I know that everyone else has a share, and that no one starves while I eat.
—Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) Russian Novelist
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
—Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) American Sportsperson
Things of the spirit differ from things material in that the more you give the more you have.
—Christopher Morley (1890–1957) American Novelist, Essayist
Go the extra mile. It’s never crowded.
—Unknown
Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.
—Augustine of Hippo (354–430) Roman-African Christian Philosopher
When we are certain that the way to accomplish our own wishes is to help others, we have no regrets.
—Sakyong Mipham (b.1962) Tibetan Buddhist Religious Leader, Teacher, Lama
Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up.
—Jesse Jackson (b.1941) American Baptist Civil Rights Activist, Minister
Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful.
—Unknown
Nothing is more powerful than an individual acting out of his conscience, thus helping to bring the collective conscience to life.
—Norman Cousins (1915–90) American Journalist, Author, Academic, Activist
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer not neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
—Unknown
There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love.
—Mother Teresa (1910–97) Roman Catholic Missionary, Nun
There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. So you have to begin there, not outside, not on other people. That comes afterward, when you’ve worked on your own corner.
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) English Humanist, Pacifist, Essayist, Short Story Writer, Satirist
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
—Theodor Seuss Geisel (‘Dr. Seuss’) (1904–91) American Children’s Books Writer, Writer, Cartoonist, Animator
God likes help when helping people.
—Irish Proverb
In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.
—Mother Teresa (1910–97) Roman Catholic Missionary, Nun
A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor’s.
—Richard Whately (1787–1863) English Philosopher, Theologian
Not only must we be good, but we must also be good for something.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher