81 Giving Back Quotes to Motivate Acts of Volunteering

Have you ever noticed how helping a local food bank or spending time at an animal shelter leaves you feeling warm inside? That special feeling shows just how powerful giving back can be.

These amazing quotes shine a light on why helping others matters so much.

They’re not fancy words from textbooks – they’re real thoughts from people who found joy in making their community better.

Some are from famous leaders, others from everyday heroes who saw how small acts of kindness can change lives.

Whether you’re thinking about volunteering for the first time or have been helping others for years, these words will remind you why it makes a difference. 

Each quote carries wisdom about how helping others not only lifts up those in need but also brings purpose to our own lives.

How Acts of Giving Back Promote Community Growth

When people give back to their community, something special happens. It’s like a chain reaction of goodness that spreads from person to person.

When someone helps paint a school, others see it and want to help, too. When a family donates food to those in need, it brings people together and makes the whole neighborhood stronger.

These simple acts show others they’re not alone. They help build trust between neighbors and make everyone feel like they belong.

Ready to feel good about making others feel good? Let’s explore these quotes together!

Quotes Inspiring Acts of Kindness 

1. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Gandhi
2. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” Anne Frank
3. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill
4. “To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” David Viscott
5. “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” Mother Teresa
6. “Give, but give until it feels good.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
7. “The heart that gives, gathers.” Marianne Moore
8. “The more I give, the more I get. It’s a spiritual law.” Louise L. Hay
9. “You can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” Ronald Reagan
10. “If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart.” Arabian Proverb
11. “Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.” Author Unknown
12. “We rise by lifting others.” Robert Ingersoll
13. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Martin Luther King Jr.
14. “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” Maya Angelou
15. “Give, and it will be given to you.” Jesus Christ
16. “The more we give, the more we receive. It’s a universal truth.” Debasish Mridha
17. “Charity begins at home, but should not end there.” Thomas Fuller
18. “Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.” Horace Mann
19. “We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa
20. “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” John Holmes
21. “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” Booker T. Washington
22. “The greatest gift you can give someone is your time.” Author Unknown
23. “Giving is not just about making a donation. It’s about making a difference.” Kathy Calvin
24. “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
25. “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” Maya Angelou
26. “A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” Steve Maraboli
27. “The simple act of caring is heroic.” Edward Albert
28. “To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of its own.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh
29. “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” Epictetus
30. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Muhammad Ali
31. “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” Lao Tzu

Generosity and Compassion Inspiring Quotes

32. “Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.” John Wesley
33. “The more you give, the more you get, the more you get, the more you have to give.” Oprah Winfrey
34. “Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.” Jim Rohn
35. “Giving is the master key to success, in all applications of human life.” Bryant McGill
36. “Give to others what you want for yourself.” Bryant H. McGill
37. “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” James M. Barrie
38. “Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.” Ben Carson
39. “A good example has twice the value of good advice.” Author Unknown
40. “The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” Mitch Albom
41. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Friedrich Nietzsche
42. “Giving is an expression of love.” Shakti Gawain
43. “You don’t have to be a millionaire to make a difference.” Chris Burke
44. “Give, and you will receive; love, and you will be loved.” Anonymous
45. “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.” Chinese Proverb
46. “The greatest use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.” William James
47. “Those who give are always richer than those who take.” Author Unknown
48. “A person’s true wealth is the good he or she does in the world.” Mohammad
49. “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all the others.” Cicero
50. “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” Amy Carmichael
51. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill
52. “True generosity is an offering; given freely and out of love. No strings attached. No expectations.” Shannon L. Alder
53. “In this world, it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.” Henry Ward Beecher
54. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” Charles Dickens
55. “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Steve Prefontaine
56. “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Kahlil Gibran
57. “A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” Buddha
58. “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” Mother Teresa
59. “Giving is not about making a donation, it’s about making a difference.” Kathy Calvin
60. “When you give, you gain more than you expect.” Jenna Evans
61. “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” Oscar Wilde

Selfless Service Inspiring Quotes

62. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
63. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” Abraham Lincoln
64. “When you give, you not only change the life of the recipient, but you change your life as well.” Anonymous
65. “Giving is the secret to living a fulfilling life.” Brian Tracy
66. “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” Mother Teresa
67. “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” Booker T. Washington
68. “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” Amelia Earhart
69. “The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” Mark Twain
70. “In the end, it’s not what we do that counts; it’s what we give that matters.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
71. “Happiness comes not from what we do, but from how we make others feel.” William Arthur Ward
72. “There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.” Bernard Meltzer
73. “Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” Victor Hugo
74. “True love is giving without expecting anything in return.” Unknown
75. “Give in such a way that you know your gift will make a difference in someone’s life.” Anonymous
76. “The person who gives with a smile is the best giver because God loves a cheerful giver.” Mother Teresa
77. “The more I give, the more I receive. This is the law of life.” Debasish Mridha
78. “The best way to help yourself is to help others.” Anonymous
79. “There’s no better way to help the world than by simply making it a better place through your own actions.” Anonymous
80. “Give to others as you wish to be given to.” Anonymous
81. “In giving, we receive more than we could ever imagine.” Unknown

Conclusion

These quotes remind us that giving back isn’t just about big donations or grand gestures. It’s about the small ways we can help others every day.

Whether it’s spending an hour at a soup kitchen, reading to kids at the library, or just being there for a neighbor in need, every act of kindness counts.

Remember, you don’t need special skills or lots of money to make a difference.

Sometimes, the most valuable thing you can give is your time and care. When we help others, we don’t just lift them – we build stronger, happier communities for everyone.

Maybe these quotes have sparked an idea about how you can help your community. Or perhaps they’ve reminded you that your small acts of kindness do matter.

Ready to start giving back? Your community is waiting for the difference only you can make.