When we give what we can, and give it with joy, we don't just renew the American tradition of giving, we also renew ourselves.
Interpretation
Giving generously not only benefits others but also revitalizes the giver's spirit.
This quote emphasizes the dual benefit of giving: when we contribute to others with joy, we participate in a valued tradition and simultaneously foster our personal growth and renewal. The act of giving is portrayed as a vital exchange that enriches both the receiver and the giver, enhancing the spirit of community and personal fulfillment.
In practice
This quote could inspire a speech at a charity event to highlight the importance of giving back.
You know, there was a recent poll which said that young people in the generation of the students here felt it was far more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would draw Social Security... It's very important you understand this. Once you understand this, you realize this is not an episode from the X Files, and you're not more likely to see a UFO if you do certain specific things.
When we got organized as a country, [and] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom to Americans, it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly...When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it.
For too long we've been told about 'us' and 'them.' Each and every election we see a new slate of arguments and ads telling us that 'they' are the problem, not 'us.' But there can be no 'them' in America. There's only us.
There is a huge body of business evidence now showing that energy savings give better service at lower cost with higher profit. We have to tear down barriers to successful markets and we have to create incentives to enter them.
Demand that your government pays more attention. It's immoral that people in Africa die like flies of diseases that no one dies of in the United States. And the more disease there is, the more political unrest there will be, leading to more Darfurs, which the U.S. will have to pay to fix.
I was not elected to produce a pile of vetoes.
Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.
The Scythians take kannabis seed, creep in under the felts, and throw it on the red-hot stones. It smolders and sends up such billows of steam-smoke that no Greek vapor bath can surpass it. The Scythians howl with joy in these vapor-baths, which serve them instead of bathing, for they never wash their bodies with water.
For as long as I can remember, the thing that gave me a sense of wonderment and renewal... has always been the work of other actors.
Joy is not the result of getting what you want; it is the way to get what you want. In the deepest sense, joy is what you want.
You are completely at choice who you will be today in your interactions with others. Compassionate, kind, giving and forgiving will create one set of probabilities; angry, judgmental, critical and defensive will create another one altogether.
Why is life speeded up so? Why are things so terribly, unbearably precious that you can't enjoy them but can only wait breathless in dread of their going?
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