Orison Swett Marden Giving Quotations

Make it a life-rule to give your best to whatever passes through your hands. Stamp it with your manhood. Let superiority be your trademark...

There is a legend of an artist who long sought for a piece of sandalwood, out of which to carve a Madonna. He was about to give up in despair, leaving the vision of his life unrealized, when in a dream he was bidden to carve his Madonna from a block of oak wood which was destined for the fire. He obeyed and produced a masterpiece from a log of common firewood. Many of us lose great opportunities in life by waiting to find sandalwood for our carvings, when they really lie hidden in the common logs that we burn.

We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.

We can give our smiles, our encouragement, our sympathy to someone who needs them every day of the year.

The best thing about giving of ourselves is that what we get is always better than what we give. The reaction is greater than the action.