logo

Quotes About Selflessness

Comme rien n'est plus précieux que le temps, il n'y a pas de plus grande générosité qu'à le perdre sans compter.
~ Marcel Jouhandeau
My grandmother] was so humble of heart and so gentle that her tenderness for others and her disregard for herself and her own troubles blended in a smile which, unlike those seen on the majority of human faces, bore no trace of irony save for herself, while for all of us kisses seemed to spring from her eyes, which could not look upon those she loved without seeming to bestow upon them passionate caresses.
~ Marcel Proust
Bodily passion, which has been so unjustly decried, compels its victims to display every vestige that is in them of unselfishness and generosity, and so effectively that they shine resplendent in the eyes of all beholders.
~ Marcel Proust
those who produce works of genius are not those who spend their days in the most refined company...or whose culture is the broadest; they are those who have the ability to stop living for themselves and make a mirror of their personality, so that their lives, however nondescript they may be, are reflected in it.
~ Marcel Proust
Whenever she saw in others an advantage, however trivial, which she herself lacked, she would persuade herself that it was no advantage at all, but a drawback, and would pity so as not to have to envy them. "I
~ Marcel Proust
We do not tremble except for ourselves, or for those whom we love.
~ Marcel Proust
the sweetness to be found in generosity
~ Marcel Proust
That who advances his glory, not their own,   Them he himself to glory will advance.
~ John Milton
A man never stood so tall as when he stooped to help a child.
~ John Ruskin
If we're others-centered, we'll be blessed, but if we're clothed in selfishness, we'll be of limited value to others.
~ John Ruskin
I believe the first test of truly a great man is in his humility.
~ John Ruskin
Kiva had been struck by a realization that, if not exactly an epiphany, was certainly enough to make her stop in her tracks: Either she was going to have to become less fundamentally selfish, or she was going to have to find a way to make others less so.
~ John Scalzi
Dear Lord,' he said. 'let me be like Aron. Don't make me mean. I don't want to be. If you will let everybody like me, why, I'll give you anything in the world, and if I haven't got it, why, I'll go for to get it. I don't want to be mean. I don't want to be lonely. For Jesus' sake, Amen.
~ John Steinbeck
I hope I'm not so small-souled as to take satisfaction in being missed.
~ John Steinbeck
The guy's name was Joy. He was a radical! Get it? A radical. He wanted guys like you to have enough to eat and a place to sleep where you wouldn't get wet. He didn't want nothing for himself. He was a radical!
~ John Steinbeck
The Art of Peace is medicine for a sick world. We want to cure the world of the sickness of violence, malcontent, and discord—this is the Way of Harmony. There is evil and disorder in the world because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one source. Return to that source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger. Those who are possessed by nothing possess everything.
~ Unknown
There is evil and disorder in the world because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one source. Return to that source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger. Those who are possessed by nothing possess everything.
~ Unknown
Soportó la maternidad, el club-jardín y los cócteles. Compartió el café de la mañana con la mujer de la limpieza y el coñac de medianoche con su marido, confundiendo la lujuria de borracho con la reconciliación. El mundo crecía a su alrededor: hijo tras hijo surgieron de entre sus piernas [...] Ella alimentaba al mundo pero no era alimentada por él
~ John Updike
A fulfilling relationship requires that the two partners be more concerned about giving than about receiving.
~ Unknown
You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you
~ John Wooden
He told me that he always insisted on two things above all else in his players: That they were always trying to improve and always willing to put the team above themselves. If they weren't willing to do those things, he didn't want them at UCLA.
~ John Wooden
There is a wonderful, almost mystical, law of nature that says three of the things we want most—happiness, freedom, and peace of mind—are always attained when we give them to others.
~ John Wooden
A leader in sports, business, or any other field of endeavor should possess and provide the same qualities inherent in a good parent: character, consistency, dependability, accountability, knowledge, good judgment, selflessness, respect, courage, discipline, fairness, and structure.
~ John Wooden
James Russell Lowell wrote: It's not what we give but what we share, For the gift without the giver is bare. Who gives of himself of his alms feeds three, Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me.
~ John Wooden