Religious Americans donate more and volunteer more time to charitable institutions than do secular Americans.

A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.

Not everyone wants to be out of the spotlight as she did. But it's important for a leader to learn to work in obscurity because it is a test of personal integrity. The key is being willing to do something because it matters, not because it will get you noticed.

Everyone had forgotten her. But that's the way Penny was-- so quiet and unimportant that you could look right at her and never see her. Esther had no idea why Penny always showed up at Grandma's house on Sunday afternoons when they came to visit. She was just one of those nosy neighbors with no life of her own, who watched other people's lives as if watching a movie.

When you do something noble and beautiful and no one notices, don't be sad. Sunrise is a beautiful spectacle but without a doubt the greater part of the audience is still asleep.

You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you

You can't live a perfect day unless you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

I owe much; I have nothing; the rest I leave to the poor.

the true value of an offering isn't measured by how much we give. It's measured by how much we keep... By definition, a sacrifice must involve sacrifice...

It is a simple tale, but its message is an enduring one: virtue and generosity will be rewarded in ways that one cannot know.

God never estimates what we give from impulse. We are given credit for what we determine in our hearts to give; for the giving that is governed by a fixed determination. The Spirit of God revolutionises our philanthropic instincts. Much of our philanthropy is simply the impulse to save ourselves an uncomfortable feeling. The Spirit of God alters all that. As saints our attitude towards giving is that we give for Jesus Christ's sake, and from no other motive.

Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.