Quotes about Altruism

Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own.

Charity should be spontaneous. Calculated altruism is an affront.

Changing the world doesn’t require much money. Again, think in terms of empowerment and not charity. How much were Gandhi’s teachers paid? How much did it cost to give Dr. Martin Luther King the books that catalyzed his mind and actions?

Altruism is an inverted morality, a "morality" of death. It teaches man that his interests are opposed to the interests of everyone else and that the only "moral" thing he can do is to sacrifice his interests. This means that whatever is practical and beneficial for a man is "immoral," and conversely, that whatever is "moral" for him is impractical and destructive of his values.

Sacrifice is held to be among the greatest of virtues, simply because the beneficiaries of the sacrifice are others and the loser is self.

Through the wisdom of letting be, we learn that we don't have to react to the shifting contents of our experiences but can 'lean into' their unchanging essence of knowing emptiness. We can let be and find deep rest right there.... Wise compassion keeps our mind on realities that transcend self-centeredness, so our best intentions can be realized instead of being overwhelmed by emotional reactions to fallible people or disappointing outcomes.

Compassion that knows others in all levels of their suffering motivates service for them on all levels of their need. Such service is not easily discouraged at disappointing temporal outcomes, because it holds others in their deepest potential of freedom, which is always present…. We are learning how to hold our clients in the vision of their positive potential, confirming their essential goodness, even when confronting their harmful behaviors or limiting thoughts of themselves and others.

Anything you do, whether it is for immediate profit, future profit or "no" profit, is beneficial to YOU. It can also benefit someone else, but to YOU it will ALWAYS be beneficial.

When individuals and groups do not experience being loved -- when whole communities lose hope that anyone cares -- fear and violence are often seized upon as seeming protectors in the form of gangs, mobs, and communal hostility.

If our motivation for serving others is tied to a strong desire for specific outcomes or for praise, our potential is limited. Because we can never completely control the results of our efforts, we may become easily frustrated and disheartened.

We ache at the violence, pain, and hunger in our world, and inside us is a will to help. But 'help' only helps if it is an active expression of love. Otherwise our attempts to help, limited by narrow self-concern, become rigid and too easily discouraged.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Observation of my life to date shows that the larger the number for whom I work, the more positively effective I become. Thus, it is obvious that if I work always and only for all humanity, I will be optimally effective.

Altruism has two aspects.  Loving others does not mean that we should forget ourselves.  When I say that we should be compassionate, this does not mean helping others at the expense of ourselves.  Not at all.  Sometimes I say that the buddhas and bodhisattvas are the most selfish of all.  Why?  Because by cultivating altruism they achieve ultimate happiness.  We, in our selfishness, are very foolish and narrow-minded.  All we do is create more suffering for ourselves.  The selfishness of the buddhas and bodhisattvas is functional and efficient.  It allows them not only to achieve awakening, but also the capacity to help others.  That is really worthwhile.  For me, this proves that to create maximum happiness for oneself, one needs to develop compassion,  This is Buddhist logic.  If compassion induced misery, then it would be questionable.  Why practice something that brings us more trouble?  But that is certainly not the case with compassion.  Just imagine if we all lived with no compassion, thinking only of ourselves.  We would suffer greatly.  The more you think of others, the happier you are.