You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?
And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?
KAHLIL GIBRAN
in The Prophet (1923)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, that lofty idealist who nevertheless had a penetratingly practical knowledge of human nature, wrote, "Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only gift is a portion of thyself."
DAVID DUNN
in Try Giving Yourself Away (1947),
Second Edition (1956)
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