Thoughts on Philanthropy

Image: Sameer Pawar

If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
John F Kennedy

You just work day and night if the cause in your heart is justified. You just go out and drive yourself to get the money. And you have fun doing it. It’s a real rush. The people I particularly dislike are those who say “I’m going to leave it in my will.” What they’re really saying is “If I could live forever, I wouldn’t give any of it away.”
Jon Huntsman Sr

No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he’d only had good intentions—he had money as well.
Margaret Thatcher

There are eight rungs in charity. The highest is when you help a man to help himself.
Maimonides

A large part of altruism, even when it is perfectly honest, is grounded upon the fact that it is uncomfortable to have unhappy people about one.
HL Mencken

What would the daughters of the rich do with themselves if the poor ceased to exist?
Angela Carter

Philanthropy is not about giving money but about solving problems. While well-meaning, the idea of writing a cheque and calling it ‘philanthropy’ is extremely short-sighted and unfortunately, extremely pervasive.
Naveen Jain

A good deal of philanthropy arises in general from mere vanity and love of distinction gilded over to others and to themselves with some show of benevolent sentiment.
Walter Scott

One can’t indefinitely do for somebody what he is reluctant to do for himself.
Christopher Hitchens

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.
Martin Luther King, Jr