“The quality of your life will come down to the quality of your contribution.” ~ Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
“The main way you generate bodily tension is by turning your attention back on yourself in self-concern, curling into yourself so tightly you feel all knotted up. Therefore, the main cure is to give yourself to others. Whenever you notice that you are mulling over your own problems, knotting energy into your body as tension, take that energy and create a gift for others. It could be as simple as doing the dishes in the sink, or as complex as building a business that will benefit others. Convert into service the energy that is knotting up the front of your body. Your tension is only the energy of a gift that has become backed up, unexpressed, in your body.” ~ David Deida, The Way of the Superior Man
“He who devotes himself to service with a clear conscience, will day by day grasp the necessity for it in greater measure, and will continually grow richer in faith… If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make not only for our own happiness but that of the world at large.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“One of the great challenges of leadership is to develop harmony between service and the power that is necessary for the exercise of leadership. The ideal is power derived solely from service and used only for service. This is the power that lasts through the ages. It is the power that influences the spirit of humanity.” ~ Keshavan Nair, A Higher Standard of Leadership
“You and I do not have to wait for a great cause to make a commitment to personal service. It can start with those nearest to us: our family and friends.” ~ Keshavan Nair, A Higher Standard of Leadership
“If you’re not giving of yourself as much as you’re giving of your wallet, are you really generous down deep? We should work hard to make the Virtuous Circle of Generosity the number-one epidemic in the United States – giving of wealth, giving of self. Unstoppable and unending. ~ Dave Thomas, Wendy’s
“People give not from the top of their purses, but from the bottom of their hearts.” ~ John C. Maxwell, Today Matters
“Joy arises only in creating joy for others; there is no other way. The more people you can make happy, the more you will feel happy. This is the real meaning of service.”
Osho, The Book of Understanding (page 238)
“If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say…I’d like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I’d like for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day, that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say, on that day, that I did try, in my life, to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., “The Drum Major Instinct” (1968)
“When a king begins to act like a king, it is not long before someone else is king! Serving is a way we can place value on one another. A wise man is a server.” ~ Andy Andrews, The Traveler’s Gift