---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To give up yourself without regret is the…"
description: "\"To give up yourself without regret is the greatest charity.\" — Bodhidharma"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/bodhidharma-4333_charity_to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-th_2782445.jpg"
---

#  To give up yourself without regret is the greatest charity.

![“To give up yourself without regret is the greatest charity.” quote by Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/bodhidharma-4333_charity_to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-th_2782445.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/bodhidharma-4333_charity_to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-th_2782445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/bodhidharma-4333_charity_to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-th_2782445.jpg)

> “To give up yourself without regret is the greatest charity.”

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Selfless sacrifice without remorse is portrayed as the highest form of generosity.

**In simple terms:** Giving up self without regret is ultimate charity.

Key Takeaway

Practice selfless giving for profound impact.

Themes

selflessness charity spirituality ego renunciation

Mood

compassionate inspirational serene

Type

spiritual advice

When to use this quote

- monk
- spiritual leader
- volunteer
- philanthropist

Key Concepts

Buddhist teachings ethical philosophy personal growth altruism

Questions to Reflect On

- What boundaries protect your well‑being?
- How can you give while maintaining health?

A Different Perspective

Self-sacrifice may lead to personal neglect.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Greatest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest/) [Greatest Charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-charity-269506/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regret Greatest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret-greatest-3320951/)

## Related quotes

> [The greatest charity you can contribute to is yourself. Instead of spending a dollar to help feed hungry children, why not spend that dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-greatest-charity-you-can-contribute-to-is-yourself-instead-of/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [“Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/perhaps-the-greatest-charity-comes-when-we-are-kind-to-each-other/)

[Marvin J. Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/)

> [Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/perhaps-the-greatest-charity-comes-when-we-are-kind-to-each-other-2/)

[Marvin J. Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/)

> [And now abideth faith, hope and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (I Corinthians 13:13).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/and-now-abideth-faith-hope-and-charity-these-three-but-the-greatest/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [The greatest charity is to enable the poor to earn a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/the-greatest-charity-is-to-enable-the-poor-to-earn-a-living/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Opportunity is the greatest charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-king/opportunity-is-the-greatest-charity/)

[Don King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-king/)

> [“The Greatest CHARITY Of All Time, Is TRUE MINDSET CHANGE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ssendikwanawa/the-greatest-charity-of-all-time-is-true-mindset-change/)

[Mike Ssendikwanawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ssendikwanawa/)

> [Capital formation is the greatest charity of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/capital-formation-is-the-greatest-charity-of-all/)

[F. A. Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-a-harper/)

> [Slander is a poison which kills charity, both in the slanderer and the one who listens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-of-clairvaux/slander-is-a-poison-which-kills-charity-both-in-the-slanderer-and-the/)

[Bernard of Clairvaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-of-clairvaux/)

> [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/)

[F. A. Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-a-harper/)

> [The next time you're looking at a charity, don't ask about the rate of their overhead. Ask about the scale of their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-next-time-you-re-looking-at-a-charity-don-t-ask-about-the-rate-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm publicist, patron of nine charities, creative director, food consultant, recipe developer - and mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-publicist-patron-of-nine-charities-creative-director-food/)

[Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/)

> [I would have none of that rigid circumspect charity which is never done without scrutiny, and which always mistrusts the truth of the necessities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/i-would-have-none-of-that-rigid-circumspect-charity-which-is-never/)

[Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/)

> [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [We have to restore power to the family, to the neighborhood, and the community with a non-market principle, a principle of equality, of charity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/we-have-to-restore-power-to-the-family-to-the-neighborhood-and-the/)

[Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/)

## More by Bodhidharma

> [Unless you see your nature, all this talk about cause &amp; effect is nonsense. Buddhas don't practice nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/unless-you-see-your-nature-all-this-talk-about-cause-effect-is/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [“Those who worship don't know, and those who know don't worship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/those-who-worship-don-t-know-and-those-who-know-don-t-worship/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [If you see your nature, you don't need to read sutras or invoke buddhas. Erudition and knowledge are not only useless but also cloud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/if-you-see-your-nature-you-don-t-need-to-read-sutras-or-invoke/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [People who don't see their own nature and imagine they can practice thoughtlessness all the time are liars and fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/people-who-don-t-see-their-own-nature-and-imagine-they-can-practice/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [The mind is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/the-mind-is-the-buddha-and-the-buddha-is-the-mind/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [Whoever realizes that the six senses aren't real, that the five aggregates are fictions, that no such things can be located anywhere in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/whoever-realizes-that-the-six-senses-aren-t-real-that-the-five/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [If you use your mind to study reality, you won't understand either your mind or reality. If you study reality without using your mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/if-you-use-your-mind-to-study-reality-you-won-t-understand-either/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [Many roads lead to the Path, but basically there are only two: reason and practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/many-roads-lead-to-the-path-but-basically-there-are-only-two-reason/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [All Buddhas preach emptiness. Why? Because they wish to crush the concrete ideas of the students. If a student even clings to an idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/all-buddhas-preach-emptiness-why-because-they-wish-to-crush-the/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [Buddhas don't practice nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/buddhas-don-t-practice-nonsense/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/not-thinking-about-anything-is-zen-once-you-know-this-walking-sitting/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [When you don't understand, you depend on reality. When you do understand, reality depends on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/when-you-don-t-understand-you-depend-on-reality-when-you-do/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [And the Buddha is the person who's free: free of plans, free of cares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/and-the-buddha-is-the-person-who-s-free-free-of-plans-free-of-cares/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [The Way is basically perfect. It doesn't require perfecting. The Way has no form or sound. It's subtle and hard to perceive. It's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/the-way-is-basically-perfect-it-doesn-t-require-perfecting-the-way/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

> [The Dharma is the truth that all natures are pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/the-dharma-is-the-truth-that-all-natures-are-pure/)

[Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

[Explore all 112 Bodhidharma quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/)

## More Charity quotes

> [The greatest charity you can contribute to is yourself. Instead of spending a dollar to help feed hungry children, why not spend that dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-greatest-charity-you-can-contribute-to-is-yourself-instead-of/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [I would have none of that rigid circumspect charity which is never done without scrutiny, and which always mistrusts the truth of the necessities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/i-would-have-none-of-that-rigid-circumspect-charity-which-is-never/)

[Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/)

> [I'm publicist, patron of nine charities, creative director, food consultant, recipe developer - and mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-publicist-patron-of-nine-charities-creative-director-food/)

[Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/)

> [The next time you're looking at a charity, don't ask about the rate of their overhead. Ask about the scale of their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-next-time-you-re-looking-at-a-charity-don-t-ask-about-the-rate-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/)

[F. A. Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-a-harper/)

> [I shall pray God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/i-shall-pray-god-to-send-charity-into-this-hideous-world-and-sympathy/)

[John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Considering community support and cost-benefit analysis, I have supported earmarks for projects of high public purpose involving such areas as higher education, alternative energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-fortenberry/considering-community-support-and-cost-benefit-analysis-i-have/)

[Jeff Fortenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-fortenberry/)

> [It's always great to be able to give back to the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-vucevic/it-s-always-great-to-be-able-to-give-back-to-the-community/)

[Nikola Vucevic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-vucevic/)

> [Slander is a poison which kills charity, both in the slanderer and the one who listens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-of-clairvaux/slander-is-a-poison-which-kills-charity-both-in-the-slanderer-and-the/)

[Bernard of Clairvaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-of-clairvaux/)

> [I like to give back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-chan/i-like-to-give-back/)

[Jackie Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-chan/)

> [We have to restore power to the family, to the neighborhood, and the community with a non-market principle, a principle of equality, of charity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/we-have-to-restore-power-to-the-family-to-the-neighborhood-and-the/)

[Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/)

> [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [I own about 300 pairs of shoes. When I start to go over 300, I have mini-sales from my closet and give the money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-london/i-own-about-300-pairs-of-shoes-when-i-start-to-go-over-300-i-have/)

[Stacy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-london/)

[Browse all 2,477 Charity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To give up yourself without regret is the greatest charity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bodhidharma"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-the-greatest-charity/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Charity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-the-greatest-charity/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/bodhidharma-4333_charity_to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-th_2782445.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/bodhidharma-4333_charity_to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-th_2782445.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd2/bodhidharma-4333_charity_to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-th_2782445.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To give up yourself without regret is the greatest charity.” — Bodhidharma",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bodhidharma",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To give up yourself without regret...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-the-greatest-charity/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/to-give-up-yourself-without-regret-is-the-greatest-charity/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
