---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we give freely, we feel full and…"
description: "\"“When we give freely, we feel full and complete; when we withhold, we feel small, petty, impotent, and lacking. We are meant to learn this great truth,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/gina-lake-20210_fulfillment_when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-com_3168602.jpg"
---

#  When we give freely, we feel full and complete; when we…

![“When we give freely, we feel full and complete; when we withhold, we feel small, petty, impotent, and lacking. We are meant to learn this great truth, that giving fulfills us, while withholding and trying to get causes us to feel empty and even more needy. This truth runs counter to our…” quote by Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/gina-lake-20210_fulfillment_when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-com_3168602.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/gina-lake-20210_fulfillment_when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-com_3168602.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/gina-lake-20210_fulfillment_when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-com_3168602.jpg)

> ““When we give freely, we feel full and complete; when we withhold, we feel small, petty, impotent, and lacking. We are meant to learn this great truth, that giving fulfills us, while withholding and trying to get causes us to feel empty and even more needy. This truth runs counter to our programming, which drives us to try to get something from others to fulfill our neediness, only to end up even more needy, grasping, lacking, and unfulfilled.””

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

## About This Quote

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

Giving creates a sense of completeness, while withholding breeds feelings of lack and neediness, opposing our instinct to seek fulfillment from others.

**In simple terms:** Giving makes us feel whole; holding back makes us feel empty.

Key Takeaway

Embrace generosity to feel fulfilled.

Themes

generosity selfworth psychology

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- volunteer work
- team projects
- personal growth

Key Concepts

reciprocity self‑actualization

Questions to Reflect On

- How does giving change your self‑perception?
- What barriers stop you from sharing freely?

A Different Perspective

Human nature often seeks external validation, which can perpetuate emptiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[End Needy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-needy-5757458/) [Feel Needy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-needy-528744/) [Fulfill Neediness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfill-neediness-5757456/) [Fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving Fulfills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-fulfills-5757457/) [Giving love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-love/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Inspirational attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational-attitude/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Neediness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neediness/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [When I think about it like that, it feels like a burden. But that won't mean I'll be single for the rest of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/when-i-think-about-it-like-that-it-feels-like-a-burden-but-that-won-t/)

[Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/)

> [I like the idea of a relationship where you can need and rely on each other and not feel needy and not feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-like-the-idea-of-a-relationship-where-you-can-need-and-rely-on-each/)

[Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/)

> [“You might not WANT to feel needy. But your nervous system is extremely evolved to drive you to seek safe emotional connection with others--and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-dinneen/you-might-not-want-to-feel-needy-but-your-nervous-system-is-extremely/)

[Allyson Dinneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-dinneen/)

> [My neediness is not a hole to be filled but something beneath the skin scratching to get out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/my-neediness-is-not-a-hole-to-be-filled-but-something-beneath-the/)

[Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/)

> [The ego mind both professes its desire for love and does everything possible to repel it, or if it gets here anyway, to sabotage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-ego-mind-both-professes-its-desire-for-love-and-does-everything/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“In the world of most living things, neediness isn't especially attractive; wealthiness is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-p-barash/in-the-world-of-most-living-things-neediness-isn-t-especially/)

[David P. Barash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-p-barash/)

> [“Holidays bring out neediness like nothing else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-myracle/holidays-bring-out-neediness-like-nothing-else/)

[Lauren Myracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-myracle/)

> [I'm just reveling in the glory of not having to hear the neediness and impotence of my own voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-m-just-reveling-in-the-glory-of-not-having-to-hear-the-neediness/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“That's what Jamie didn't understand: it was never just sex. Even the fastest, dirtiest, most impersonal screw was about more than sex. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-maguire/that-s-what-jamie-didn-t-understand-it-was-never-just-sex-even-the/)

[Emily Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-maguire/)

> [If you have "needing money" in your vibration, then you will keep attracting needing money. You have to find a way of being happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/if-you-have-needing-money-in-your-vibration-then-you-will-keep/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [“Every action is a losing, a letting go, a passing away from oneself of some bit of one’s own reality into the existence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-mcgill/every-action-is-a-losing-a-letting-go-a-passing-away-from-oneself-of/)

[Arthur C. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-mcgill/)

> [“We are unhappy because we think that love is something we require from someone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-japin/we-are-unhappy-because-we-think-that-love-is-something-we-require/)

[Arthur Japin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-japin/)

> [Poverty is often concealed in splendor, and often in extravagance. It is the task of many people to conceal their neediness from others. Consequently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/poverty-is-often-concealed-in-splendor-and-often-in-extravagance-it/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don't need to apply spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/god-not-only-loves-me-as-i-am-but-also-knows-me-as-i-am-because-of/)

[Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/)

> [“Parents are programmed to want the best for their kids, regardless of what they get in return. That's what love is supposed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/parents-are-programmed-to-want-the-best-for-their-kids-regardless-of/)

[Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/)

## More by Gina Lake

> [“Not only is it not our business to change others, but it’s also harmful to relationships to try to do so. Ideas are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/not-only-is-it-not-our-business-to-change-others-but-it-s-also/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“There are two possible experiences of every moment: the moment as experienced by Essence and the moment experienced by the ego. The ego's experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/there-are-two-possible-experiences-of-every-moment-the-moment-as/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“One channel is the Stress Channel and the other is the Peace Channel. We really do have a choice about what we listen to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/one-channel-is-the-stress-channel-and-the-other-is-the-peace-channel/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“The ego just makes the mistake of looking for happiness in the wrong places. In fact, the egoic mind is the only thing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/the-ego-just-makes-the-mistake-of-looking-for-happiness-in-the-wrong/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“When two people are meant to be together—to enjoy love and life together, to help each other, or to learn something—love is just there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/when-two-people-are-meant-to-be-together-to-enjoy-love-and-life/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“To get the most out of the relationship you are in, it won't be helpful to listen to the ego's stories about it. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/to-get-the-most-out-of-the-relationship-you-are-in-it-won-t-be/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“If you were determined to get enjoyment out of every moment, you would learn to do whatever it took. What it takes is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/if-you-were-determined-to-get-enjoyment-out-of-every-moment-you-would/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“A lot of things are inherent in life -change, birth, death, aging, illness, accidents, calamities, and losses of all kinds- but these events don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/a-lot-of-things-are-inherent-in-life-change-birth-death-aging-illness/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“We tend to think of love as an uncontrollable feeling that comes over us. Although this overwhelming feeling does happen, real love and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/we-tend-to-think-of-love-as-an-uncontrollable-feeling-that-comes-over/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“When you find yourself wanting a better moment -wanting something else in the future- it can be helpful to ask: What will that give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/when-you-find-yourself-wanting-a-better-moment-wanting-something-else/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“The you is programmed for unhappiness because it is programmed to seek that which can never bring true happiness. It goes after more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/the-you-is-programmed-for-unhappiness-because-it-is-programmed-to/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“Love shows up, and you had nothing to do with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/love-shows-up-and-you-had-nothing-to-do-with-it/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“You are the Beloved you have been searching for, for so long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/you-are-the-beloved-you-have-been-searching-for-for-so-long/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [“The egoic mind imagines a problem, and then it imagines a solution. When we get caught up in these thoughts, we feel like we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/the-egoic-mind-imagines-a-problem-and-then-it-imagines-a-solution/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

> [ “\[...\] Essence simply enjoys and commits attention and love to whatever is. In fact, committing attention to anything that is present results in enjoyment.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/essence-simply-enjoys-and-commits-attention-and-love-to-whatever-is/)

[Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

[Explore all 30 Gina Lake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/)

## More Fulfillment quotes

> [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/)

[Harold McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-mcgee/)

> [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/)

[Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/)

> [If you devote yourself entirely to a pursuit, there is no way you cannot find beauty and fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gillies/if-you-devote-yourself-entirely-to-a-pursuit-there-is-no-way-you/)

[Daniel Gillies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gillies/)

> [“If you aren't happy for what you already have then what makes you think you will be happy with more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddy-malhotra/if-you-aren-t-happy-for-what-you-already-have-then-what-makes-you/)

[Maddy Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddy-malhotra/)

> [God's dream still remains unfulfilled. It was not fulfilled 2,000 years ago, or in the home of any religious leader or any American home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/god-s-dream-still-remains-unfulfilled-it-was-not-fulfilled-2-000/)

[Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/)

> [If you want to find greater happiness and fulfillment in your life, you must begin to understand and live in harmony with the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/if-you-want-to-find-greater-happiness-and-fulfillment-in-your-life/)

[Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/)

> [Never be tired of a dream, if not fulfilled. Fear of failure should not deter you from your path of self belief. Your belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/never-be-tired-of-a-dream-if-not-fulfilled-fear-of-failure-should-not/)

[Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/)

> [“Curiosity improved the cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-nankivell/curiosity-improved-the-cat/)

[Brandon Nankivell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-nankivell/)

> [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [If a person measures his spiritual fulfillment in terms of cosmic visions, surpassing peace of mind, or ecstasy, then he is not likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/if-a-person-measures-his-spiritual-fulfillment-in-terms-of-cosmic/)

[Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/)

> [What we are only now beginning to fully realize is that in seeking material pleasure too constantly, the capacity for enjoyment or fulfillment decreases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-campbell/what-we-are-only-now-beginning-to-fully-realize-is-that-in-seeking/)

[Alex Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-campbell/)

> [Those who are more willing to take risks and capitalize on opportunities, experience the highest index of life satisfaction and fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/those-who-are-more-willing-to-take-risks-and-capitalize-on/)

[Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/)

> [It is not necessary to have an extravagant food budget in order to serve things with variety and tastefully cooked. It is not necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/it-is-not-necessary-to-have-an-extravagant-food-budget-in-order-to/)

[Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/)

> [The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/the-more-intensely-we-feel-about-an-idea-or-a-goal-the-more-assuredly/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [There is nothing more appalling than the wholesale way in which unthinking people plead to the Almighty the richest and most spiritual of His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-drummond/there-is-nothing-more-appalling-than-the-wholesale-way-in-which/)

[William Henry Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-drummond/)

[Browse all 1,361 Fulfillment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When we give freely, we feel full and complete; when we withhold, we feel small, petty, impotent, and lacking. We are meant to learn this great truth, that giving fulfills us, while withholding and trying to get causes us to feel empty and even more needy. This truth runs counter to our programming, which drives us to try to get something from others to fulfill our neediness, only to end up even more needy, grasping, lacking, and unfulfilled.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gina Lake"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-complete-when-we-withhold-we/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fulfillment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-complete-when-we-withhold-we/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/gina-lake-20210_fulfillment_when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-com_3168602.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/gina-lake-20210_fulfillment_when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-com_3168602.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/981/gina-lake-20210_fulfillment_when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-com_3168602.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When we give freely, we feel full and complete; when we withhold, we feel small, petty, impotent, and…” — Gina Lake",
                "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": "Gina Lake",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When we give freely, we feel...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-complete-when-we-withhold-we/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/when-we-give-freely-we-feel-full-and-complete-when-we-withhold-we/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
