--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your responsibility is not to the people…" description: "\"Your responsibility is not to the people you're making the gift for, but the gift itself.\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/john-green-12_gift_your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people_3208437.jpg" --- # Your responsibility is not to the people you're making the… ![“Your responsibility is not to the people you're making the gift for, but the gift itself.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/john-green-12_gift_your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people_3208437.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/john-green-12_gift_your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people_3208437.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/john-green-12_gift_your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people_3208437.jpg) > “Your responsibility is not to the people you're making the gift for, but the gift itself.” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The focus should be on the quality and intention of the gift, not on the recipient’s status or expectations. **In simple terms:** Prioritize the gift itself. Key Takeaway Create thoughtful gifts. Themes generosity intent gift-giving Mood reflective thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - personal celebrations - corporate gifting - charitable donations Key Concepts Ethics value perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure a gift reflects your values? - What makes a gift meaningful beyond the recipient? A Different Perspective Gift value can be judged differently by recipients. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [Be grateful that the poor man is there, so that by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/be-grateful-that-the-poor-man-is-there-so-that-by-making-a-gift-to/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Do not stand on a high pedestal and take 5 cents in your hand and say, here, my poor man, but be grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/do-not-stand-on-a-high-pedestal-and-take-5-cents-in-your-hand-and-say/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [What you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-urs-von-balthasar/what-you-are-is-god-s-gift-to-you-what-you-become-is-your-gift-to-god/) [Hans Urs Von Balthasar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-urs-von-balthasar/) > [The rudest possible gift is a gift card. It means you think the person is stupid and has no interests. The only good gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/the-rudest-possible-gift-is-a-gift-card-it-means-you-think-the-person/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [“What is a Gift?" "A Gift is your way of serving the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/what-is-a-gift-a-gift-is-your-way-of-serving-the-world/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The building of Kuwait and her Eminence, it's defense and protection, is primarily a responsibility by her people and the efforts of her children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah/the-building-of-kuwait-and-her-eminence-it-s-defense-and-protection/) [Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah/) > [As far as being a coach, it's always fascinated me. It's a greater responsibility than most people give it credit for because you're dealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-prefontaine/as-far-as-being-a-coach-it-s-always-fascinated-me-it-s-a-greater/) [Steve Prefontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-prefontaine/) > [“Knowledge is responsibility, which is why people resist knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/knowledge-is-responsibility-which-is-why-people-resist-knowledge/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [I'm alright with people making up stuff about me, but not when there's a woman involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varun-dhawan/i-m-alright-with-people-making-up-stuff-about-me-but-not-when-there-s/) [Varun Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varun-dhawan/) > [As long as people have been making little people, they've wanted to know how not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/as-long-as-people-have-been-making-little-people-they-ve-wanted-to/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [The people who are making money are the ones who are writing and singing their own songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-webb/the-people-who-are-making-money-are-the-ones-who-are-writing-and/) [Jimmy Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-webb/) > [In Bollywood, people have been making movies for more than half a century and they are made in such a way that you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanushree-dutta/in-bollywood-people-have-been-making-movies-for-more-than-half-a/) [Tanushree Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanushree-dutta/) > [One of the things that wrong with pictures today, I think, is that so many of the people making them started out wanting to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bogdanovich/one-of-the-things-that-wrong-with-pictures-today-i-think-is-that-so/) [Peter Bogdanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bogdanovich/) > [People who are making films today are too concerned with mechanics - technical things instead of feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cassavetes/people-who-are-making-films-today-are-too-concerned-with-mechanics/) [John Cassavetes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cassavetes/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Gift quotes > [Here I am, 11 years old, and these grown men have to give it everything they have to beat me. In one part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/here-i-am-11-years-old-and-these-grown-men-have-to-give-it-everything/) [Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [The greatest gift you can give to those around you is honesty. Sometimes honest words may sting the heart, but dishonesty pierces deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-to-those-around-you-is-honesty/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [MOM,DAD YOU'RE THE BEST GIFT I EVER HAD.THERE'S NO ONE WILL BE LIKE YOU.THANKS GOD FOR THESE PRECIOUS GIFT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottoe/mom-dad-you-re-the-best-gift-i-ever-had-there-s-no-one-will-be-like/) Ottoe > [By the gift of God, WWE fell into my lap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-brooke/by-the-gift-of-god-wwe-fell-into-my-lap/) [Dana Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-brooke/) > [Here is your third gift from Me once again..I had a fourth gift it was about me making a video telling you how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilbear/here-is-your-third-gift-from-me-once-again-i-had-a-fourth-gift-it-was/) [LilBear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilbear/) > [“Children give terrible gifts because they are poor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-delaney/children-give-terrible-gifts-because-they-are-poor/) [Rob Delaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-delaney/) > [What a gift it would be if every child in the country could hear a professional orchestra at least once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/what-a-gift-it-would-be-if-every-child-in-the-country-could-hear-a/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [Being able to scream at the top of my lungs in front of people is very therapeutic. It is a great gift for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/being-able-to-scream-at-the-top-of-my-lungs-in-front-of-people-is/) [Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/) > [“Falling in love is easy. Fools fall in love all the time. Staying in love is the test of time and the gift you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-murphy/falling-in-love-is-easy-fools-fall-in-love-all-the-time-staying-in/) [James A. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-murphy/) > [A woman who is careful with her words is a gift to all who know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-is-careful-with-her-words-is-a-gift-to-all-who-know-her/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“I believe that our world was created with a sense of order. For every loss, there's a gain. Sometimes we're so blinded by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-macomber/i-believe-that-our-world-was-created-with-a-sense-of-order-for-every/) [Debbie Macomber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-macomber/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“It is the gift of stories that most repays life among settled people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-michael-pyle/it-is-the-gift-of-stories-that-most-repays-life-among-settled-people/) [Robert Michael Pyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-michael-pyle/) [Browse all 4,269 Gift quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Your responsibility is not to the people you're making the gift for, but the gift itself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people-you-re-making-the-gift-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gift" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people-you-re-making-the-gift-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/john-green-12_gift_your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people_3208437.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/john-green-12_gift_your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people_3208437.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/john-green-12_gift_your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people_3208437.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Your responsibility is not to the people you're making the gift for, but the gift itself.” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Your responsibility is not to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people-you-re-making-the-gift-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/your-responsibility-is-not-to-the-people-you-re-making-the-gift-for/#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 } } ] } ```