--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In some cultures, when you give someone a…" description: "\"In some cultures, when you give someone a gift, it's expected that they will pass it on. This seems like a peculiar practice in the West, but in many o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/kabir-sehgal-18015_culture_in-some-cultures-when-you-give-someone-a_2645105.jpg" --- # In some cultures, when you give someone a gift, it's… ![“In some cultures, when you give someone a gift, it's expected that they will pass it on. This seems like a peculiar practice in the West, but in many other societies, a gift has a spirit. If you try to possess the gift, you remove its spirit as a gift.” quote by Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/kabir-sehgal-18015_culture_in-some-cultures-when-you-give-someone-a_2645105.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/kabir-sehgal-18015_culture_in-some-cultures-when-you-give-someone-a_2645105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/kabir-sehgal-18015_culture_in-some-cultures-when-you-give-someone-a_2645105.jpg) > “In some cultures, when you give someone a gift, it's expected that they will pass it on. This seems like a peculiar practice in the West, but in many other societies, a gift has a spirit. If you try to possess the gift, you remove its spirit as a gift.” [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gift-giving cultures view gifts as communal, with an expectation to share; hoarding removes their spirit. **In simple terms:** Gifts are meant to circulate, not be owned. Key Takeaway Share gifts to honor their spirit. Themes generosity culture sharing Mood thoughtful inspirational Type cultural ethical When to use this quote - family gatherings - community events - charitable giving - cultural exchange Key Concepts social reciprocity anthropology Questions to Reflect On - How does sharing a gift affect relationships? - What prevents you from passing a gift on? A Different Perspective Western norms may resist this view. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Cultures Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultures-gift-2302631/) [Expected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expected/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Gift Remove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift-remove-2302632/) [Gift Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift-spirit-701513/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Peculiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peculiar/) [Possess Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possess-gift-662015/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Remove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remove/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirit Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit-gift-2302630/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) ## Related quotes > [“Every man and woman has their own gift and can move in the spirit with that gift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrance-bell/every-man-and-woman-has-their-own-gift-and-can-move-in-the-spirit/) [Terrance Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrance-bell/) > [A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/a-gift-that-cannot-be-given-away-ceases-to-be-a-gift-the-spirit-of-a/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [“He was one of those men, moreover, who possess almost every gift except the gift of the power to use them;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/he-was-one-of-those-men-moreover-who-possess-almost-every-gift-except/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [He was one of those men who possess almost every gift, except the gift of the power to use them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/he-was-one-of-those-men-who-possess-almost-every-gift-except-the-gift/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [The gift was not large as money goes, and my need was not great, but the spirit of the gift is beyond price and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/the-gift-was-not-large-as-money-goes-and-my-need-was-not-great-but/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [Our families need to ask for the gift of the Spirit! 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Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Vegetables, which are the lowest in the scale of living things, are fed by roots, which, implanted in the native soil, select by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/vegetables-which-are-the-lowest-in-the-scale-of-living-things-are-fed/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Kabir Sehgal > [We are privileged that the dollar is the "currency of last resort" and the most important currency in the world. 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Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In some cultures, when you give someone a gift, it's expected that they will pass it on. This seems like a peculiar practice in the West, but in many other societies, a gift has a spirit. 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