--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything in life is most fundamentally…" description: "\"Everything in life is most fundamentally a gift. And you receive it best and you live it best by holding it with very open hands.\" — Leo J. O'Donovan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/leo-j-o-donovan-256152_gift_everything-in-life-is-most-fundamentally_285512.png" --- # Everything in life is most fundamentally a gift. And you… ![“Everything in life is most fundamentally a gift. And you receive it best and you live it best by holding it with very open hands.” quote by Leo J. O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/leo-j-o-donovan-256152_gift_everything-in-life-is-most-fundamentally_285512.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/leo-j-o-donovan-256152_gift_everything-in-life-is-most-fundamentally_285512.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/leo-j-o-donovan-256152_gift_everything-in-life-is-most-fundamentally_285512.png) > “Everything in life is most fundamentally a gift. And you receive it best and you live it best by holding it with very open hands.” Leo J. O'Donovan ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is a gift; receive it openly and live fully with generosity. **In simple terms:** Life is a gift, hold it openly. Key Takeaway Live generously and with open hands. Themes gratitude generosity mindfulness philosophy purpose Mood uplifting reflective Type Gift:1 Giving:0 Hands:0 Inspirational:1 Life:1 Life is:0 Meaning of life:0 Open Hands:1 Life Fundamentally:0 Gift Receive:0 Receive Best:0 Fundamentally Gift:0 When to use this quote - personal development - volunteering - mindful living - relationship building Key Concepts spirituality psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice open-handed living? - What does gratitude look like daily? A Different Perspective Not all view life as a gift. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meaning of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [I have the best family, and I receive the best guidance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-jesus/i-have-the-best-family-and-i-receive-the-best-guidance/) [Gabriel Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-jesus/) > [The grateful mind is constantly fixed upon the best. Therefore it tends to become the best. It takes the form or character of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/the-grateful-mind-is-constantly-fixed-upon-the-best-therefore-it/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [Settle for anything and you will end up with nothing. Go after good things and you will receive the best things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/settle-for-anything-and-you-will-end-up-with-nothing-go-after-good/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [To give your best is to receive the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-holliwell/to-give-your-best-is-to-receive-the-best/) [Raymond Holliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-holliwell/) > [If you want to receive the best from the life you live, you will first have to give it your best. Never give it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-receive-the-best-from-the-life-you-live-you-will-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And each book has to receive your best effort every single time. No slacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/and-each-book-has-to-receive-your-best-effort-every-single-time-no/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Life is fundamentally a mental state. We live in a dream world that we create. Whose life is truer, the rational man of action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/life-is-fundamentally-a-mental-state-we-live-in-a-dream-world-that-we/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [A kind life...is fundamentally a life of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-muller/a-kind-life-is-fundamentally-a-life-of-courage/) [Wayne Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-muller/) > [“The greatest gift creation has given to all of you is that life is fundamentally meaningless. That means it has no built-in meaning. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar/the-greatest-gift-creation-has-given-to-all-of-you-is-that-life-is/) [Bashar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar/) > [Life fundamentally does not change depending on work or fame or success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-mount/life-fundamentally-does-not-change-depending-on-work-or-fame-or/) [Anson Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-mount/) > [What annoys me about most self-help books is that they have no tragic sense. They have no sense that life is fundamentally incomplete rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/what-annoys-me-about-most-self-help-books-is-that-they-have-no-tragic/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [The greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-greatest-and-most-important-problems-of-life-are-all/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Each man must take the material that he finds at hand, see that in it there are the big truths of life, the fundamentally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/each-man-must-take-the-material-that-he-finds-at-hand-see-that-in-it/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [When you're passionate about something, you want it to be all it can be. But in the endgame of life, I fundamentally believe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-messing/when-you-re-passionate-about-something-you-want-it-to-be-all-it-can/) [Debra Messing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-messing/) > [Life is fundamentally up for grabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/life-is-fundamentally-up-for-grabs/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) ## 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": "Everything in life is most fundamentally a gift. 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