--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A gift that cannot be given away ceases…" description: "\"A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation.\" — Lewis Hyde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/lewis-hyde-19548_alive_a-gift-that-cannot-be-given-away-ceases_1613595.jpg" --- # A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. The… ![“A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation.” quote by Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/lewis-hyde-19548_alive_a-gift-that-cannot-be-given-away-ceases_1613595.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/lewis-hyde-19548_alive_a-gift-that-cannot-be-given-away-ceases_1613595.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/lewis-hyde-19548_alive_a-gift-that-cannot-be-given-away-ceases_1613595.jpg) > “A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation.” [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A gift loses its essence if not shared; giving keeps its spirit alive. **In simple terms:** Gifts need to be given to remain gifts. Key Takeaway Practice continual giving to preserve generosity. Themes generosity gift economy sharing community spirituality Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical cultural When to use this quote - charity events - peer mentoring - family traditions Key Concepts reciprocity sustainability Questions to Reflect On - What can you give today that sustains its impact? - How does sharing affect your sense of purpose? A Different Perspective If gifts are hoarded, they become burdens. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Donation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donation/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) ## Related quotes > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/in-some-cultures-when-you-give-someone-a-gift-it-s-expected-that-they/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [“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 > [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/) > [May the peace of God be with you," she says, her voice low, "even in the midst of trouble." "Why would it?" I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/may-the-peace-of-god-be-with-you-she-says-her-voice-low-even-in-the/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [It is a gift. You cannot earn it, or it ceases to be a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/it-is-a-gift-you-cannot-earn-it-or-it-ceases-to-be-a-gift/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“It isn’t about you,” she says. “It is a gift. You cannot earn it, or it ceases to be a gift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/it-isn-t-about-you-she-says-it-is-a-gift-you-cannot-earn-it-or-it/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Gifts are free. If you work for a gift, it is no longer a gift. Gifts in the truest sense are undeserved. If we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-cross/gifts-are-free-if-you-work-for-a-gift-it-is-no-longer-a-gift-gifts-in/) John R. Cross > [ “There are two ways whereby men may be guilty of the neglect of this heavenly favour:--\[1.\] They are so when the gift itself is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/there-are-two-ways-whereby-men-may-be-guilty-of-the-neglect-of-this/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [I am in the habit of looking not so much to the nature of a gift as to the spirit in which it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/i-am-in-the-habit-of-looking-not-so-much-to-the-nature-of-a-gift-as/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Sometimes people base their identity on their gifting. But our identity is in Christ and ultimately has no relation to whatever gift the Spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-storms/sometimes-people-base-their-identity-on-their-gifting-but-our/) [Sam Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-storms/) > [Christlike love is a gift of the Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-whetten/christlike-love-is-a-gift-of-the-spirit/) Robert J. Whetten > [There's the gift, there's the spirit, and there's the work-all three have to come together. If one of those things is off, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/there-s-the-gift-there-s-the-spirit-and-there-s-the-work-all-three/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [Our families need to ask for the gift of the Spirit! Through prayer, even in the busiest times, we give time back to God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/our-families-need-to-ask-for-the-gift-of-the-spirit-through-prayer/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I feel that God has given me a very special opportunity that I should not let go to waste. I use the gift he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/i-feel-that-god-has-given-me-a-very-special-opportunity-that-i-should/) [Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/) > [This is of monumental significance. The gift has been given - what we make of it is up to us. Unless we listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-burton-howard/this-is-of-monumental-significance-the-gift-has-been-given-what-we/) [F. Burton Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-burton-howard/) ## More by Lewis Hyde > [We are only alive to the degree that we can let ourselves be moved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/we-are-only-alive-to-the-degree-that-we-can-let-ourselves-be-moved/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [What is it about a work of art, even when it is bought and sold in the market, that makes us distinguish it from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/what-is-it-about-a-work-of-art-even-when-it-is-bought-and-sold-in-the/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [Erik Erikson has commented: Potentially creative men like (Bernard) Shaw build the personal fundament of their work during a self-decreed moratorium, during which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/erik-erikson-has-commented-potentially-creative-men-like-bernard-shaw/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [“All cultures seem to find a slightly alien local population to carry the Hermes projection. For the Vietnamese it is the Chinese, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/all-cultures-seem-to-find-a-slightly-alien-local-population-to-carry/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [The passage into mystery always refreshes. If, when we work, we can look once a day upon the face of mystery, then our labor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/the-passage-into-mystery-always-refreshes-if-when-we-work-we-can-look/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [To be a great teacher, you can't simply be looking at how to earn your income. And with a priest or spiritual leader -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/to-be-a-great-teacher-you-can-t-simply-be-looking-at-how-to-earn-your/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [Irony has only emergency use. Carried over time it is the voice of the trapped who have come to enjoy their cage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/irony-has-only-emergency-use-carried-over-time-it-is-the-voice-of-the/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [We forgive when we give up attachment to our wounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/we-forgive-when-we-give-up-attachment-to-our-wounds/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [All that we make and do is shaped by the communities and traditions that contain us, not to mention by money, power, politics, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/all-that-we-make-and-do-is-shaped-by-the-communities-and-traditions/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [Science may not be as intimate as the medical profession; nonetheless, it certainly is a community in which ideas are often shared as contributions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/science-may-not-be-as-intimate-as-the-medical-profession-nonetheless/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [“There is the family of our birth and then there is a more noble world to which we really belong; the richness of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/there-is-the-family-of-our-birth-and-then-there-is-a-more-noble-world/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [An anaesthetic is a poet-killer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/an-anaesthetic-is-a-poet-killer/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [“Irony got dangerous when it became a habit. Wallace quoted Lewis Hyde…”Irony has only emergency use. Carried over time, it is the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/irony-got-dangerous-when-it-became-a-habit-wallace-quoted-lewis-hyde/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [When we are moved by art we are grateful that the artist lived, grateful that he labored in the service of his gifts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/when-we-are-moved-by-art-we-are-grateful-that-the-artist-lived/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [Unlike the sale of a commodity, the giving of a gift tends to establish a relationship between the parties involved. When gifts circulate within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/unlike-the-sale-of-a-commodity-the-giving-of-a-gift-tends-to/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) [Explore all 32 Lewis Hyde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. 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