--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The difference between charity and…" description: "\"The difference between charity and philanthropy is the distance of the soul... To be philanthropic is to give something, to be charitable is to give on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/maya-angelou-104_charitable_the-difference-between-charity-and-phila_2367387.png" --- # The difference between charity and philanthropy is the… ![“The difference between charity and philanthropy is the distance of the soul... To be philanthropic is to give something, to be charitable is to give one's own heart.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/maya-angelou-104_charitable_the-difference-between-charity-and-phila_2367387.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/maya-angelou-104_charitable_the-difference-between-charity-and-phila_2367387.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/maya-angelou-104_charitable_the-difference-between-charity-and-phila_2367387.png) > “The difference between charity and philanthropy is the distance of the soul... To be philanthropic is to give something, to be charitable is to give one's own heart.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Charity gives material aid; philanthropy gives heartfelt commitment, reflecting deeper personal investment. **In simple terms:** Philanthropy is giving heart, charity is giving things. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy alongside generosity. Themes giving philanthropy charity Mood inspirational reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - nonprofit work - community service - personal donations Key Concepts empathy social responsibility intentional giving Questions to Reflect On - What motivates your giving? - How can you add personal connection to aid? A Different Perspective Focus on material aid can overlook relational impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charitable/) [Charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Personal growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-growth/) [Philanthropic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philanthropic/) [Philanthropy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philanthropy/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things that I encourage for anybody who is interested in their own charity or philanthropy is to start from where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/one-of-the-things-that-i-encourage-for-anybody-who-is-interested-in/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [We cannot preserve philanthropic and charitable values if we detach them completely from our fundamental personal beliefs and convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-l-payton/we-cannot-preserve-philanthropic-and-charitable-values-if-we-detach/) [Robert L. Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-l-payton/) > [It's more blessed to give than to receive - especially kittens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/it-s-more-blessed-to-give-than-to-receive-especially-kittens/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity. You can speak with tongues, have the gift of prophecy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/nothing-you-do-makes-much-of-a-difference-if-you-do-not-have-charity/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [Much corporate giving is charitable in nature rather than philanthropic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/much-corporate-giving-is-charitable-in-nature-rather-than/) [David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/) > [I really enjoy being able to spend my time doing different charitable and philanthropic activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-garth/i-really-enjoy-being-able-to-spend-my-time-doing-different-charitable/) [Jennie Garth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-garth/) > [When I work as a model, it feels like holiday. Doing a shoot is so light in a way that it's really a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-vodianova/when-i-work-as-a-model-it-feels-like-holiday-doing-a-shoot-is-so/) [Natalia Vodianova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-vodianova/) > [I definitely got my philanthropic genes from my mom and dad. They taught me from a very early age to always lend a helping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-gayheart/i-definitely-got-my-philanthropic-genes-from-my-mom-and-dad-they/) [Rebecca Gayheart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-gayheart/) > [Naming rights are a seductive philanthropic inducement, yet more anonymous operational support may better advance the charitable purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-kaiser/naming-rights-are-a-seductive-philanthropic-inducement-yet-more/) [George Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-kaiser/) > [My father... very generous, very philanthropic, very charitable man. My siblings and I and my mother continue with always appreciating and always giving back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-tisch/my-father-very-generous-very-philanthropic-very-charitable-man-my/) [Steve Tisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-tisch/) > [Yet the true friend of the people should see that they be not too poor, for extreme povery lowers the character of the democracy;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/yet-the-true-friend-of-the-people-should-see-that-they-be-not-too/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [An attitude of gratitude creates blessings. Help yourself by helping others. You have the most powerful weapons on earth - love and prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-templeton/an-attitude-of-gratitude-creates-blessings-help-yourself-by-helping/) [John Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-templeton/) > [Wealth is not to feed our egos but to feed the hungry and to help people help themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/wealth-is-not-to-feed-our-egos-but-to-feed-the-hungry-and-to-help/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [Do what you can, with what you have and do it now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington-carver/do-what-you-can-with-what-you-have-and-do-it-now/) [George Washington Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington-carver/) > [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Charitable quotes > [Businesses acting as businesses, not as charitable donors, are the most powerful force for addressing the pressing issues society face(s)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-elumelu/businesses-acting-as-businesses-not-as-charitable-donors-are-the-most/) Tony Elumelu > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [Companies are not charitable enterprises: They hire workers to make profits. In the United States, this logic still works. In Europe, it hardly does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/companies-are-not-charitable-enterprises-they-hire-workers-to-make/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [The highest perfection of politeness is only a beautiful edifice, built, from the base to the dome, of ungraceful and gilded forms of charitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-highest-perfection-of-politeness-is-only-a-beautiful-edifice/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Though the world may often appear to be more charitable than the church, it is crucial to remember that, for the church, the care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-the-world-may-often-appear-to-be-more-charitable-than-the/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [I am involved with so many charitable organizations. Lung Cancer because of my dad, Breast Cancer because as a woman and mother of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-robbins/i-am-involved-with-so-many-charitable-organizations-lung-cancer/) Lois Robbins > [As different as we are from one another, as unique as each one of us is, we are much more the same than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/as-different-as-we-are-from-one-another-as-unique-as-each-one-of-us/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Nowhere is wisdom more necessary than in the guidance of charitable impulses. Meaning well is only half our duty; Thinking right is the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gridley-howe/nowhere-is-wisdom-more-necessary-than-in-the-guidance-of-charitable/) Samuel Gridley Howe > [Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-f-whitney/our-heavenly-father-is-far-more-merciful-infinitely-more-charitable/) [Orson F. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-f-whitney/) > [ I mean, I think it would humanize Hillary \[Clinton\] incredibly to detail how she was involved in the family charitable organization. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-mean-i-think-it-would-humanize-hillary-clinton-incredibly-to-detail/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The Bush administration, they had two blue ribbon commissions about infrastructure finance that recommended a lot more money, and additionally the gas tax being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-lahood/the-bush-administration-they-had-two-blue-ribbon-commissions-about/) [Ray LaHood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-lahood/) > [Many people are alienated by faceless bureaucracy and what they see as an erosion of participatory democracy. Consequently, there has been a revival of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-prochaska/many-people-are-alienated-by-faceless-bureaucracy-and-what-they-see/) Frank Prochaska > [I have formed the Mahendra Singh Dhoni Charitable Trust which organises cricket tournaments in Jharkhand to identify promising cricketers so that we can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahendra-singh-dhoni/i-have-formed-the-mahendra-singh-dhoni-charitable-trust-which/) [Mahendra Singh Dhoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahendra-singh-dhoni/) > [I have always seen the Clinton Foundation - yes, they do a lot of charitable good works. But by my lights, the charitable good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-have-always-seen-the-clinton-foundation-yes-they-do-a-lot-of/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [September 11 is one of our worst days but it brought out the best in us. It unified us as a country and showed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-alexander/september-11-is-one-of-our-worst-days-but-it-brought-out-the-best-in/) [Lamar Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-alexander/) [Browse all 293 Charitable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charitable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The difference between charity and philanthropy is the distance of the soul... 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