You give but little when you give of your possessions…

In The Prophet, after the chapter on children, “a rich man” asks Almustafa to speak of giving, and the answer begins with the line. Almustafa then turns on the fear that makes people keep their goods: possessions are “things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow”, and he mocks “the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city”. Fear of need, he says, is need itself. The chapter goes on to praise those who give without pain and without seeking joy or virtue in it, as the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.

Gibran, a Lebanese immigrant living in New York, wrote the book in English and published it in 1923. Its sayings are shaped like verses, and this one, addressed to a rich man, is among the most often copied.

The line is quoted by charities and preachers alike, but its point is broader than money: what counts is the giving of oneself, whether in time, attention or care.

The Prophet, “On Giving”, 1923

Checked word for word in the work itself.

Read the passage in the work