Inspirational thoughts

Nelson Mandela’s Optimism

I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.
Nelson Mandela, from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Fundraising Happiness

If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody
Chinese Proverb

Charity Community

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.  I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.
George Bernard Shaw

Charity Enthusiam

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiam.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Charity Action

Be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi

Charity Courage

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
Winston Churchill

Change the World

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
Harriet Tubman

Charitable Gratitude

To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.
Albert Schweitzer

 Harry Potter Wisdom for charities

“It is not our abilities that show what we truly are.  It is our choices.”
From Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) – Dumbledore.

Happiness for Charity Fundraisers

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
Dalai Lama

Fundraising Perseverance - The Crow and the Pitcher

A very thirsty Crow, half-dead with thirst, saw some distance away a Pitcher of water, to which he eagerly flew. When he arrived there, he found the pitcher did indeed contain water, but it was so near the bottom that with all his efforts he was not able to obtain a drop. 

First he tried to overturn the pitcher, so that he might get a few drops. But he was not strong enough to do this. At last, seeing some pebbles near by, he dropped them one by one into the pitcher. Soon the water rose to the very brim, and he was able to drink.
Aesop's Fable

Helping Hand

"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: the first is to help yourself, the second is to help others."
Audrey Hepburn