“O monks, if people knew, as I know, the result of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would they allow the stain of stinginess to obsess them and take root in their minds.
Even if it were their last morsel, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared it, if there were someone to share it with.
But, monks, as people do not know, as I know, the result of giving and sharing, they eat without having given, and the stain of stinginess obsesses them and takes root in their minds.”
(It 26; 18–19)
Quote: This great quote comes from “In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon” 
edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi, p 169.
edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi, p 169. I’m reading this now, and as you might guess, it’s a pretty good read!
Wake Up and Laugh! 
thanks for post!
“In the Buddha’s Words” is a wonderful book, one of a few that sit on my desktop. I can flip it open to any page and gain immediate benefit.
Thanks for this pointer to the importance of giving.
This is a great quote to single out because it helps us shift our position of awareness externally and perceive reality non-locally. If we have food and we see another with no food, if we shift our awareness to one where we are that person with no food, how grateful would we be if our self with the food gave some to the other with no food? Not only will the one with no food be elated, but so would we, since happiness is wonderfully contagious.