The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something — usually ourselves. When we feel unhappy, when we feel inadequate, we get stingy; we hold on tight. Generosity is an activity that loosens us up. By offering whatever we can — a dollar, a flower, a word of encouragement — we are training in letting go.

Pema Chödron

from the book The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

Read a random quote or see all quotes by Pema Chödron.

Further quotes from the book The Places That Scare You:

• Our true nature and condition
• Nothing and no one is fixed
• Whatever we encounter
• Being inspired by everyday good fortune
• The queasy feeling of being in the middle of nowhere
• The anxiety of opening
• Everyday uncertainty
• Cultivating equanimity
• Happiness
• Life preferences
• The root of happiness
• Awakening our unlimited potential
• Dissolving our self-importance
• Dissolving our fear
• At least until you die
• The first mark of existence
• Being in the middle of nowhere
• A flexible identity
• Our Shared Humanity
• Idiot Compassion