In some ways generosity seems a crazy, counter-cultural way to behave. Instead of keeping our time, energy or possessions for ourselves, we give them away. There’s something very powerful about choosing to do this. It is a fundamental shift away from the limited world of ‘me’ and ‘mine.’

Generosity is defined by the wish to benefit someone else. It is rarely the size of the gift or the gesture that matters most, but the message that comes with it. The heart knows this, immediately and unmistakeably. We taste the uneasiness when a gift has an ulterior motive, and save our real admiration for the person who can give without seeking a return.

To some degree, everyone on the planet is likely to demonstrate generosity in some way, whether to a member of their family, a friend, or a beloved animal. The question is simply whether we choose to go further than that. Whether we want to learn how to open our hearts and hands more widely, and to share more generously whatever time, energy, talents and possessions we have. It’s a critical decision about the direction that we want our lives to take.

"You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give."

• Winston Churchill

"If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."

• Bob Hope

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."

• The Buddha

"What really matters is what you do with what you have."

• H. G. Wells

"Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out."

• Frank A. Clark

"Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous - not just to some people in some circumstances, but to everyone all the time."

• Thomas J. Watson, Snr