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“No duty is more imperative than that of proving one's gratitude.”
Gratitude is framed as an obligation to recognize and answer benefits already received, not merely as a pleasant feeling toward a benefactor.
Source note: De Officiis, Book I, section 47; Cicero discusses how kindness already received creates a stronger duty of requital.
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“There is joy in self-forgetfulness.”
Joy can grow when attention moves away from constant self-concern and becomes absorbed in people, work, ideas, or experiences beyond oneself.
Source note: The Story of My Life; Keller links happiness with moments when self-consciousness recedes.
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“He that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.”
Happiness is linked with mercy toward people in need, shifting the focus from private possession toward useful generosity.
Source note: Proverbs 14:21 in the King James Version; concluding clause of the verse.
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“Do not find your happiness in another’s sorrow.”
A person’s good fortune is morally diminished when it depends on enjoying somebody else’s pain or humiliation.
Source note: The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, saying 18, D. Lyman Jr. translation (1856).
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“It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
Giving becomes deeper when it includes time, attention, effort, and presence rather than possessions alone.
Source note: The Prophet, “On Giving.”
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“You give but little when you give of your possessions.”
Possessions can be given without much personal cost; Gibran prepares the contrast with giving one’s own time and presence.
Source note: The Prophet, “On Giving.”