Nana Patekar Quotes

Everyone should think seriously about public service at some point.

Community involvement is second nature to me. I've been doing it since high school.

I had the opportunity at Duke to start doing things in the community, and it's something I continue to do even 20 years later.

In my view, a philanthropist is anyone who gives anything - time, money, experience, skills or networks - in any amount, to create a better world. This is not how we once thought about philanthropy. The word used to conjure up something rather passive - sitting down and writing checks.

I certainly feel a strong call of public service.

One of the big myths about philanthropy is that it's all about donating funds for a cause. I like to look at it quite differently. Philanthropy is about 'giving' - not just in monetary terms but also in non-monetary aspects, like time, ideas, or being a volunteer. Donating money is just a small part of philanthropy.

For us, giving back is not an extracurricular activity.

Many people have the heart to give back, but a lot don't know how to. I try to be the bridge for those people - whether that means getting them involved in one of my campaigns or inspiring them by showing them a blueprint of how to get others engaged.

I'm not in public service, nor do I ever plan to be, but I give back in my own way.

You can be in a nonprofit organization. You can serve your fellow man in a variety of other ways. You don't necessarily have to win political office.

I feel motivated to give something back to society.

There's always room to volunteer. I think that's a huge space to be involved with.

You hear about players like Jamal Crawford who's constantly giving back. Isaiah Thomas, even though he's from Tacoma, he went to U-Dub, and he's constantly giving back to the community.

During all my undergrad years and in high school, I was involved in tutoring and public service. At Harvard, I spent over 35 hours a week doing service. I was a Big Sister, I worked for the homeless, the elderly; it was the epicenter of my focus.

Sometimes you have to put back in the community.

It's never too early to involve your kids in giving back. And the more hands-on the experiences are, the better.

There are plenty of easy things that you can do from the comfort of your own home to get you started on the path of giving back.

After PepsiCo, I do want to go to Washington. I want to give back.

All I know is, I think I would like to continue to do public service.

I always knew that I would give back. My mother and my father both believe you have to work hard and give back. That's why I was a volunteer firefighter, that's why I worked in a homeless shelter. I always knew I'd give back, elective office or not.

I've long wanted to find a charitable cause to really get involved with and be passionate about. I get invited to a lot of charity events to sing, and I am happy to help and bring a source of entertainment, but I'm sort of disconnected from them.

My passion for service came from my parents, and my community involvement began at a very young age, when I volunteered with the local Chamber of Commerce in Lowell, MA to help revitalize our city.

If every American donated five hours a week, it would equal the labor of 20 million full-time volunteers.

But as I always say to people I'm essentially a public service person.

Sometimes when I speak to groups or I'm interviewed by a journalist, I ask them to imagine their communities without Girl Scouts - to imagine the thousands of food drives and clothing and toy collections that would never take place if not for Girl Scouts.