Imelda Marcos Quotes

Philanthropy is lost. The human spirit is suppressed. Most people want a legacy; they want to give something back, a library, a hospital wing, a donation to their church. This is a form of socialism that must go.

I hope that by joining The Giving Pledge, it will encourage others to do the same.

I very much believe in teaching young people about philanthropy, and to give back.

Philanthropy is the thing that I am really excited about, and having success means I can do more.

The great thing is these days I no longer have to work for a living and that all of the things that I'm able to do where money is paid as compensation for whatever it be, I'm able to donate all of that to charity. That's a wonderful position to find yourself in at the latest stages of your life and I'm proud to have walked the path that I have and I'm proud to be able to continue working and to be able to give away what I earn to some very good causes here in the Southwest.

Giving back has to do with the way I was brought up and the fact that I've traveled widely and seen terrible situations in the world. To sleep well at night, those of us who are in a position to help must address these situations. I'd get far greater satisfaction out of, say, walking into a hospital I'd built in South Africa than I would by sitting on a beach. I'm fortunate enough to be in a position to make a difference, and I don't want to waste that. I suspect I was also lucky to have parents who drove me from a young age.

Philanthropy is not about the money. It's about using whatever resources you have at your fingertips and applying them to improving the world.

Philanthropy can take the risks that others cannot or will not.

Defer not charities till death; for certainly, if a man weigh it rightly, he that doth so is rather liberal of another man's than of his own.

I'm supporting the charities that I supported during my lifetime, and I want to continue to do that.

Today, we don't blink an eye when the world's wealthiest individuals donate enormous sums of money to charitable causes. In fact, we expect them to do so.

I launched Chefs for Humanity, a national nonprofit, with my voice, heart and money from my own pocket. Money gives you the ability to make a difference in the world and, when used in a positive way, is a lot of fun.

I think that people who make a lot of money - and I do - should certainly give a considerable amount of it away.

For over 35 years, I've been making charitable donations anonymously.

All of the charities we're involved with have touched me in one way or another on a personal level. There are about eight or nine charities that I support.

You can spend your money on art works and sit down and look at them. Or you can use your money to help people.

I'm going to give away a lot more than half my money. I'd be happy to give that to the government if the government put together programs that were like I'm giving away to charity, in which I believe the money is effectively used to help people.

I started off with making personal donations and eventually set up my own foundation, VTCY Foundation, now known as Better Malaysia Foundation. My contributions are also made through companies that I own.

If you buy a sweater for €1,000 and you know that the funds you are paying are also going to help to build a hospital and a school, wouldn't you think better about it?

It's hard to be a good philanthropist in China.

My goal is to work diligently to become the top philanthropist in the world.

I have committed to giving away 80% of my wealth, much of it in India, but also in other countries.

I became convinced that there was greater satisfaction from giving my money away and seeing something come out of the ground, like a hospital or a university.

I think the tradition of philanthropy is far better developed in the U.S. than in India, as is the whole notion of giving away 50% of your wealth while you are still living and not waiting till you're gone.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have their 'Giving Pledge,' where billionaires promise to give away the majority of their wealth when they die. My Social Security Pledge is better - to give money to good causes when you are alive. Besides, more Americans can participate.