41 Pay It Forward Quotes to Share Your Compassion and Kindness

Sometimes we don't realize how small, kind acts of service can make a massive difference. We have most likely done things we don't remember that have left a positive mark on someone for years to come. Read the 41 quotes below to learn more about the positive impact and philosophy of paying it forward.

Paying it forward is a very familiar concept to many of us, yet sometimes, we forget to implement it. This is not surprising or something to be ashamed of. We are so busy trying to get our own lives that it seems impossible to help others.

However, we need not make grand gestures unless we have the time and ability. In fact, even smiling at a stranger who looks a bit down can do something small to brighten that individual's day—and who knows? They may pass that positivity onto someone else in their life. Read the 41 quotes below to find out more about paying it forward.

Princess Diana’s quote: "Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day, someone might do the same for you." | Image: AmoDays

Pay It Forward with No Expectations Quotes

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." — John Wooden

"You're giving me a brand-new Jaguar, and you don't want anything?" — Jay Mohr, "Pay It Forward"

"If you can't pay it back, pay it forward." — Catherine Ryan Hyde

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day, someone might do the same for you." — Princess Diana

"Parenting is the greatest pay-it-forward system on earth. We don't owe our parents anything. We owe our children everything. The same was true for our parents. The same will be true for our children." ― Dan Pearce

Greg Epstein’s quote: "Learning to pay it forward can add a tremendous sense of meaning and dignity to our lives. Simply put, it feels good to give to others, whether we get back or not." | Image: AmoDays

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." — Muhammad Ali

"I hope the fruits of my labor are ripe for many generations to come." — Donovan Nichols

"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." — Ronald Reagan

"Learning to pay it forward can add a tremendous sense of meaning and dignity to our lives. Simply put, it feels good to give to others, whether we get back or not." — Greg Epstein

"It takes each of us to make a difference for all of us." — Jackie Mutcheson

Iris Murdoch’s quotes from, “The Bell”: "Our actions are like ships which we may watch set out to sea, and not know when or with what cargo they will return to port.” | Image: AmoDays

"Together, we can change the world, one good deed at a time." — Ron Hall

"The greatest effects we have on the world are the ones we can never see." ― Chris Matakas, "The Tao of Jiu Jitsu"

"Our actions are like ships which we may watch set out to sea, and not know when or with what cargo they will return to port." ― Iris Murdoch, "The Bell"

"I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are—even if they're bad—to change. 'Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses." — Trevor McKenney

Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote: "Everyone can be great because everyone can serve." | Image: AmoDays

"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted." — Aesop

"Because it proves that you don't need much to change the entire world for the better. You can start with the most ordinary ingredients. You can start with the world you've got." ― Catherine Ryan Hyde

Pay If Forward Quotes about Being Rich at Heart

"For it is in giving that we receive." — St. Francis Assisi

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." — Mark Twain

"Be kind. No act of kindness or compassion ever goes unnoticed by the eyes of God. Every loving deed you do is etched into the hallways of heaven by an angel's graceful hand." — Robert Clancy

St. Francis Assisi’s quote: "For it is in giving that we receive." | Image: AmoDays

"Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich." — Sarah Bernhardt

"If you stop for one second and do something, everyone is happy. You pay it forward, and it comes back to you twelve-fold." — Mariska Hargitay

"Pay it forward with free compliments. They are returned in due time. NetworkEtiquette.net." ― David Chiles

"A purposeful act or extension of kindness to another is never wasted, for it always resides in the hearts of all involved in a chain of love." ― Molly Friedenfeld

"We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." — Winston Churchill

Sarah Bernhardt’s quote: "Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich." | Image: AmoDays

More Pay It Forward Quotes

"When you learn, teach. When you get, give." — Maya Angelou

"In a world like this, you pay it forward, 'cause more than likely you didn't deserve it when you got it the first time." ― Mindy McGinnis, "In a Handful of Dust"

"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" — Matthew 22:39

"Figure out what you're good at and start helping other people with it; give it away. Pay it forward." — Naval Ravikant

Winston Churchill’s quote: "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” | Image: AmoDays

"There is no wrong way to perform an act of kindness." — Catherine Ryan Hyde

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back." — Maya Angelou

"Our job on earth isn't to criticize, reject, or judge. Our purpose is to offer a helping hand, compassion, and mercy. We are to do unto others as we hope they would do unto us." ― Dana Arcuri

"A life lived for others is the only life worth living." — Albert Einstein

Mindy McGinnis’ quote from “In a Handful of Dust“: In a world like this, you pay it forward, 'cause more than likely you didn't deserve it when you got it the first time.” | Image: AmoDays

"One can never pay in gratitude: one can only pay 'in kind' somewhere else in life." — Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"Spread good energy. Pay it forward!" — Brittany Maynard

"When we're struck with cruelty, we can either inflict the same on others like it's a rite of passage or decide that here is where it stops." ― Joyce Rachelle

"Everyone can be great because everyone can serve." — Martin Luther King Jr.

Joyce Rachelle’s quote: “When we're struck with cruelty, we can either inflict the same on others like it's a rite of passage, or decide that here is where it stops.” | Image: AmoDays

"Simply put: we don't build services to make money; we make money to build better services." — Mark Zuckerberg

"Just smiling at someone walking down the street can make the person's day. It's all about paying it forward." — Mariska Hargitay

"Is that what you want for your birthday? Everybody to pay it forward?'" – Chris Chandler, "Pay It Forward"

"Be the change you want to see in the world." — Gandhi

Mariska Hargitay’s quote: "Just smiling at someone walking down the street can make the person's day. It's all about paying it forward." | Image: AmoDays

So, next time in the morning when you're in a hurry, take a moment to make your partner a nice cup of coffee or send a friend you haven't seen in ages a message telling them you miss them and hope they're well.

Of course, you can work at homeless shelters, animal rescue centers, or clean up beaches and should consider doing so if possible. However, we don't need to change the world overnight. Rather, we can begin by making our own little world around us lighter, happier, and healthier.

If you're reading this article, you are probably a kind-hearted soul who wants to leave the world a better place. Read these 61 good heart quotes for all the kind souls out there.