Certainly it is from experiencing this generosity of God and the generosity of those in our life that we learn gratitude and to be generous to others.

Desmond Tutu

Generosity and Gratitude

Topic: Gratitude

Like humility, generosity comes from seeing that everything we have and everything we accomplish comes from God’s grace and God’s love for us… Certainly it is from experiencing this generosity of God and the generosity of those in our life that we learn gratitude and to be generous to others.

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 1931 – 26 December 2021) was a distinguished South African Anglican Archbishop and theologian known globally for his dedicated work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. His involvement in the fight against racial segregation in South Africa during the apartheid era was steadfast and resulted in significant contributions to the nation's quest for racial equality. In recognition of his efforts, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. His leadership and moral courage were instrumental in transitioning South Africa towards a more reconciled society.

Tutu was deeply religious and his belief in God, perceived as both a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, played a major role in his life and advocacy. This belief, which extended beyond traditional Anglican theology, played a significant role in his stance on gender equality. His faith, therefore, wasn't simply a personal doctrine, but it also guided his public advocacy and influenced his approach towards human rights.

Tutu was also a strong proponent of Ubuntu, an African philosophy that stresses the interconnectedness of humanity. This concept aligns with the idea that one's well-being is tied to the well-being of others. Tutu's acknowledgment of advancements in human rights and his continued efforts for improvement were reflective of this philosophy. Despite the challenges he faced during the apartheid era, Tutu remained committed to advocating for a world where peace, justice, and dignity were accessible to everyone. Through his lifetime, Desmond Tutu left an enduring mark on society, and his legacy continues to inspire those who pursue equality and human rights.

(1931-2021) Christianity
God Has A Dream

Tutu. Desmond. God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Times. Edited by Douglas Abrams, Rider, 2004.

Desmond Tutu

Theme: Gratefulness

About This Desmond Tutu Quotation [Commentary]

In God Has a Dream, Archbishop Desmond Tutu describes how humility and generosity arise when we recognize that “everything we have and everything we accomplish comes from God’s grace and God’s love for us.” This awareness shifts the center of our lives from self-reliance to relationship. What we receive is not earned through effort alone but given through grace. In this way, generosity flows not from obligation or willpower but from the understanding that we are held and supported beyond ourselves.

Desmond Tutu goes on to say, “Certainly it is from experiencing this generosity of God and the generosity of those in our life that we learn gratitude and to be generous to others.” Gratitude, in his view, is not cultivated in isolation. It comes from receiving love, help, and support—from God and from others—and recognizing these as gifts rather than guarantees. This kind of gratitude grounds us in relationship, not comparison or scarcity. It allows us to see that we are part of a shared life, shaped by the kindness that surrounds us.

When Desmond Tutu speaks of learning gratitude through experience, he points toward a way of living that acknowledges dependence without shame. Rather than seeing need as weakness, he frames it as the starting point for both gratitude and generosity. To receive well is to recognize grace; to give in return is to live out that recognition. Gratitude, then, becomes not just a feeling but a practice shaped by what we have been given—and how we choose to respond.

Spiritual Practice: Journaling for Gratitude

Gratitude, as we have seen, is an extremely important part of joy because it allows us to savor life and to recognize that most of our good fortune in life comes from others. The gratitude practice is very simple. To expand it you can go back to the humility practice, which also involves gratitude and appreciation for all those who have made it possible for you to be you. The gratitude practice is meant to be one you can do daily, to help you appreciate large and small blessings. This practice can also be done at the end of the day, when reflecting on whether you fulfilled the intention you set in the morning. You can also do this practice together with your spouse or a friend.

Close your eyes and recall three things from your day for which you are grateful. They can be anything from the kindness and generosity of a friend to the bounty of a meal to the warmth of the sun to the beauty of a night sky. Try to be as specific as you can be in recalling what you are grateful for.
Write these three things down in a journal. while you can do this exercise in your head, keeping a list of what you are grateful for has been shown to have many physical and emotional benefits over time. Each time you journal, try to write down three different things. Variation is the key to effective gratitude journaling.

—Douglas Abrams with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu [From “The Book of Joy,” The Eight Pillars of Joy, #6. Gratitude: I Am Fortunate to Be Alive] pp. 336-337.

Additional Desmond Tutu Quotes

“What God intended for each of us is that we would be members of one human family. We are made for interdependence, made to live in an incredible dedicated web of interdependence. A world where I make up what is lacking in you and you make up what is lacking in me. When we break that fundamental law of being, then all kinds of things go horribly wrong. We certainly cannot survive in a society that is so thoroughly unequal and totally unsustainable.”

—Desmond Tutu [Remarks upon winning the Templeton Prize, Cape Town (April 11, 2013)].

“One prays that we will recover the spirit of Ubuntu, the spirit saying I am because you are. We pray that South Africa will recover its own sense of worth of every single human being, recover our Ubuntu, and become a generous, caring, compassionate society.”

—Desmond Tutu [Remarks upon winning the Templeton Prize, Cape Town (April 11, 2013)].

Gratitude: I Am Fortunate to Be Alive

Gratitude is fundamental to joy. It, quite literally, allows us to generate our own happiness.

“Gratitude,” writes Abrams, “is the recognition of all that holds us in the web of life and all that has made it possible to have the life that we have and the moment that we are experiencing.” It allows us to shift our focus from what we lack to what we have. If acceptance is not fighting reality, gratitude means embracing it, counting blessings rather than burdens.

Our minds have a naturally negative bias—after all, being able to point out what is wrong or dangerous is advantageous to survival. But we need to be conscious of this, and purposeful in our gratitude. Our time on Earth is limited. Why waste it by miring ourselves in negativity?

Gratitude also connects us to others. When we are truly grateful, we remember all of those who help make our happiness possible, who bring goodness into our lives. We, then, are able to recognize those people, and enjoy them and their differences.

In this way, we can be made joyful by the world and people around us, instead of finding ourselves filled with anger and despair.

—Douglas Abrams with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu [From “The Book of Joy,” The Eight Pillars of Joy, #6. Gratitude: I Am Fortunate to Be Alive].

Generosity and Gratitude

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