"There are times we are givers, but others time we have to let others give to us"
About this Quote
The subtext is permission. Letting others give to you is not just practical; it is relational. Receiving is how you allow someone else to matter, to show up, to feel useful, to participate in your life beyond applause and proximity. In that sense, refusing help can be its own kind of selfishness: it denies others the dignity of contributing and keeps intimacy at arm's length.
Coming from a celebrity, the context sharpens. Public figures live in an economy of taking and being taken from: attention, access, favors, expectations. They are surrounded by professional "givers" (teams, staff, fans) while also being pressured to perform generosity as brand maintenance. Hoffman's phrasing nudges against that performance. It's less "be kind" and more "stop confusing independence with strength". The slightly awkward cadence ("others time") even reads like an unscripted admission, which makes it feel less like a slogan and more like lived experience: the moment you realize that being cared for is not a debt, it's a bond.
Quote Details
| Topic | Kindness |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Hoffman, Paul. (2026, January 16). There are times we are givers, but others time we have to let others give to us. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/there-are-times-we-are-givers-but-others-time-we-85383/
Chicago Style
Hoffman, Paul. "There are times we are givers, but others time we have to let others give to us." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/there-are-times-we-are-givers-but-others-time-we-85383/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"There are times we are givers, but others time we have to let others give to us." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/there-are-times-we-are-givers-but-others-time-we-85383/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.









