"There is sublime thieving in all giving. Someone gives us all he has and we are his"

Every act of giving, at its core, involves an element of taking, a paradox that Eric Hoffer captures with evocative precision: “There is sublime thieving in all giving. Someone gives us all he has and we are his.” To give, truly and completely, is to offer up a piece of oneself, to relinquish ownership of something dear or vital. The act is selfless, yet inherently powerful, for in the process of gifting, the giver also claims an intimate hold over the recipient.

When someone gives all they possess, the dynamic between giver and receiver is profoundly altered. Gift-giving, especially when wholehearted, forges an invisible but potent bond. The recipient, having accepted such total generosity, becomes entwined with the giver, a subtle indebtedness or loyalty emerging. The “sublime thieving” that Hoffer describes is not a vulgar or base theft, it is exalted, veiled within the noblest intentions, yet nonetheless real. The giver takes, in a spiritual sense, the heart or allegiance of the receiver. By being the beneficiary of total self-giving, one becomes, in a way, possessed, linked, claimed.

This interplay reveals the complexity of generosity. There is no pure asymmetry in giving; even at its most self-effacing, it wields influence. The act of giving redefines identities and relationships: those who receive great gifts often feel an obligation, a pull, or even a longing to reciprocate, to belong, or to serve. Thus, to give everything is, paradoxically, to gain another’s faith, devotion, or even sense of self. At its most profound, giving dissolves boundaries, transforming both the giver and the recipient, joining them inextricably through the sublime thieving that comes not by force or fraud, but by grace, gratitude, and the deep currents of human connection.