"Man acts rightly when he takes the good of all as his aim and rule of action; for he then obeys the law of God." (The Spirits' Book, 3, chp 1, no 629)
"It is necessary for each to have done good also, to the utmost limits of his ability; for each of you will have to answer, not only for all the evil he has done, but also for all the good which he has failed to do." (The Spirits' Book, 3, chp 1, no 642)
"There are none who cannot do some good; the selfish alone find no opportunity of so doing. The mere fact of being in relation with other human beings suffices to furnish the opportunity of doing good, and every day of your lives provides this possibility for every one who is not blinded by selfishness. For doing good is not restricted to the giving of alms, but also comprehends being useful to the full extent of your power, whenever your assistance may be needed." (The Spirits' Book, 3, chp 1, no 643)
"The law of charity includes all the others, and it is therefore through the observance of this law that mankind advances most rapidly in spiritual life." (The Spirits' Book, 3, Chp 1, no 648)
"The strong should work for the weak; where family-help is not to be had, society should supply its place. Such is the law of charity." (The Spirits' Book, 3, Chp 3, no 685)
"What is to be thought of those who monopolize the productions of the earth, in order to procure for themselves superfluities, at the expense of others who lack the necessaries of life? 'They forget the law of God, and will have to answer for the privations they have caused others to endure.'" (The Spirits' Book, 3, Chp 5, no 717)
"Why do they not rather labor for the good of their fellow-creatures? Let them clothe the naked; let them comfort those who mourn; let them work for the infirm; let them impose privations upon themselves for the sake of the unfortunate and the needy; and their life will be useful, and pleasing to God." (The Spirits' Book, 3, Chp 3, no 726)
"God has placed in the heart of man, as the true rule of all justice, the desire which each of you feels to see his own rights respected. When uncertain as to what he should do in regard to his fellow-creature in any given conjuncture, let each man ask himself what he would wish to have done to him-self under the same circumstances; God could not give him a safer guide than his own conscience." (The Spirits' Book, 3, Chp 11, no 876)
"True charity is always gentle as well as benevolent, for it consists as much in the manner of doing a kindness as in the deed itself. A service, if delicately rendered, has a double value; but if rendered with haughtiness, though want may compel its acceptance, the recipient's heart is not touched by it...You must distinguish between alms-giving, properly so-called, and beneficence. The most necessitous is not always he who begs by the wayside. Many, who are really poor, are restrained from begging by the dread of humiliation, and suffer silently and in secret: he who is really humane seeks out this hidden misery, and relieves it without ostentation...Be therefore charitable; not merely by the cold bestowal of a coin on the mendicant who ventures to beg it of you, but by seeking out the poverty that hides itself from view. " (The Spirits' Book, 3, Chp 11, no 888)
"Man is often rendered selfish by his experience of the selfishness of others, which makes him feel the need of defending himself against them. Seeing that others think of themselves and not of him, he is led to think of himself rather than of others. But let the principle of charity and fraternity become the basis of social institutions, of the legal relations between nation and nation and between man and man, and each individual will think less of his own personal interests, because he will see that these have been thought of by others; he will experience the moralising influence of example and of contact. Amidst the present overflow of selfishness, much virtue is needed to enable a man to sacrifice his own interests for the sake of others, who often feel but little gratitude for such abnegation; but it is above all to those who possess this virtue that the Kingdom of Heaven is opened, and the happiness of the
elect assured." (The Spirits' Book, 3, Chp 12, no 917)