Snapshot · The School of Greatness
The nonprofit Pencils of Promise, founded by Adam Braun, has built more than 500 schools globally, potentially approaching 1,000, supporting children's education in developing communities.
Where this was said
At 53:55 · chapter starts 51:40
Howes opens by crediting Tony Robbins with the principle 'the secret to living is giving,' then immediately acknowledges how difficult this feels when you are broke. But he insists: every wealthy person he has ever interviewed cites generosity as a core life principle — not out of naivety, but because they understand that abundance is not a fixed pie. [1] — Lewis Howes "Adam Braun gave a pencil to a child while backpacking through developing countries. The child's response — he'd wished for a pencil because…" 52:25 To make this concrete, he tells the story of Adam Braun, founder of Pencils of Promise, a friend who began backpacking through Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos during college. Braun gave a pencil to a child who had wished for exactly that — not food or money, but a pencil, because he wanted to learn. The child's lit-up response became the catalyst for Pencils of Promise, which has now built more than 500 schools globally. Howes has contributed to the organisation for 14–15 years, beginning when he first started learning the generosity principle from wealthy people he encountered through the proximity principle. He frames generosity as a mindset signal: when you give freely, you signal to yourself and others that you operate from abundance, which attracts more of it. He closes with a practical caveat — discernment matters. Giving without boundaries to takers is not generosity; it is self-depletion. But leading with a generous heart in business, in relationships, and in community builds trust and loyalty that no tactic can replicate.
Every wealthy person Howes has interviewed cites generosity as a core wealth principle — not naivety, but strategy. Abundance is not finite: it expands when shared. When you give freely — money, time, knowledge — you signal an abundance mindset that attracts more, and you build trust that no tactic can buy.
Adam Braun gave a pencil to a child while backpacking through developing countries. The child's response — he'd wished for a pencil because he wanted to learn — inspired Braun to found Pencils of Promise, which has now built 500 or more schools globally. Howes has supported the charity for 15 years as part of his own generosity practice.
Howes has been contributing annually to nonprofits, including Pencils of Promise, for approximately 14–15 years as part of his intentional generosity wealth strategy.
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