If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
If you sell a man a fish, you feed both of you for a lifetime.
There is a time and place for all three. A man on the brink of starvation will not be helped by teaching him how to fish. Sometimes, you just help your fellow humans, and that’s okay. There are also some people who will always be incapable of fishing, no matter how much you try to teach them. That doesn’t mean they’re incapable of anything, though! They just might be lousy at fishing. But if they’re great at making shoes, and you aren’t – then sell that man a fish!
He gets fish, you get shoes, and both of you thrive.
The Opportunity Machine 