Giving is commonly recognized as one of the most fundamental human qualities, demonstrating one's humanity and potential for self-transcendence. Giving also holds a special place in the Buddha's teaching, one that distinguishes it as the foundation and germ of spiritual development. According to the Pali suttas, the Buddha's "graduated exposition" of the Dhamma always began with a "talk on giving" (dānakatha). The Buddha often started his speeches by elaborating on the value of practicing giving to a group of people who had not yet accepted him as their teacher. The other aspects of his teaching, such as morality, the law of kamma, and the advantages of renunciation, would only be introduced after his audience had developed an understanding of this virtue and only after all of these principles had left an impression on their minds would he elaborate on the Four Noble Truths, which were the Awakened Ones' singular discovery.