Best 289 quotes in «making a difference quotes» category

Change starts with YOU. When you step up, you invite others to step up, too.

Discourse and critical thinking are essential tools when it comes to securing progress in a democratic society. But in the end, unity and engaged participation are what make it happen.

Do Something! I was sitting on a plane after a long, tiring business trip. I was a bit grouchy and irritable because the rigorous schedule I had made for myself left me exhausted. Looking to not talk to the person next to me and simply endure the flight, I decided to open my newspaper and read about what was happening in the world. As I continued to read, it seemed that everywhere I looked there were stories of injustice, pain, suffering, and people losing hope. Finally, fueled by my tired, irritable state, I became overcome with compassion and frustration for the way things were. I got up and went to the bathroom and broke down. With tears streaming down my face, I helplessly looked to the sky and yelled to God. “God, look at this mess. Look at all this pain and suffering. Look at all this killing and hate. God, how could you let this happen? Why don’t you do something?” Just then, a quiet stillness pacified my heart. A feeling of peace I won’t ever forget engulfed my body. And, as I looked into my own eyes in the mirror, the answer to my own question came back to me… “Steve, stop asking God to do something. God already did something, he gave you life. Now YOU do something!

Good advice for anyone wanting to make an impact with a product, a service or even a message is to differentiate yourself.

Extending gratitude to another says, “I see what you’ve done and I thank you for the energy you put forth.

Falling from the sky like the rain, And I fly and sing like the little birds..., Movements that are not in vain, Everything has a life made of words.

Here's the thing about Hazel: Almost everyone is obsessed with leaving a mark upon the world. Bequeathing a legacy. Outlasting death. We all want to be remembered. I do, too. That's what bothers me most, is being another unremembered casualty in the ancient and inglorious war against disease. I want to leave a mark. But Van Houten: The marks humans leave are too often scars. You build a hideous minimall or start a coup or try to become a rock star and you think, "They'll remember me now," but (a) they don't remember you, and (b) all you leave behind are more scars. Your coup becomes a dictatorship. Your minimall becomes a lesion. ... We are like a bunch of dogs squirting on fire hydrants. We poison the groundwater with our toxic piss, marking everything MINE in a ridiculous attempt to survive our deaths. I can't stop pissing on fire hydrants. I know it's silly and useless--epically useless in my current state--but I am an animal like any other. Hazel is different. She walks lightly, old man. She walks lightly upon the earth. Hazel knows the truth: We're as likely to hurt the universe as we are to help it, and we're not likely to do either. People will say it's sad that she leaves a lesser scar, that fewer remember her, that she was loved deeply but not widely. But it's not sad, Van Houten. It's triumphant. It's heroic. Isn't that the real heroism? Like the doctors say: First, do no harm. The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention. The guy who invented the smallpox vaccine didn't actually invent anything. He just noticed that people with cowpox didn't get smallpox. ... But then I wanted more time so we could fall in love. I got my wish, I suppose. I left my scar. ... What else? She is so beautiful. You don't get tired of looking at her. You never worry if she is smarter than you: You know she is. She is funny without ever being mean. I love her. I am so lucky to love her, Van Houten. You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.

Having a vested interest in other souls unconditionally creates a ripple effect that produces miracles in the lives of those around us.

If we don’t make our own future, it will be made for us.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

If there are no new ideas, there is no innovation. And if there is no creativity, there are no new ideas.

How can God allow such abominations to flourish unchecked in this world? The answer came in a question, Ruby. God, in reply, asked, "How can you?

If the idea of loving those whom you have been taught to recognize as your enemies is too overwhelming, consider more deeply the observation that we are all much more alike than we are unalike.

If we wish to truly experience a life that makes an eternal difference, the power within us is not enough. It is the power God offers that matters.

If you're trying to serve someone in need and it doesn't hurt a little, you're doing something wrong. Sure, it's nice to lend a helping hand, but true compassion causes your heart to break - even at the moment you're helping... When people say the only reason to help the less fortunate is so you can feel better about yourself, I laugh. Those people obviously have never lived among the poor, the destitute, the heartbroken. They have never put themselves out there and truly suffered with someone in pain. This idea that philanthropy is self-medication is not true; in fact, it's so outrageous that it's laughable. If you're really helping someone in pain - if you're really experiencing compassion - you can't help but hurt too. This is the litmus test for those aspiring to make a difference in others' lives: Do we feel cheery about the work we're doing, or does it hurt a little, maybe even a lot? If the latter, you're on the right track.

If you want to make a difference, think different

It's not about what I SEE for our future, or humanity; It's about what I DO for our future and humanity.

I know that compared to industries, corporations, and governments, an individual is insignificant. In measureable terms my actions hardly matter. But feeling tiny does not have to end at why bother.

Learn to appreciate every moment of your life, stop thinking of the future too much, you have a choice to make a difference in your life at any time you wish.

I wanna leave this world better than I found it. I have the ability to draw people to my comedy shows so I wanna use that blessing not to make money but to make a difference.

Let’s get out there and make a difference or die trying!

Let’s get out there and make a difference.

Letting go is one of the most difficult experiences to deal with whether it's right or wrong. So make the most of every moment you've been gifted with. To whoever you initiate contact with and wherever, try to leave a positive impression. To whoever you have the power to make smile, exploit that power as often and best as you can, because when every other material thing fades, it's those memories that keep us alive

Never give up on you. In order to make a difference you would have to somehow be different.

Making it real starts with our attitude.

Majority of folks out there are trying to make a difference. Don't just make a difference; become the difference!

No matter how little the light is, it might not lighten the whole room, but it will lighten a small part of the room... Now that's a difference!

no one is absolutely free from the woes of life. Not even the one who thinks he is free from the uncertainties of life. Difficulties, challenges, problems and the puzzles of life are a must meet for all and sundry, be it small or enormous, and they are what separate the rich from the poor, the masters from the servants, the wonder from the wander and the givers from the beggars. Our ability to be firm and overcome the storms of life shall enlighten our light to make us different. In life, you either solve that problem or you always have that problem. People are uncommon because they overcome the common problems with common sense and tenacity. If you live your life without providing a panacea to a problem each day, ponder!

Our lives are marked by the people who choose to matter more: the teacher who encouraged our curiosity, the neighbor who lent a helping hand in time of need, the great leaders and perceptive thinkers whose vision and innovation improve the quality of our lives. And that's what it means to matter more. It's not about pursuit of riches or fame. It's about making a difference in people's lives. Remembered or not, lived out in a small town or on the world stage, the journey of relevance matters.

One of the nicest things you can do to kick-start your children’s day is to tell them honestly they look nice as they head out the door. This easy, five-second exchange says to your child: “I see you; I notice you; I love you.

One human can change the course of human history - all it takes is the right idea, at the right time, in the right place. And the right place is where you stand at present, the right time is right this very moment and the right idea is the one that defines your existence the best.

Shit happens everyday. How you deal with it makes all the difference.

People want to feel what they do makes a difference.

The world needs more love and Twitter just figured out a way to send 'hearts all over the world'.

The Crowd Follower: I don’t believe it? The Risk Taker: What exactly you don’t believe? The completion of the project or the process of completion. The Crowd Follower: I don’t believe this can be done this way. No one ever thought of such method, it is beyond my belief. The Risk Taker: Exactly! Your belief was in the failure, you believed its impossible, & when the work progressed, you started questioning the process? The Crowd Follower: I need to know how they made it possible? The Risk Taker: It’s very simple, unlike you. They started with a clean thought process & a missing ingredient, you know what was missing? The belief that it is impossible. They believed it’s possible, & they kept trying & improvising during the process. The absence of a dis-belief resulted in a new method. They discussed the set-backs/failures in a positive manner on making it more effective, and not to declare the project as failure & stop work. It’s the thought process which provides a positive or negative result, when you start negatively you are already working towards proving your point that it’s impossible, didn’t I tell you so? However positive thoughts generates a positive energy that produces improvisation & innovation required to succeed

There is always a TRUTH to be revealed in any situation where your emotions have shifted.

The way you treat people who are in no position to help you, further you, or benefit you reveals the true state of your heart.

They needed this anti-virus. If they could find it, it could make all the difference in the world. They had to hurry, though.

The alternatives in my life went through my mind. Unemployed, alone, despairing, watching daytime TV. That couldn't end well. Or helping people, like genuinely making a difference. Imagine waking up and doing that every day?

The only thing that keeps us from a place of joy is an illusion, the illusion of fear.

To make a difference in the world, it only takes one optimistic person, who can gather millions of people to make the change.

Though you can live for as much as you like, but your longevity is stupidity if you were leading a worthless life.

This is what made the difference, they used social networking for entertainment and I used it for business.

We are not on this earth to just stand still & look pretty. The museums already have enough statues.

Until you go and grow ‎MAD‬ with and in your true passion and purpose, you cannot enter the realm of meteority which is enemical to mediocrity.

We cannot stop this war but we can fight it, in the shadows, the Old Man says. You have a choice. We all have a choice. We can give in to the darkness, or we can fight it, and elect to try and make the world a slightly less terrible place than it is. Perhaps we'll fail. If we succeed in what we do, no one would thank us. If we die, no one will remember us.

We can ALWAYS make a difference to someone, no matter what role we play.

When national ideals are confined to insignificant issues reflective primarily of a personal choice, there lies a problem of distorted priorities.

What lies ahead? Worrying about it or creating it. Both requires a choice, one opens the door.