Isak Dinesen Quotes

The worse thing in the world is for an individual to live, breath and exist and leave this earth, die, and not make impact.

I hope, when I stop, people will think that somehow I mattered.

… we have one life on this planet. We have one chance to live it and to contribute to the future of society and the future of life. The only "afterlife" is what other people remember of you.

You don't get to choose what your legacy is.

I am only here on this earth for a short period of time, like the rest of the country and citizens, and I want the time that I spend here on earth to matter.

We build our legacy piece by piece, and maybe the whole world will remember you or maybe just a couple of people, but you do what you can to make sure you're still around after you're gone.

I think when you think of death as being part of the life cycle and recognize that death is an inevitability for our species because the world has to be renewed with each death, then the hope becomes when it is renewed it will be renewed by people on whom I have had some influence for good.

If something comes to life in others because of you, then you have made an approach to immortality.

The value of life is not in its duration, but in its donation. You are not important because of how long you live, you are important because of how effective you live.

We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.

My dad told me when I went into high school, 'It's not what you do when you walk in the door that matters. It's what you do when you walk out.' That's when you've made a lasting impression.

We're only on the earth for a short period of time. Movies aren't enough. I want to take my success and parlay it into something bigger and better.

Everyone has to die someday. I'd rather die after doing something worthwhile.

I do not want to pass the time. I want to grab hold of it and leave my mark upon the world.

Your words can permanently influence a life.

We have to make a mark, even if it's only a scribble.

If I die tomorrow or in a year, it is the same — it is the message you leave behind you that counts.

Death without the possibility of ever changing the world is the same as a life that never was.

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

I think - you know, I'm a guy that - I don't live on the earth just to walk it. I live on here to make a difference.

I'm gonna live till I die.

If it doesn't start with you, it dies with you.

I would like, before I die, to see the changes I've always fought for being made. If not, my life will have been worth nothing.

I've always had a philosophy that position doesn't define power. Impact defines power. What impact are you making on people? What impact are you making on business?

When you're dead, you're dead. No one is going to remember me when I'm dead. Oh, maybe a few friends will remember me affectionately. Being remembered isn't the most important thing, anyhow. It's what you do when you are here that's important.