Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

I learned in my four decades in Washington that one person can make a difference.

In the last analysis, the essential thing is the life of individual. This alone makes history, here alone do the great transformations take place, and the whole future, the whole history of the world, ultimately springs as a gigantic summation from these hidden source in individuals.

It is in the power of every individual to do that which the community as a whole is powerless to effect.

The revolution is carried out by means of one's thought, not through one's family background.

I think that things happen individually first, and then collectively. It's not the other way around.

One person can make a difference. In fact, it's not only possible for one person to make a difference, it's essential that one person makes a difference. And believe it or not, that person is you.

I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go.

So, what we do as individuals matters. It adds up.

Never doubt that one person can make a difference.

I wish I could believe that one person could make a difference.

If you want something you can have it, but you have to do some work. It's the ethic my mother brought me up with.

I really believe in the power of the individual to make change, and our family is a real collection of individuals.

I believe each individual can have a say and make a difference.

Men must make their history themselves through their own actions

It is not one government or another that can solve all of the problems. It's you.

I acted solely on my own responsibility.

Not everything can be solved by government.

I would say if you have a dream - and whether that is you want to be some sort of artist, or you want to start a start-up or a business, anything that very much feels like it's uniquely yours and you may not be able to get traction going through traditional channels - the way to do it is to build it brick by brick on your own in microsteps.

It takes time for people to understand how, as an individual, I can have an impact on the way that society works.

Too often, we rely on other people - whether it be politicians or institutions - to effect change.

One doesn't have to be an activist and start a movement.

Change happens at the level of the individual

In a nation of millions and a world of billions, the individual is still the first and basic agent of change.

And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time.

A lot of times we look at the whole world and think, 'it's so daunting, how can we change the whole world?' and you don't need to do that, what you need to do is change your world a little bit, and see if you can, through example, inspire others to do the same thing.