110+ Inspiring Quotes About Making A Difference In The World
With all that is happening in the world right now and with the so many global issues we hear about on the news, it can feel pretty overwhelming and discouraging to think that just one person can make a difference.
But, it only takes one person to make a difference in the world. One action, one habit, and one person at a time, we can make a positive, long-lasting difference in others and the world we live in.
Here I have listed 110+ inspiring quotes on making a difference that will motivate you to cultivate the changes you want to see both in the world and yourself.
Table of Contents
110+ Inspiring Quotes On Making A Difference In The World

Inspirational Quotes About Making A Difference In The world
1. “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
2. “Never underestimate the difference YOU can make in the lives of others. Step forward, reach out and help. This week reach to someone that might need a lift”
– Pablo
3. “Everyone can do simple things to make a difference, and every little bit really does count.”
– Stella McCartney
4. “Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.”
– Minor Myers
5. “Even though the world is large, one person can still make a world of difference.”
– Frank Sonnenberg
6. “Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will be the same again.”
– Paul Young
7. “You are never too insignificant to make a difference.”
– Gift Gugu Mona
8. “The question is not whether you can make a difference in the world but what useful difference you can make!”
– Mehmet Murat Ildan
9. “You don’t have to know a lot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world.”
– John Piper
10. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
11. “It’s the curiosity that drives me. It’s making a difference in the world that prevents me from ever giving up.”
– Deborah Meier
12. “Life is a song, and the difference you make is the lyrics.”
– Michael Bassey Johnson
13. “We’re here to bring beauty to the world and make a difference on this planet. That’s what art forms are about.”
– Charlie Haden

14. “The best way to make a difference in the world is to start by making a difference in your own life.”
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus
15. “If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.”
– Elaine S. Dalton
16. “The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who have mastered many things, but who have been mastered by one great thing.”
– John Piper
17. “The mind has exactly the same power as the hands: not merely to grasp the world, but to change it.”
– Colin Wilson
18. “Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.”
– Alan Rickman
19. “The most unlikely person can alter the course of history.”
– Sarah J. Maas
20. “When you have discovered your significance, your life will now begin to move towards making a difference in the world.”
– Sunday Adelaja
21. “You can make a difference in the world, wherever you are. It begins with a decision and defined purpose.”
– Lailah Gifty Akita
22. “It’s always inspiring to me to meet people who feel that they can make a difference in the world. That’s their motive, that’s their passion… I think that’s what makes your life meaningful, that’s what fills your own heart and that’s what gives you purpose.”
– Maria Shriver
make a difference in the world quotes
23. “To make a difference in the world, it only takes one optimistic person, who can gather millions of people to make the change.”
– Gia Russell
24. “You don’t have to be a billionaire to believe you can make a difference in the world. Give your resources to a charity and volunteer in your community.”
– Germany Kent
25. “We can choose to be affected by the world or we can choose to affect the world.”
– Heidi Wills
26. “I believe that every single one of us, celebrity or not, has a responsibility to get involved in trying to make a difference in the world.”
– Shakira
27. “The world belongs to those who want to make a difference, and gender is no barrier.”
– Ananya Birla
28. “When YOU stop believing one person in the world cannot make a difference; differences in the world will be made.”
– Kellie Elmore
29. “Knowing your purpose on earth is simple, but the task here is to bring about the success of your destiny.”
– Michael Bassey Johnson
30. “We may not have the ability to change all of the world’s wrongs, but we can make a difference where we are.”
– Dillon Burroughs
31. “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
– Leo Tolstoy

32. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can make a difference in the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead
33. “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would impact the earth.”
– William Faulkner
34. “When you encourage others, you in the process are encouraged because you’re making a commitment and difference in the world.”
– Zig Ziglar
35. “We cannot do everything, but we can all do something.”
– Dillon Burroughs
you are making a difference
36. “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”
– John F. Kennedy
37. “Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.”
– Christine Todd Whiteman
38. “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.”
– Edward Everett Hale
39. “You will have to make up for the smallness of your size by your courage and selfless devotion to duty, for it is not life that matters, but the courage, fortitude, and determination you bring to it.”
– Muhammad Ali Jinnah
40. “Understand and be confident that each of us can make a difference by caring and acting in small as well as big ways.”
– Marian Wright Edelman
41. “…everybody wants to make a difference, but nobody is willing to be different.”
– Andy Andrews
42. “I never said to be like me, I say be yourself and make a difference.”
– Marilyn Manson
43. “Ultimately, it’s the little things that make a difference.”
– Chris Smalling
44. “It’s not how much you have but what you do with what you have makes a difference.”
– Dr. Lucas D. Shallua

45. “Little things can make a big difference.”
– Yogi Berra
46. “Time doesn’t change things. It’s how we use our time that makes the difference.”
– Richie Norton
47. “Bad things happen every day. How you deal with it makes all the difference.”
– Laarni Venus Marie Giango
48. “Everything I do is with a purpose and intent of wanting to make a difference.”
– Katrina Adams
49. “One person can make a difference, even if it takes forty years.”
– Fred Korematsu
50. “I just try to go out and help others, to do whatever I can to make a difference.”
– Dakota Meyer
51. “Whatever I do, I want to make a difference.”
– Madelyn Cline
52. “Change starts with YOU. When you step up, you invite others to step up, too.”
– Mandy Hale
53. “Find something that you are passionate about in making a difference and you’ll find a waiting kinship of people willing to unite for the cause.”
– Wes Adamson
54. “One person really can make a difference. Each person is the revolution.”
– Bryant McGill
55. “People want to feel what they do makes a difference.”
– Frances Hesselbein
56. “No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.”
– Aesop
57. “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
– Samuel Dash
58. “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events.”
– Robert F. Kennedy
59. “What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain. You can always make a difference.”
– Maya Angelou
60. “You are making a difference, even if you don’t feel like it.”
– Unknown
quotes about making a difference in someone’s life
61. “Kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters. Make a difference for another today.”
– Amy Leigh Mercree
62. “To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care enough and be there.”
– Unknown
63. “There is no greater joy, nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life.”
– Mary Rose McGeady

64. “We can ALWAYS make a difference to someone, no matter what role we play.”
– Lindsey Sterling
65. “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.”
– Mandy Hale
66. “Aim to make a difference in someone’s life every single day, including your own.”
– Doe Zantamata
67. “I am just glad that I can make a difference in someone’s life.”
– Tommy Chong
68. “I think everyone can make a difference, I think even smiling at someone in the morning can make his/her day.”
– Manusi Chillar
69. “Leadership offers an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, no matter what the project.”
– Bill Owens
70. 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.”
– Marian Deegan
Inspirational you make a difference quotes
71. “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
72. “Oh, it makes a difference, I thought. And if it doesn’t make a difference you will make it make a difference.”
– Chaim Potok
73. “I salute every individual who honors the core values of peace and help in one way or another to make a difference.”
– Widad Akrawi
74. “I believe that I am purposed to make a difference in the lives of others and without the Practice of Gratitude, my making a difference is just not possible!”
– Sandra C Bibb
75. “Yes, you can make a difference! You can speak on behalf of those who are voiceless.”
– E.N. Supen
76. “One sentence can make a difference, and the writer of that sentence can be you.”
– Ogwo David Emenike
77. “Yes, well I really hope I can make a difference, even in the smallest way. I am looking forward to helping as much as I can.”
– Kate Middleton
78. “You can’t make a difference until you dare to be different.”
– Orrin Woodward
79. “You reach a certain point in your life where the things you do and say do make a difference.”
– Jimmy Webb
80. “If your presence doesn’t make an impact, your absence won’t make a difference.”
– Trey Smith

81. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
82. “It’s only when we can work with something that brings out our strengths that we’re of any real use.”
– Henning Mankell
83. “I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that, then I realized I am somebody.”
– Unknown
84. “Be different to make a difference.”
– Debasish Mridha
85. “It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
86. “It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to grow, transform and make a difference.”
Roy T. Bennett
87. “Being different is a revolving door in your life where secure people enter and insecure exit.”
– Shannon L. Alder
88. “Don’t let your luggage define your travels, each life unravels differently.”
– Shane Koyczan
89. “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
90. “We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.”
– Bill Clinton
91. “There is very little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude.”
– W. Clement Stone
92. “You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Motivational Quotes: Make A Difference
93. “If you cannot feed a hundred people, feed one.”
– Mother Teresa
94. “A person cannot shine light if he is afraid of the dark.”
– Orrin Woodward
95. “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”
– Jimmy Carter
96. “In this life, we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
– Mother Teresa
97. “If we don’t make our own future, it will be made for us.”
– Mike Klepper
98. “Whatever change you desire for the world, create that change in your own life. You are here for a purpose. Seek it out. Hunt it down.”
– Matthew Kelly
99. “Naturally have a belief that you can make a difference and you will make it unknowingly.”
– Oscar Auliq-Ice
100. “It’s time to stop being spectators. Do things. Join things. Make things happen. Make a contribution. Make a difference. Get out there. Don’t keep calm and carry on. Get angry, and change this benighted world. Is there anything else than the masses who wait for others to do things?”
– Thomas Stark

101. “Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader. They set out to make a difference. It is never about the role – always about the goal.”
– Lisa Haisha
102. “Seize the day, make a difference; never wait for a handout.”
– Carlos Wallace
103. “Don’t chase success. Decide to make a difference and success will find you.”
– Jon Gordon
104. “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.”
– Oscar Auliq-Ice
105. “I choose bold. I choose action. I choose what’s right for the people. I choose to make a difference.”
– Bill Richardson
106. “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.”
– Bob Riley
107. “Be the change you want to see.”
– Unknown
108. “To make a difference, you have to have large aspirations.”
– Roshni Nadar
109. “Don’t wait for something to happen, make it happen. Make a difference!”
– Collin Schabenbeck
110. “If you truly believe you can make a difference, then you will make a difference. Believe in yourself, your family, your community and you will win.”
– Lindsay Fox
Each and every one of us can be the change we want to see happening in the world. So, instead of trying to fix everybody else, what we should do is to be the example of what we think the world should be.
Remember, it only takes one to make a difference!
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Theresa Bedford is a minimal-ish advocate, storyteller, and wellness enthusiast who believes that simplicity is the key to wellness and a more intentional, fulfilling life. After realizing she was spending too much time searching for things—both physically and mentally—she embraced minimalism, not as a rigid rule, but as a way to create space for what truly matters.