Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
A community is so much more than people sharing a space. It's a living, breathing network of connections and shared experiences. While it's usually defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common,” true community runs much deeper than that.
Diversity
It doesn’t matter how different we are. What matters in building a community is the desire to live in a peaceful and caring environment, despite all our differences.Good Neighbors
Good Neighbors
When searching for a new place to call home, we hope to stumble upon neighbors who can transform a neighborhood into something meaningful. We all need to be surrounded by people who genuinely care for the well-being of others. Only this type of people can create a community that is more than just a bunch of individuals living next to each other.
It Starts with One
Building a strong community starts with individual contributions, no matter how small. As long as you are kind and willing to help others in need, you’ll be a great community member. In exchange, your community will give you a sense of belonging and the feeling that you are never alone.
Here are 35 quotes on what makes communities special — community service, coming together, engagement, involvement, and support
Quotes about community coming together
One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals.
JEAN VANIER
There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
MARGARET J. WHEATLEY
We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.
HERMAN MELVILLE
There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals.
IDOWU KOYENIKAN
Our generation has the ability and the responsibility to make our ever-more connected world a more hopeful, stable and peaceful place.
NATALIE PORTMAN
Quotes about building community
We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race.
CICERO
Some people think they are in community, but they are only in proximity. True community requires commitment and openness. It is a willingness to extend yourself to encounter and know the other.
DAVID SPANGLER
What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.
KURT VONNEGUT
We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.
DOROTHY DAY
The minute we become an integrated whole, we look through the same eyes and we see a whole different world together.
AZIZAH AL-HIBRI
This world of ours… must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Every person is defined by the communities she belongs to.
ORSON SCOTT CARD
Quotes about community service, engagement, and involvement
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.
MUHAMMAD ALI
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
MAHATMA GANDHI
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Teaching kids how to feed themselves and how to live in a community responsibly is the center of an education.
ALICE WATERS
Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.
SHERRY ANDERSON
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
LEO BUSCAGLIA
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
ANNE FRANK
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
DR. SEUSS
The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.
OSCAR WILDE
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
MAYA ANGELOU
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
JOHN F. KENNEDY
Quotes about community support
In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.
CORETTA SCOTT KING
The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities; but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.
JACQUELINE WOODSON
One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.
SHANNON L. ALDER
No man can become rich without himself enriching others.
ANDREW CARNEGIE
Quotes about community health
The power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic or hospital.
MARK HYMAN
For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people’s love and concern for each other.
MILLARD FULLER
Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women.
MICHELLE OBAMA
When elected officials abandon our environment and ruin our natural resources, public health is endangered. I know the importance of providing a clean environment for our children.
GWEN MOORE
And I believe that the best buy in public health today must be a combination of regular physical exercise and a healthy diet.
JULIE BISHOP
These quotes remind us of the joy of being part of something bigger than ourselves.
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The World Needs More You: How to Be Successful at Being Yourself
We all aspire to be successful in life, and sometimes we get so lost in the cloudy journey of fulfilling these dreams that we miss out on the important things.
In the quest for more "success," many are tempted to forfeit their true essence to become someone they are not. The world even advises you to "fake it till you make it" -- and no wonder we have a generation of people whose self-image is governed by Instagram likes and Facebook shares. A generation of young adults who are too scared to tap into their inner being and unravel the riches of their true personalities for fear of not being "accepted" by the majority.
READ: The "Risky" Road to Connection: Why You Must Dare to Be Yourself
Yet becoming someone you are not is a great injustice, both to yourself and to society. The world already has too many fakes. It is counting on you to embrace your uniqueness and dare to make a difference. You owe it to yourself to stand out from the crowd, reject what doesn't reflect your personality and uphold what is right and fair.
The World Needs More You: How to Be Successful at Being Yourself
Winning in any facet of life, be it your career or relationship, can only be sustained by first becoming successful at being yourself. The real challenge is to not succumb to social pressure and societal mediocrity. Step out from your comfort zone and live life simply being you.
The following tips will help you get started.
1 . Reimagine your potential
The image you have of yourself is so important that it ultimately determines how others see and treat you. A low self-image is quickly followed by a low self-esteem and people won't be slack to use that to your disadvantage.
You must learn to see beyond your present circumstances and visualize what you hope to become. Your reality is highly dependent on the quality of your imagination. Do away with thoughts of doubts and fear and begin to trust in your skills and abilities.
READ: Live Like You Already Have It, and You Will
It doesn't matter what has happened in the past or what has been said concerning you, make a resolute decision today to begin to think more highly of yourself and learn to appreciate what makes you different.
2 . Surround yourself with the right people
Desist from being around negative and pessimistic people who see nothing but all that's wrong with the world; people who are not interested in rendering value, but are more preoccupied with presenting a false image of themselves in an attempt to be liked and approved by others. Negative vibes produce negative attitude.
READ: 4 Tips to Help You Attract the Right Kinds of Friends
Surround yourself with folks who do not just talk, but live out what they preach. Who don't feel bound by the status quo, but are ready to face life at the edge of their potential.
3 . Quit comparing yourself to others
When you keep looking at others to find validation of who you are, you end up disappointed and discouraged much of the time.
There are millions of people out there who would certainly appear to be more talented, prettier, richer, stronger, or more successful than you. The key is to accept this fact and never rate yourself in comparison to another's abilities.
READ: Mind the Comparison Trap: Why Life's Race Is Only Against Yourself
Learn to appreciate people who possess the skills you desire, and learn from them if you can. They may have special talents that you don't have, but you have something special they don't have: your own uniqueness, style and personality. Build on these and you'll eventually discover that you can do stuff in a way that no one else can.
4 . Create your purpose
Look within yourself to find what you love the most, and how you can bring value to someone else. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything grandiose at the moment -- even the smallest act of service can make a big difference to someone's life.
READ: Find Your Why: How to Discover Your Professional Purpose
The greatest disservice to one's self is selfishness and self-preoccupation. The fastest way to become successful at being yourself is to become a blessing and a solution to someone else.�
5 . Stand up to criticism
You will never be free from people who will be apt to point out your mistakes and flaws. But it doesn't matter -- people are always bound to criticize what they fear. To be successful at being yourself, you must realize that people will try to break you with destructive words just to get the worse out of you. Don't let them!
Every successful person today has faced major criticism and opposition along the way, and they all did one thing in common: they kept moving.
READ: The Self-Growth Guide to Making Criticism Your Friend
You must therefore not be scared to say NO to things that are contrary to your values and principles. Stand for what you believe in, pursue a dream, and never give up.
6. Never seek appreciation from others
This doesn't imply that you shouldn't work hard or be committed to everything you do. But doing things for the purpose of gaining others' appreciation is the wrong motive, and ultimately won't bring long-lasting satisfaction.
Even when you do things for the right reasons, you shouldn't be surprised when people don't thank you or appreciate your work. Not everyone has your heart. You should keep giving your best nonetheless, and only seek appreciation from yourself.
Closing words
There are over 7 billion people in the world and no one is exactly like you. This is your power. Embrace it, cherish it, and develop it! Don't be scared of standing out and never be intimidated when you encounter failure. The greatest successes in life come from having the freedom to fail.
Make mistakes and learn quickly. And at the end of your story, let it never be written that you lived someone else's life. Be the best of you there can possibly be. The world needs more of you.