---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What then are doing if not creating a…"
description: "\"What then are doing if not creating a better place together? I think, for me the key has to be, what do I want to create? What is it I want to leave be..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png"
---

#  What then are doing if not creating a better place…

![“What then are doing if not creating a better place together? I think, for me the key has to be, what do I want to create? What is it I want to leave behind?” quote by Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png)

> “What then are doing if not creating a better place together? I think, for me the key has to be, what do I want to create? What is it I want to leave behind?”

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Creating a better world starts with personal vision; ask what you want to leave behind and build toward it.

**In simple terms:** Ask what you want to create and leave behind.

Key Takeaway

Define personal legacy and act on it.

Themes

legacy creativity purpose collaboration vision

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- community projects
- artistic endeavors
- family life

Key Concepts

self‑reflection future planning collective good

Questions to Reflect On

- What legacy do you want to leave?
- How can you align personal goals with community needs?

A Different Perspective

Personal visions may clash with societal constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Better place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-place/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [Something that I really enjoy doing is creating and being a part of very different characters and very different projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fisher/something-that-i-really-enjoy-doing-is-creating-and-being-a-part-of/)

[Noel Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fisher/)

> [What I am doing is creating a language. A different American language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-taylor/what-i-am-doing-is-creating-a-language-a-different-american-language/)

[Cecil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-taylor/)

> [“The closer you come to knowing that you alone create the world of your experience, the more vital it becomes for you to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-micha-el-leventhal/the-closer-you-come-to-knowing-that-you-alone-create-the-world-of/)

[Eric Micha'el Leventhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-micha-el-leventhal/)

> [Maybe its not always about trying to fix something broken. maybe its about starting over and creating something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-its-not-always-about-trying-to-fix-something-broken-maybe-its/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Maybe its not always about trying to fix something that is broken. Maybe its about starting over and creating something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-its-not-always-about-trying-to-fix-something-that-is-broken/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Sometimes its about starting over and creating something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/sometimes-its-about-starting-over-and-creating-something-better/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [Maybe it's not about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-it-s-not-about-trying-to-fix-something-broken-maybe-it-s-about/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Maybe it's not always about trying to fix something that's broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-it-s-not-always-about-trying-to-fix-something-that-s-broken/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I am creating a better atmosphere for our children and other children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-bryant/i-am-creating-a-better-atmosphere-for-our-children-and-other-children/)

[Anita Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-bryant/)

> [What it is is that there's an intrinsic value in creating something for the sake of creating it, and better than that ... there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-mullen/what-it-is-is-that-there-s-an-intrinsic-value-in-creating-something/)

[Rodney Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-mullen/)

> [“Creating a better future Requires creativity in the present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-goldfinger/creating-a-better-future-requires-creativity-in-the-present/)

[Matthew Goldfinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-goldfinger/)

> [Maybe it's not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it's about starting over and creating something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-it-s-not-always-about-trying-to-fix-something-broken-maybe-it-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Maybe i's not always about trying to fix something bkoken... maybe it's about starting over and creating something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yhannie/maybe-i-s-not-always-about-trying-to-fix-something-bkoken-maybe-it-s/)

Yhannie

> [Americans have so much natural entrepreneurial drive. The caveat is that it is technology that should be a tool making lives better in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-burry/americans-have-so-much-natural-entrepreneurial-drive-the-caveat-is/)

[Michael Burry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-burry/)

> [Cynicism is the last refuge of those who don't want to do the work of creating a better society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/cynicism-is-the-last-refuge-of-those-who-don-t-want-to-do-the-work-of/)

[Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/)

## More by Alan Alda

> [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [When I studied how to think in school, I was taught that the first rule of logic was that a thing cannot both be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/when-i-studied-how-to-think-in-school-i-was-taught-that-the-first/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [I was brought up as a Catholic, and I'm no longer a Catholic. I don't talk about my beliefs too much in public probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-was-brought-up-as-a-catholic-and-i-m-no-longer-a-catholic-i-don-t/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [life is meaningless unless you bring meaning to it; ... it is up to us to create our own existence. Unless you do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/life-is-meaningless-unless-you-bring-meaning-to-it-it-is-up-to-us-to/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [“My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/my-mother-didn-t-try-to-stab-my-father-until-i-was-six/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/originality-is-unexplored-territory-you-get-there-by-carrying-a-canoe/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively-the-creative-is-the-place-where-no/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [To do a musical takes a tremendous amount of energy because you have to act and sing at the same time. And everything has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/to-do-a-musical-takes-a-tremendous-amount-of-energy-because-you-have/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [Be brave enough to live creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [It's better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [“You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-can-t-get-there-by-bus-only-by-hard-work-risking-and-by-not-quite/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [I used to read science fiction a lot, and I still like science fiction when it is a model of how we really are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-read-science-fiction-a-lot-and-i-still-like-science-fiction/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

[Explore all 203 Alan Alda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

## More Behinds quotes

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/)

[Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/)

[Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/)

[Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/)

> [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/)

[Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/)

> [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What then are doing if not creating a better place together? I think, for me the key has to be, what do I want to create? What is it I want to leave behind?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Alda"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-better-place-together-i-think/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Behinds"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-better-place-together-i-think/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What then are doing if not creating a better place together? I think, for me the key has to be, what do I…” — Alan Alda",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alan Alda",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What then are doing if not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-better-place-together-i-think/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-better-place-together-i-think/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
