--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can’t save everyone, so we have to do…" description: "\"“We can’t save everyone, so we have to do what we can when we can.”\" — Allison Brennan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/allison-brennan-19071_save_we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do_653236.png" --- # We can’t save everyone, so we have to do what we can when… ![“We can’t save everyone, so we have to do what we can when we can.” quote by Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/allison-brennan-19071_save_we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do_653236.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/allison-brennan-19071_save_we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do_653236.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/allison-brennan-19071_save_we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do_653236.png) > ““We can’t save everyone, so we have to do what we can when we can.”” [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We cannot rescue every person, so we must act within our capacity whenever possible. **In simple terms:** Help what you can, when you can. Key Takeaway Act within your means. Themes responsibility compassion pragmatism Mood determined hopeful Type motivational practical When to use this quote - volunteering - emergency response - daily kindness - policy making Key Concepts ethical duty resource limitation Questions to Reflect On - What can you realistically contribute today? - How do you prioritize help? A Different Perspective Resources are finite, and some needs exceed them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Save](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save/) ## Related quotes > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [“Fire alone can save our clan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/fire-alone-can-save-our-clan/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [I learned that the world doesn't want to be saved, and it will f\*\*king punch you in the face if you try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/i-learned-that-the-world-doesn-t-want-to-be-saved-and-it-will-f-king/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [If nothing matters, there's nothing to save.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/if-nothing-matters-there-s-nothing-to-save/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [And understand: class differences will not save you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/and-understand-class-differences-will-not-save-you/) [H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) > [You can't buy time or save it, common idioms notwithstanding. You can only spend it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-zorn/you-can-t-buy-time-or-save-it-common-idioms-notwithstanding-you-can/) [Eric Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-zorn/) > [We have offshored a lot of our industry for critical supplies, critical health care supplies, and critical medicines to save money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bright/we-have-offshored-a-lot-of-our-industry-for-critical-supplies/) [Rick Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bright/) > [“Save the World-ers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajsa-li-paludan/save-the-world-ers/) [Kajsa Li Paludan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajsa-li-paludan/) > [Sometimes rules are there to save your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/sometimes-rules-are-there-to-save-your-life/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [What did you do to save the world today?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie/what-did-you-do-to-save-the-world-today/) [Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie/) > [“I’m not trying to save you from yourself. I’m trying to help you save yourself from yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-m-not-trying-to-save-you-from-yourself-i-m-trying-to-help-you-save/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/perhaps-that-s-what-all-human-relationships-boiled-down-to-would-you/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [I have learned over the years that you should never save for two meetings what you can accomplish in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-you-should-never-save-for-two/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## More by Allison Brennan > [“...keeping secrets will tear you up inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/keeping-secrets-will-tear-you-up-inside/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“Realization hit her, but she didn't want to believe. Didn't want to be hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/realization-hit-her-but-she-didn-t-want-to-believe-didn-t-want-to-be/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [You'll sleep with the lights on after reading Gregg Olsen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/you-ll-sleep-with-the-lights-on-after-reading-gregg-olsen/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“You can't go back. You can't have what was stolen. Just forget...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/you-can-t-go-back-you-can-t-have-what-was-stolen-just-forget/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“You make me feel. And sometimes, I don't want to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/you-make-me-feel-and-sometimes-i-don-t-want-to/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“She'd retreated inside again, the nightmares drowning her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/she-d-retreated-inside-again-the-nightmares-drowning-her/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“Victory is sweet, but sweeter when your opponent is butt-ass naked in defeat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/victory-is-sweet-but-sweeter-when-your-opponent-is-butt-ass-naked-in/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“You don't believe in miracles." "Sure I do. I just haven't seen any lately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/you-don-t-believe-in-miracles-sure-i-do-i-just-haven-t-seen-any-lately/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“They were often convoluted, and unless it was a state-of-the-art facility, they’d layer new systems on top of the old, ultimately spending more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/they-were-often-convoluted-and-unless-it-was-a-state-of-the-art/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“There's a pain deeper than death...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/there-s-a-pain-deeper-than-death/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [Dig until you hit rock. Then take out that jackhammer and go a little deeper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/dig-until-you-hit-rock-then-take-out-that-jackhammer-and-go-a-little/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“You need to have faith and trust, Moira." "And a little bit of pixie dust?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/you-need-to-have-faith-and-trust-moira-and-a-little-bit-of-pixie-dust/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“She was so alone. Dead to the world. No one to love. No one who loved her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/she-was-so-alone-dead-to-the-world-no-one-to-love-no-one-who-loved-her/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“Some people are permanently broken. Like Humpty Dumpty, no one can put you back together again. ...But I'm not broken. I'm exactly the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/some-people-are-permanently-broken-like-humpty-dumpty-no-one-can-put/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“Promises didn't mean much...Anything could happen when all was said and done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/promises-didn-t-mean-much-anything-could-happen-when-all-was-said-and/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) [Explore all 31 Allison Brennan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) ## More Save quotes > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/perhaps-that-s-what-all-human-relationships-boiled-down-to-would-you/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“I’m not trying to save you from yourself. I’m trying to help you save yourself from yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-m-not-trying-to-save-you-from-yourself-i-m-trying-to-help-you-save/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [What did you do to save the world today?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie/what-did-you-do-to-save-the-world-today/) [Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie/) > [Sometimes rules are there to save your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/sometimes-rules-are-there-to-save-your-life/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [“Save the World-ers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kajsa-li-paludan/save-the-world-ers/) [Kajsa Li Paludan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kajsa-li-paludan/) > [We have offshored a lot of our industry for critical supplies, critical health care supplies, and critical medicines to save money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bright/we-have-offshored-a-lot-of-our-industry-for-critical-supplies/) [Rick Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bright/) > [You can't buy time or save it, common idioms notwithstanding. You can only spend it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-zorn/you-can-t-buy-time-or-save-it-common-idioms-notwithstanding-you-can/) [Eric Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-zorn/) > [And understand: class differences will not save you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rap-brown/and-understand-class-differences-will-not-save-you/) [H. Rap Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rap-brown/) > [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [If nothing matters, there's nothing to save.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/if-nothing-matters-there-s-nothing-to-save/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I learned that the world doesn't want to be saved, and it will f\*\*king punch you in the face if you try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/i-learned-that-the-world-doesn-t-want-to-be-saved-and-it-will-f-king/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [“Fire alone can save our clan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/fire-alone-can-save-our-clan/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [I have learned over the years that you should never save for two meetings what you can accomplish in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-have-learned-over-the-years-that-you-should-never-save-for-two/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) [Browse all 1,392 Save quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We can’t save everyone, so we have to do what we can when we can.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Allison Brennan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do-what-we-can-when-we-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Save" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do-what-we-can-when-we-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/allison-brennan-19071_save_we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do_653236.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/allison-brennan-19071_save_we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do_653236.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecf/allison-brennan-19071_save_we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do_653236.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can’t save everyone, so we have to do what we can when we can.” — Allison Brennan", "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": "Allison Brennan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We can’t save everyone, so we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do-what-we-can-when-we-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/we-can-t-save-everyone-so-we-have-to-do-what-we-can-when-we-can/#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 } } ] } ```