--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing of great importance can affect…" description: "\"“One thing of great importance can affect a small number of people. Equally so, a thing of little importance can affect a multitude. Either way, a happ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/cecilia-ahern-35847_christmas-morning_one-thing-of-great-importance-can-affect_1239642.jpg" --- # One thing of great importance can affect a small number of… ![“One thing of great importance can affect a small number of people. Equally so, a thing of little importance can affect a multitude. Either way, a happening - big or small - can affect an entire string of people. Occurrences can join us all together. You see, we're all made up of the same stuff…” quote by Cecilia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/cecilia-ahern-35847_christmas-morning_one-thing-of-great-importance-can-affect_1239642.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/cecilia-ahern-35847_christmas-morning_one-thing-of-great-importance-can-affect_1239642.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe3/cecilia-ahern-35847_christmas-morning_one-thing-of-great-importance-can-affect_1239642.jpg) > ““One thing of great importance can affect a small number of people. Equally so, a thing of little importance can affect a multitude. Either way, a happening - big or small - can affect an entire string of people. Occurrences can join us all together. You see, we're all made up of the same stuff. When something happens, it triggers something inside us that connects us to a situation, connects us to other people, lighting us up and linking us like little lights on a Christmas tree, twisted and turned but still connected to a wire. Some go out, others flicker, others burn strong and bright, yet we are all on the same line. I said at the beginning of this story that this was about people who find out who they are. About people who are unraveled and whose cores are revealed to all who count. And that all that count are revealed to them. You thought I was talking about Lou Suffern and the Turkey Boy, about Raphie, Jessica, and Ruth, didn't you? Wrong. I was talking about each of us. A lesson finds the common denominatior and links us all together, like a chain. At the end of that chain dangles a clock, and on the face of the clock registers the passing of time. We see it and we hear it, the hushed tick-tock, but often we don't feel it. Each second makes its mark on every single person's life - comes and then goes, quietly disappearing without fanfare, evaporating into air like steam from a piping hot Christmas pudding. Enough time leaves us warm; when our time is gone, it leaves us cold. Time is more precious than gold, more precious than diamonds, more precious than oil or any valuable treasures. It is time of which we do not have enough; it is time that causes the war within our hearts, and so we must spend it wisely. Time cannot be packaged and ribboned and left under trees for Christmas morning. Time can't be given. But it can be shared.”” [Cecilia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-ahern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Every action, big or small, links people together like lights on a shared wire, emphasizing our common humanity and the fleeting nature of time. **In simple terms:** Our deeds connect us; time is precious. Key Takeaway Live intentionally and cherish connections. Themes connection time humanity interdependence Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - team projects - community events - family gatherings - public speaking Key Concepts interconnectedness impermanence shared experience Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor the time you share with others? - What small actions can strengthen your connections? A Different Perspective Time cannot be stored or gifted; it must be used wisely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christmas morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-morning/) [Christmas tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-tree/) [Passing Of Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing-of-time/) ## Related quotes > [“One thing of great importance can affect a small number of people. Equally so, a thing of little importance can affect a multitude. 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We are still the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarja-turunen/music-is-emotion-it-s-a-beautiful-thing-that-connects-people-despite/) [Tarja Turunen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarja-turunen/) > [Nothing connects with people like humanity. That doesn't mean you have to tell slice-of-life stories all the time. But you know, with so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-droga/nothing-connects-with-people-like-humanity-that-doesn-t-mean-you-have/) [David Droga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-droga/) ## More by Cecilia Ahern > [“Friends and family came and went, sometimes helping her with her tears, other times making her laugh. But even in her laughter there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-ahern/friends-and-family-came-and-went-sometimes-helping-her-with-her-tears/) [Cecilia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-ahern/) > [“Memories were fine, but you couldn't touch them. 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I love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-i-wish-every-morning-was-a-christmas-morning-with-lovely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hangin' curveball, high fiber, good scotch, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shelton/well-i-believe-in-the-soul-the-cock-the-pussy-the-small-of-a-woman-s/) Ron Shelton > [Hey darling, wake up, it is such a lovely Christmas morning. I wish you all the happiness in the world this Christmas. I promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hey-darling-wake-up-it-is-such-a-lovely-christmas-morning-i-wish-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sometimes you wake up, and there's a little voice inside your head that tells you that today is a special day. 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When something happens, it triggers something inside us that connects us to a situation, connects us to other people, lighting us up and linking us like little lights on a Christmas tree, twisted and turned but still connected to a wire. Some go out, others flicker, others burn strong and bright, yet we are all on the same line. I said at the beginning of this story that this was about people who find out who they are. About people who are unraveled and whose cores are revealed to all who count. And that all that count are revealed to them. You thought I was talking about Lou Suffern and the Turkey Boy, about Raphie, Jessica, and Ruth, didn't you? Wrong. I was talking about each of us. A lesson finds the common denominatior and links us all together, like a chain. At the end of that chain dangles a clock, and on the face of the clock registers the passing of time. We see it and we hear it, the hushed tick-tock, but often we don't feel it. Each second makes its mark on every single person's life - comes and then goes, quietly disappearing without fanfare, evaporating into air like steam from a piping hot Christmas pudding. Enough time leaves us warm; when our time is gone, it leaves us cold. Time is more precious than gold, more precious than diamonds, more precious than oil or any valuable treasures. It is time of which we do not have enough; it is time that causes the war within our hearts, and so we must spend it wisely. Time cannot be packaged and ribboned and left under trees for Christmas morning. Time can't be given. 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