--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Call it my little gesture toward social…" description: "\"Call it my little gesture toward social conscience, but I like to think I'm teaching a certain number of people to read. Now that sounds pretentious!\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/david-eddings-2147_certain_call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social_728826.png" --- # Call it my little gesture toward social conscience, but I… ![“Call it my little gesture toward social conscience, but I like to think I'm teaching a certain number of people to read. Now that sounds pretentious!” quote by David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/david-eddings-2147_certain_call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social_728826.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/david-eddings-2147_certain_call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social_728826.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/david-eddings-2147_certain_call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social_728826.png) > “Call it my little gesture toward social conscience, but I like to think I'm teaching a certain number of people to read. Now that sounds pretentious!” [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees their effort to teach reading as a modest act of social responsibility, acknowledging a hint of pretension. **In simple terms:** Teaching reading is a small, socially conscious act. Key Takeaway Embrace modest impact. Themes education social responsibility humility Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - volunteering at libraries - school tutoring - community workshops - peer reading groups Key Concepts literacy community service personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How can you scale this effort? - What motivates you to teach? A Different Perspective Impact may be limited without broader systemic support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Gesture Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gesture-social-5713391/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Little Gesture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-gesture-1278259/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-read/) [Pretentious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretentious/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-conscience-232810/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Teaching Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching-certain-5713392/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“A kind word sends vibes of love, if we are perceptive, if we know how love permeates and proliferates with this little gesture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balroop-singh/a-kind-word-sends-vibes-of-love-if-we-are-perceptive-if-we-know-how/) [Balroop Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balroop-singh/) > [“He made a little gesture at his chest that she thought was supposed to mean he was curtsying or bowing or something sarcastically gentleman-like.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/he-made-a-little-gesture-at-his-chest-that-she-thought-was-supposed/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Living through the 1929 Great Depression helped shape my social conscience. During this time, I realized the earth was still the same place, manufacturing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/living-through-the-1929-great-depression-helped-shape-my-social/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ That was a general impression that one got, that she \[Eleanor Roosevelt\] was always flitting around the country and descending on some place in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/that-was-a-general-impression-that-one-got-that-she-eleanor-roosevelt/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [Women are the social conscience of a country. They hold our societies together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-gandhi/women-are-the-social-conscience-of-a-country-they-hold-our-societies/) [Rajiv Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-gandhi/) > [ What manner of mind considers this holy estate \[pregnancy\] which women are privileged by the Almighty to attain as a slur upon the social… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grantly-dick-read/what-manner-of-mind-considers-this-holy-estate-pregnancy-which-women/) [Grantly Dick-Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grantly-dick-read/) > [People don't know I've got a deep social conscience. I'm a child of the Depression, born in 1933. My parents were very liberal in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/people-don-t-know-i-ve-got-a-deep-social-conscience-i-m-a-child-of/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [I have a lot of trouble understanding all the detail of finance and administration - but if you combine intellectual and professional capacity with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/i-have-a-lot-of-trouble-understanding-all-the-detail-of-finance-and/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [“Just as junk food and lack of exercise can ruin an athlete’s condition, those things that are obscene, crude, or pornographic can breed an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/just-as-junk-food-and-lack-of-exercise-can-ruin-an-athlete-s/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [I wasn't driven into medicine by a social conscience but by rampant curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miller/i-wasn-t-driven-into-medicine-by-a-social-conscience-but-by-rampant/) [Jonathan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miller/) > [It is a fact that, in the West, we live in a capitalist society, but that does not mean that we cannot be guided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-armani/it-is-a-fact-that-in-the-west-we-live-in-a-capitalist-society-but/) [Giorgio Armani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-armani/) > [You don't have to signal a social conscience by looking like a frump. Lace knickers won't hasten the holocaust, you can ban the bomb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bibesco/you-don-t-have-to-signal-a-social-conscience-by-looking-like-a-frump/) [Elizabeth Bibesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bibesco/) > [All reformers, however strict their social conscience, live in houses just as big as they can pay for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-pearsall-smith/all-reformers-however-strict-their-social-conscience-live-in-houses/) [Logan Pearsall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-pearsall-smith/) > [The success of the Starbucks has been based on this balance between profitability and a social conscience. Everywhere we're doing business, were trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/the-success-of-the-starbucks-has-been-based-on-this-balance-between/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [What we are trying to do is to create a new business paradigm, simply showing that business can have a human face and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-roddick/what-we-are-trying-to-do-is-to-create-a-new-business-paradigm-simply/) [Anita Roddick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-roddick/) ## More by David Eddings > [I have an unconscious burglar living in my mind: If I read something, it's mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/i-have-an-unconscious-burglar-living-in-my-mind-if-i-read-something/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“I could insist that somebody take me to her so I can obey her orders." "I think you might choke on that one, Zakath,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/i-could-insist-that-somebody-take-me-to-her-so-i-can-obey-her-orders/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“Salmissra was alone and unguarded. The palace eunuchs were sworn to protect her, but evidently a eunuch's oath doesn't mean all that much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/salmissra-was-alone-and-unguarded-the-palace-eunuchs-were-sworn-to/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [...I know that in your heart you miss all those wonderful moments you spent with my father --watching him gnaw on the furniture, listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/i-know-that-in-your-heart-you-miss-all-those-wonderful-moments-you/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Someday I’d like to see something rise up out of the earth –just for the sake of variety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/someday-i-d-like-to-see-something-rise-up-out-of-the-earth-just-for/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Isn't it easier to forgive than to hate? -Eriond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/isn-t-it-easier-to-forgive-than-to-hate-eriond/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Water…I'm thirsty not dirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/water-i-m-thirsty-not-dirty/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“One does one's best" - Silk”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/one-does-one-s-best-silk/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“Being afraid was not the sort of thing that endangered life or limb, but it was still an injury of sorts – and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/being-afraid-was-not-the-sort-of-thing-that-endangered-life-or-limb/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [I'm a storyteller, not a prophet. I'm just interested in a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/i-m-a-storyteller-not-a-prophet-i-m-just-interested-in-a-good-story/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [You'll drive yourself crazy if you start trying to pry the meaning out of every gust of wind or rain squall. I'm not denying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/you-ll-drive-yourself-crazy-if-you-start-trying-to-pry-the-meaning/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“Your extensive travels must have been fatiguing," Zakath said in that same flat tone, "particularly for the ladies. I'll see to it that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/your-extensive-travels-must-have-been-fatiguing-zakath-said-in-that/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“No one seems to realise that the aristocracy is God’s special gift to mankind. The burghers treat us no better than commoners. Considering our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/no-one-seems-to-realise-that-the-aristocracy-is-god-s-special-gift-to/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Nothing that ever happens is so unimportant that it doesn't change things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/nothing-that-ever-happens-is-so-unimportant-that-it-doesn-t-change/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [You're a cynic," Urgit accused. Silk shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. I'm a realist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/you-re-a-cynic-urgit-accused-silk-shook-his-head-no-your-majesty-i-m/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) [Explore all 179 David Eddings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) [T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Call it my little gesture toward social conscience, but I like to think I'm teaching a certain number of people to read. Now that sounds pretentious!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Eddings" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social-conscience-but-i-like-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social-conscience-but-i-like-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/david-eddings-2147_certain_call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social_728826.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/david-eddings-2147_certain_call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social_728826.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e9/david-eddings-2147_certain_call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social_728826.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Call it my little gesture toward social conscience, but I like to think I'm teaching a certain number of…” — David Eddings", "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": "David Eddings", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Call it my little gesture toward...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social-conscience-but-i-like-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/call-it-my-little-gesture-toward-social-conscience-but-i-like-to/#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 } } ] } ```