--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're the ones who can make a difference…" description: "\"We're the ones who can make a difference. If we lead lives where we consciously leave the lightest possible ecological footprints, if we buy the things..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jane-goodall-950_change-the-world_we-re-the-ones-who-can-make-a-difference_3036158.jpg" --- # We're the ones who can make a difference. If we lead lives… ![“We're the ones who can make a difference. If we lead lives where we consciously leave the lightest possible ecological footprints, if we buy the things that are ethical for us to buy and don't buy the things that are not, we can change the world overnight.” quote by Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jane-goodall-950_change-the-world_we-re-the-ones-who-can-make-a-difference_3036158.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jane-goodall-950_change-the-world_we-re-the-ones-who-can-make-a-difference_3036158.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/jane-goodall-950_change-the-world_we-re-the-ones-who-can-make-a-difference_3036158.jpg) > “We're the ones who can make a difference. If we lead lives where we consciously leave the lightest possible ecological footprints, if we buy the things that are ethical for us to buy and don't buy the things that are not, we can change the world overnight.” [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small, ethical choices and conscious living can collectively create rapid, positive environmental change. **In simple terms:** Ethical habits can swiftly improve the planet. Key Takeaway Adopt minimal, ethical footprints daily. Themes environment ethics action Mood inspirational hopeful Type environmental activist When to use this quote - shopping habits - diet - travel - community projects Key Concepts sustainability social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Which habit will you change first? - How can you inspire others? A Different Perspective Individual impact may feel insignificant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) [Change World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-world/) [Changing the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-the-world/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Ecological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecological/) [Ecological footprints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecological-footprints-52810/) [Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical/) [Ethical Buy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical-buy-4983102/) [Footprint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/footprint/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Make Difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-difference/) [Making a difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-a-difference/) [Things Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-ethical-4983103/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [We see a world of abundance, not limits. In the midst of a great deal of talk about reducing the human ecological footprint, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-see-a-world-of-abundance-not-limits-in-the-midst-of-a-great-deal/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [The money economy thus leaves a large ecological footprint, defined as the amount of land and resources required to meet a typical consumer's needs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-l-hart/the-money-economy-thus-leaves-a-large-ecological-footprint-defined-as/) [Stuart L. Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-l-hart/) > [Simplicity means to choose ways of living that touch the Earth more lightly and that reduce our ecological footprint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-elgin/simplicity-means-to-choose-ways-of-living-that-touch-the-earth-more/) [Duane Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-elgin/) > [Humans are now the most numerous mammal on the planet. There are more humans than rats or mice. Humans have a huge ecological footprint,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/humans-are-now-the-most-numerous-mammal-on-the-planet-there-are-more/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [Some people feel that humans have a right to eat other animals but not to trash the earth. They may choose veganism because a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-dawn/some-people-feel-that-humans-have-a-right-to-eat-other-animals-but/) [Karen Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-dawn/) > [We are living as if we had three planets' worth of resources to live with rather than just one. We need to cut by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/we-are-living-as-if-we-had-three-planets-worth-of-resources-to-live/) [David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/) > [Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/take-nothing-but-memories-leave-nothing-but-footprints/) [Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/) > [A hunk of beef raised on Scottish moorland has a very different ecological footprint from one created in an intensive feedlot using concentrated cereal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/a-hunk-of-beef-raised-on-scottish-moorland-has-a-very-different/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [every individual can make a difference ... if we continue to leave decision making to the so-called decision makers, things will never change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/every-individual-can-make-a-difference-if-we-continue-to-leave/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [If you want to make a substantial reduction in your carbon footprint, doing it on your own is virtually impossible, especially if you're driving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-arnold/if-you-want-to-make-a-substantial-reduction-in-your-carbon-footprint/) [Tom Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-arnold/) > [There was a man that hated his footprints and his shadow, so one day he thought that if he ran fast enough, his footprints…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/there-was-a-man-that-hated-his-footprints-and-his-shadow-so-one-day/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [Even though we may all become extinct, we can still leave our footprint in the sand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/even-though-we-may-all-become-extinct-we-can-still-leave-our/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [You know how they say the grass is always greener on the other side? It is greener, because you're not there. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/you-know-how-they-say-the-grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“Every person that comes into your life leaves a footprint. You can choose the depth of it but you cannot ignore it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-k-wall/every-person-that-comes-into-your-life-leaves-a-footprint-you-can/) [Shelley K. Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-k-wall/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) ## More by Jane Goodall > [The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-voice-of-the-natural-world-would-be-could-you-please-give-us/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [What makes us human, I think, is an ability to ask questions, a consequence of our sophisticated spoken language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/what-makes-us-human-i-think-is-an-ability-to-ask-questions-a/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan shave been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest,living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/chimpanzees-gorillas-orangutan-shave-been-living-for-hundreds-of/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [I did this book 'Harvest for Hope,' and I learned so much about food. And one thing I learned is that we have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-did-this-book-harvest-for-hope-and-i-learned-so-much-about-food-and/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/from-my-perspective-i-absolutely-believe-in-a-greater-spiritual-power/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We are always talking about how we can get more environmental and humanitarian education. It is about listening to the voice of young people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-are-always-talking-about-how-we-can-get-more-environmental-and/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Some humans are mathematicians-others aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/some-humans-are-mathematicians-others-aren-t/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [We started off with physical evolution and got our form. Then we somehow developed language, which meant cultural evolution could race so we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-started-off-with-physical-evolution-and-got-our-form-then-we/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [It was both fascinating and appalling to learn that chimpanzees were capable of hostile and territorial behavior that was not unlike certain forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-was-both-fascinating-and-appalling-to-learn-that-chimpanzees-were/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [I wanted to talk to the animals like Dr. Dolittle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-wanted-to-talk-to-the-animals-like-dr-dolittle/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Some people say, therefore, that violence and war are inevitable. I say rubbish: Our brains are fully capable of controlling instinctive behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/some-people-say-therefore-that-violence-and-war-are-inevitable-i-say/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [It's been proven by quite a few studies that plants are good for our psychological development. If you green an area, the rate of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-s-been-proven-by-quite-a-few-studies-that-plants-are-good-for-our/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [Having respect for animals makes us better humans..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/having-respect-for-animals-makes-us-better-humans/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [If we kill off the wild, then we are killing a part of our souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/if-we-kill-off-the-wild-then-we-are-killing-a-part-of-our-souls/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“We still have a long way to go. But we are moving in the right direction. If only we can overcome cruelty, to human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/we-still-have-a-long-way-to-go-but-we-are-moving-in-the-right/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) [Explore all 321 Jane Goodall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## More Change the world quotes > [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/) [Lanie Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanie-lane/) > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Paul Gray - he believed in my art, and I believed in his music. Together, we decided to change the world, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-crahan/paul-gray-he-believed-in-my-art-and-i-believed-in-his-music-together/) [Shawn Crahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-crahan/) > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“if i am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-am-not-in-the-world-simply-to-adapt-to-it-but-rather-transform/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [I don't like lyrics to be overbearing. I like them to say something. But I'm not trying to change the world overnight. Something simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-don-t-like-lyrics-to-be-overbearing-i-like-them-to-say-something/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [Larry Kramer wisely realized so early on that to change the world, people have to know you. If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/don-t-underestimate-the-power-of-your-vision-to-change-the-world/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. "You and I are going to change the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/i-ve-been-waiting-for-you-a-long-time-alina-he-said-you-and-i-are/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [The most important thing in all human relationships is conversation, but people don’t talk anymore, they don’t sit down to talk and listen. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-most-important-thing-in-all-human-relationships-is-conversation/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [“Live each day as if it's our last', that was the conventional advice, but really who had the energy for that? What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Browse all 2,043 Change the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We're the ones who can make a difference. 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