--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People like these have done more to…" description: "\"“People like these have done more to relieve human misery than any prophet with a manifesto ever will. They number in the millions, these mortals, but ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae8/kage-baker-15258_history_people-like-these-have-done-more-to-reli_972459.jpg" --- # People like these have done more to relieve human misery… ![“People like these have done more to relieve human misery than any prophet with a manifesto ever will. They number in the millions, these mortals, but they don’t make it into the history books much. They don’t do anything sweeping or controversial. They live their lives, contribute their bits of…” quote by Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae8/kage-baker-15258_history_people-like-these-have-done-more-to-reli_972459.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae8/kage-baker-15258_history_people-like-these-have-done-more-to-reli_972459.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae8/kage-baker-15258_history_people-like-these-have-done-more-to-reli_972459.jpg) > ““People like these have done more to relieve human misery than any prophet with a manifesto ever will. They number in the millions, these mortals, but they don’t make it into the history books much. They don’t do anything sweeping or controversial. They live their lives, contribute their bits of good work, and die quietly in their beds without recognition or reward. Usually.”” [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ordinary people who quietly help others often remain unrecognized, yet their cumulative impact eases suffering. **In simple terms:** Everyday helpers ease suffering unnoticed. Key Takeaway Value quiet contributions. Themes humility service legacy recognition impact Mood reflective appreciative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - community building - volunteering - daily work - supporting others Key Concepts social good collective effort unseen labor Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor everyday helpers? - What systems highlight unnoticed contributions? A Different Perspective Recognition often favors dramatic deeds over steady kindness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-books/) [Lives Contribute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-contribute-1875950/) [Millions Mortals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions-mortals-1875948/) [Misery Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery-prophet-1875951/) [Mortals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortals/) [Prophet Manifesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet-manifesto-1875949/) ## Related quotes > [We usually can't know how, and we probably should not even ask, how our lives contribute to a better world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/we-usually-can-t-know-how-and-we-probably-should-not-even-ask-how-our/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [We are visitors on this planet. We are here for one hundred years at the very most. During that period we must try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-visitors-on-this-planet-we-are-here-for-one-hundred-years-at/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Besides, we weren't made to battle villains, because there weren't any. No nation, creed, or race was any better or worse than another; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/besides-we-weren-t-made-to-battle-villains-because-there-weren-t-any/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [The mountain of history books under which we all stand leans so heavily in the other direction-so tremblingly respectful of states and statesmen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-mountain-of-history-books-under-which-we-all-stand-leans-so/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I read all the time... I read a lot of history books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-spillane/i-read-all-the-time-i-read-a-lot-of-history-books/) [Mickey Spillane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-spillane/) > [“In spring, 1937, of course, families still rode the rails because of the Depression, which everyone said was already in the history books as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-geigle/in-spring-1937-of-course-families-still-rode-the-rails-because-of-the/) [Ronald Geigle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-geigle/) > [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [ But the participants \[in war\] never forgot the details of their experience, and like the Wandering Jew, they were condemned to remain their own… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/but-the-participants-in-war-never-forgot-the-details-of-their/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [Puff Daddy is a great party thrower. He goes down in the history books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/puff-daddy-is-a-great-party-thrower-he-goes-down-in-the-history-books/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [“The war that killed my grandfather and great-uncles and thousands of other blacks is only a footnote in our history books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-garc-a/the-war-that-killed-my-grandfather-and-great-uncles-and-thousands-of/) [Cristina García](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-garc-a/) > [Unless we change our ways and our direction, our greatness as a nation will soon be a footnote in the history books, a distant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/unless-we-change-our-ways-and-our-direction-our-greatness-as-a-nation/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [They don't really focus on that history here in America. I remember growing up as a kid, history class was very washed-over. They didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldis-hodge/they-don-t-really-focus-on-that-history-here-in-america-i-remember/) [Aldis Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldis-hodge/) > [“You see, boys forget what their country means by just reading The Land of the Free in history books. Then they get to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-see-boys-forget-what-their-country-means-by-just-reading-the-land/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Personal trainers and writers don't end up in history books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-vega/personal-trainers-and-writers-don-t-end-up-in-history-books/) [Caspar Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-vega/) > [A promise, a bond, a joy, a love for the ages, for the history books.…But what was love but pain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/a-promise-a-bond-a-joy-a-love-for-the-ages-for-the-history-books-but/) [Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/) ## More by Kage Baker > [For all its flaws, 'The Hands of Orlac' really is a seminal film, and if you're partial to that particular B-movie subgenre of Demon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/for-all-its-flaws-the-hands-of-orlac-really-is-a-seminal-film-and-if/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [“The leaf that spreads in the sunlight is the only holiness there is. I haven’t found holiness in the faiths of mortals, nor in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/the-leaf-that-spreads-in-the-sunlight-is-the-only-holiness-there-is-i/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [“A lengthy and painful discussion followed. It lasted through tea and dinner. It was revealed to Lady Beatrice that, though she had been sincerely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/a-lengthy-and-painful-discussion-followed-it-lasted-through-tea-and/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [“Don't imagine she trembles over the dissecting table either, Smith. She has nerves of ice. Real Good can be as ruthless as Evil when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/don-t-imagine-she-trembles-over-the-dissecting-table-either-smith-she/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [A generation before, it had been sagebrush and coyotes; a generation later, it was a burgeoning movie town. But for that brief idyllic time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/a-generation-before-it-had-been-sagebrush-and-coyotes-a-generation/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [Funny thing about those Middle Ages, said Joseph. "They just keep coming back. Mortals keep thinking they're in Modern Times, you know, they get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/funny-thing-about-those-middle-ages-said-joseph-they-just-keep-coming/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [In 1916, Universal Studios released the first filmed adaptation of Jules Verne's novel '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.' Georges Melies made a film by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/in-1916-universal-studios-released-the-first-filmed-adaptation-of/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [Despite what you hear about the publishing industry being a fixed game that you can only get in if you know somebody, I'm here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/despite-what-you-hear-about-the-publishing-industry-being-a-fixed/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [So vast is the shadow cast by the MGM production of 'The Wizard of Oz,' so indelible are its characterizations, so perfect its music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/so-vast-is-the-shadow-cast-by-the-mgm-production-of-the-wizard-of-oz/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [“Boy, you're good at figuring things out. Isn't he? Except that if anybody's the devil in this room it's \_you\_, buster." An extraordinary bitterness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/boy-you-re-good-at-figuring-things-out-isn-t-he-except-that-if/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [If you want to see what stage comedians did to get laffs a century ago, watch the 1910 'Wizard of Oz.' I hope you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/if-you-want-to-see-what-stage-comedians-did-to-get-laffs-a-century/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [I may cut my coat to follow fashion, sir, but not my conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/i-may-cut-my-coat-to-follow-fashion-sir-but-not-my-conscience/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [Besides, we weren't made to battle villains, because there weren't any. No nation, creed, or race was any better or worse than another; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/besides-we-weren-t-made-to-battle-villains-because-there-weren-t-any/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [The leaf that spreads in the light is the only holiness there is. I haven't found holiness in the faiths of mortals, or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/the-leaf-that-spreads-in-the-light-is-the-only-holiness-there-is-i/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [“That is what you're making of the end of your mother's life, child. What will you make of your own?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/that-is-what-you-re-making-of-the-end-of-your-mother-s-life-child/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) [Explore all 43 Kage Baker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [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/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People like these have done more to relieve human misery than any prophet with a manifesto ever will. 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