--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They were nothing more than people, by…" description: "\"“They were nothing more than people, by themselves. Even paired, any pairing, they would have been nothing more than people by themselves. But all toge..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/keri-hulme-25544_change_they-were-nothing-more-than-people-by-th_1230068.jpg" --- # They were nothing more than people, by themselves. Even… ![“They were nothing more than people, by themselves. Even paired, any pairing, they would have been nothing more than people by themselves. But all together, they have become the heart and muscles and mind of something perilous and new, something strange and growing and great. Together, all…” quote by Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/keri-hulme-25544_change_they-were-nothing-more-than-people-by-th_1230068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/keri-hulme-25544_change_they-were-nothing-more-than-people-by-th_1230068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/keri-hulme-25544_change_they-were-nothing-more-than-people-by-th_1230068.jpg) > ““They were nothing more than people, by themselves. Even paired, any pairing, they would have been nothing more than people by themselves. But all together, they have become the heart and muscles and mind of something perilous and new, something strange and growing and great. Together, all together, they are the instruments of change.”” [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collective effort creates a powerful, transformative force beyond individual abilities. **In simple terms:** People together become stronger. Key Takeaway Leverage collaboration for greater impact. Themes collaboration change collective power transformation community Mood inspired reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - team projects - social movements - creative collaborations - community building - organizational change Key Concepts synergy emergent properties social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster genuine collaboration? - What risks arise when groups become too cohesive? A Different Perspective Individual effort alone may not achieve the same scale of impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“There is a music that forms sometimes, from the pairing of two people. An inescapable cadence that continues on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mott/there-is-a-music-that-forms-sometimes-from-the-pairing-of-two-people/) [Jason Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mott/) > [I couldn't care less who I'm paired with. There's nobody I've ever played better or worse with, thank goodness. You don't want any factor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-couldn-t-care-less-who-i-m-paired-with-there-s-nobody-i-ve-ever/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Good friends and great pets. Key to a good life!!! Who says you have to be paired up with a partner?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-barberie/good-friends-and-great-pets-key-to-a-good-life-who-says-you-have-to/) [Jillian Barberie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-barberie/) > [“so I can get paired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/so-i-can-get-paired/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [only adj. thats the dilemma isn't it? when you're single, there's the sadness and joy of only me. And when you're paired, there's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/only-adj-thats-the-dilemma-isn-t-it-when-you-re-single-there-s-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“What if" were the two most tragic words in existence when paired together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerri-maniscalco/what-if-were-the-two-most-tragic-words-in-existence-when-paired/) [Kerri Maniscalco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerri-maniscalco/) > [I've heard that we come on the earth in pairs, get separated only to meet once again through marriage. So whoever is there on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rani-mukerji/i-ve-heard-that-we-come-on-the-earth-in-pairs-get-separated-only-to/) [Rani Mukerji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rani-mukerji/) > [Admit it, You've paired last names with your name to see if they sounded good together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/admit-it-you-ve-paired-last-names-with-your-name-to-see-if-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When it comes right down to it, I don't care if I like the person I'm paired with or if the person likes me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-reed/when-it-comes-right-down-to-it-i-don-t-care-if-i-like-the-person-i-m/) [Patrick Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-reed/) > [I loved being paired with Fandango.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-rae/i-loved-being-paired-with-fandango/) [Summer Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-rae/) > [I have a large heart, and there are many special people in my heart like my mom, my dad and brother and his wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varun-dhawan/i-have-a-large-heart-and-there-are-many-special-people-in-my-heart/) [Varun Dhawan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varun-dhawan/) > [Sometimes you just gotta accept that some people can only be in your heart, not in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-just-gotta-accept-that-some-people-can-only-be-in-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some people have a heart to do evil and they don’t care if you’re Muslim or Christian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/some-people-have-a-heart-to-do-evil-and-they-don-t-care-if-you-re/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [Love...its complicated, it breaks people's heart, it tears you apart, Yet everyone seems to want it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-its-complicated-it-breaks-people-s-heart-it-tears-you-apart-yet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Two people...two heart...become one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmaligh-lovelee/two-people-two-heart-become-one/) [Emmaligh Lovelee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmaligh-lovelee/) ## More by Keri Hulme > [“She had debated, in the frivolity of the beginning, whether to build a hole or a tower; a hole, because she was fond of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/she-had-debated-in-the-frivolity-of-the-beginning-whether-to-build-a/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [A family can be the bane of one's existence. A family can also be most of the meaning of one's existence. I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/a-family-can-be-the-bane-of-one-s-existence-a-family-can-also-be-most/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [I am in limbo, and in limbo there are no races, no prizes, no changes, no chances. There are merely degrees of endurance, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/i-am-in-limbo-and-in-limbo-there-are-no-races-no-prizes-no-changes-no/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [I have faced Death. I have been caught in the wild weed tangles of Her hair, seen the gleam of her jade eyes. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/i-have-faced-death-i-have-been-caught-in-the-wild-weed-tangles-of-her/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [But hands are sacred things. Touch is personal, fingers of love, feelers of blind eyes, tongues of those who cannot talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/but-hands-are-sacred-things-touch-is-personal-fingers-of-love-feelers/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [Wars of small kingdoms and forgotten lands, what do chessmen dream of in the dark?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/wars-of-small-kingdoms-and-forgotten-lands-what-do-chessmen-dream-of/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [The company you keep at death is, of all things, most dependent on chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/the-company-you-keep-at-death-is-of-all-things-most-dependent-on/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [The smarter you are, the more you know, the less reason you have to trust or love or confide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/the-smarter-you-are-the-more-you-know-the-less-reason-you-have-to/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [“The childhood years are the best years of your life… Whoever coined that was an unmitigated fuckwit, a bullshit artist supreme. Life gets better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/the-childhood-years-are-the-best-years-of-your-life-whoever-coined/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [I am not a person to say the words out loud I think them strongly, or let them hunger from the page: know it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/i-am-not-a-person-to-say-the-words-out-loud-i-think-them-strongly-or/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [Through poverty, godhunger, the family debacle, I kept a sense of worth. I could limn and paint like no-one else in this human-wounded land:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/through-poverty-godhunger-the-family-debacle-i-kept-a-sense-of-worth/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [You want to know about anybody? See what books they read, and how they've been read...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/you-want-to-know-about-anybody-see-what-books-they-read-and-how-they/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [“Oh all the world is a little queer, except thee and me, and sometimes, I wonder about thee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/oh-all-the-world-is-a-little-queer-except-thee-and-me-and-sometimes-i/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [There is a time, when passing through a light, that you walk in your own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/there-is-a-time-when-passing-through-a-light-that-you-walk-in-your/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [“Sunflowers and seashells and logarithmic spirals (said Kerewin); sweep of galaxies and the singing curve of the universe (said Kerewin); the oscilating wave thrumming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/sunflowers-and-seashells-and-logarithmic-spirals-said-kerewin-sweep/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) [Explore all 23 Keri Hulme quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They were nothing more than people, by themselves. 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