---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most things, even the greatest movements…"
description: "\"“Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake that shatters a city might begin with a tre..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/lauren-oliver-109_nature_most-things-even-the-greatest-movements_3084742.png"
---

#  Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have…

![“Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake that shatters a city might begin with a tremor, a tremble, a breath.” quote by Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/lauren-oliver-109_nature_most-things-even-the-greatest-movements_3084742.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/lauren-oliver-109_nature_most-things-even-the-greatest-movements_3084742.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/lauren-oliver-109_nature_most-things-even-the-greatest-movements_3084742.png)

> ““Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake that shatters a city might begin with a tremor, a tremble, a breath.””

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Great movements often start from tiny, seemingly insignificant events that later grow into massive impacts.

**In simple terms:** Big changes begin with small beginnings.

Key Takeaway

Pay attention to small signs of change.

Themes

change origins impact growth

Mood

inspirational reflective

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- social activism
- innovation
- personal habits
- early warning monitoring

Key Concepts

systems theory cascading effects emergence

Questions to Reflect On

- What small actions could spark larger change?
- How can we recognize early signs of impact?

A Different Perspective

Small origins can be overlooked, missing early opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Begin Tremor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin-tremor-5276838/) [Beginnings Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginnings-small-1353965/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Small Earthquake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-earthquake-807124/) [Tremble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tremble/) [Tremor Tremble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tremor-tremble-5276837/)

## Related quotes

> [“Most things, even the greatest moments on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake that shatters a city might begin with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-moments-on-earth-have-their-beginnings-2/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake that shatters a city might begin with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-movements-on-earth-have-their-3/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake that shatters a city with a tremor, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-movements-on-earth-have-their-2/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake that shatters a city might begin with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-movements-on-earth-have-their/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“Most things, even the greatest moments on earth, have their beginnings in something small.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-moments-on-earth-have-their-beginnings/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings with something small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/even-the-greatest-movements-on-earth-have-their-beginnings-with/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Small earthquake in Chile. Not many dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claud-cockburn/small-earthquake-in-chile-not-many-dead/)

[Claud Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claud-cockburn/)

> [I lived in Bandra East, on the 12th floor. There was a small earthquake; I could feel the building shaking. I was halfway down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/i-lived-in-bandra-east-on-the-12th-floor-there-was-a-small-earthquake/)

[Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/)

> [I would tell your generation, wherever you are on the totem poll - whether you're halfway there or at the bottom, don't despise small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/i-would-tell-your-generation-wherever-you-are-on-the-totem-poll/)

[T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/)

> [“Storms bring the detritus of other people's lives into our own, a reminder that we are not alone, and of how truly insignificant we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-white/storms-bring-the-detritus-of-other-people-s-lives-into-our-own-a/)

[Karen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-white/)

> [If God is just, I tremble for my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-god-is-just-i-tremble-for-my-country/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I can also tell in whose hands I am. Do these hands tremble? There can be no doubt: these are the hands of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-flores-magon/i-can-also-tell-in-whose-hands-i-am-do-these-hands-tremble-there-can/)

[Ricardo Flores Magon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-flores-magon/)

> [I have not the particular shining bauble or feather in my cap for crowds to gaze at or kneel to, but I have power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-cromwell/i-have-not-the-particular-shining-bauble-or-feather-in-my-cap-for/)

[Oliver Cromwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-cromwell/)

> [Men are always invoking justice; yet it is justice which should make them tremble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/men-are-always-invoking-justice-yet-it-is-justice-which-should-make/)

[Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/)

> [“Once upon a time, there was a man as great as the gods… But even the great can tremble with fear. Even the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-man-as-great-as-the-gods-but-even-the/)

[Mary E. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-pearson/)

## More by Lauren Oliver

> [“My aunt Carol hasn’t heard her say a word in the whole six years and three months of Grace’s life—not a single syllable. Carol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/my-aunt-carol-hasn-t-heard-her-say-a-word-in-the-whole-six-years-and/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [This is what happens when you try to help people. You get screwed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/this-is-what-happens-when-you-try-to-help-people-you-get-screwed/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [We'll walk together holding hands, and kiss in broad daylight, and love each other as much as we want to, and no one will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-ll-walk-together-holding-hands-and-kiss-in-broad-daylight-and-love/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“At least when I'm sleeping I can dream myself back to Alex, can dream myself into a different world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/at-least-when-i-m-sleeping-i-can-dream-myself-back-to-alex-can-dream/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [People are like ants: Just a few of them give all the orders. And most of them spend their lives getting squashed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/people-are-like-ants-just-a-few-of-them-give-all-the-orders-and-most/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Summer explodes into Portland. In early June the heat was there but not the color--the green were still pale and tentative, the morning had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/summer-explodes-into-portland-in-early-june-the-heat-was-there-but/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Mistake, mistake, mistake. A strange word: stinging, somehow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/mistake-mistake-mistake-a-strange-word-stinging-somehow/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [I wonder if it's ever really possible to know the truth about someone else, or if the best we can do is just stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/i-wonder-if-it-s-ever-really-possible-to-know-the-truth-about-someone/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“Julian is somewhere among those lights, in that blur of people and buildings. I wonder whether he's scared. I wonder whether he's thinking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/julian-is-somewhere-among-those-lights-in-that-blur-of-people-and/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [A room full of words that are nearly the truth but not quite, each note fluttering off the steam of its rose like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/a-room-full-of-words-that-are-nearly-the-truth-but-not-quite-each/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“She’s the kind of person who makes you feel drunk just by being around her, like suddenly the world’s edges are dulled and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/she-s-the-kind-of-person-who-makes-you-feel-drunk-just-by-being/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“Stop!” His voice rings out sharply, hard as a slap. He releases me and I stumble backward. “Alex is dead, do you hear me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/stop-his-voice-rings-out-sharply-hard-as-a-slap-he-releases-me-and-i/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [..in that moment i realize how much i love the little everyday routines of my life..the details that are my life's special pattern, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/in-that-moment-i-realize-how-much-i-love-the-little-everyday-routines/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“You can't judge a book by its steel-toed combat boots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/you-can-t-judge-a-book-by-its-steel-toed-combat-boots/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

[Explore all 1,181 Lauren Oliver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

## More Nature quotes

> [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/)

[Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/)

> [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/)

[Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/)

> [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“When the water covers the earth the sun will vanish the darkess and the cold will come.When the last dragon and the last Elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvana-de-mari/when-the-water-covers-the-earth-the-sun-will-vanish-the-darkess-and/)

[Silvana de Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvana-de-mari/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [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/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

[Browse all 47,383 Nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake that shatters a city might begin with a tremor, a tremble, a breath.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lauren Oliver"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-movements-on-earth-have-their-4/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Nature"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-movements-on-earth-have-their-4/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/lauren-oliver-109_nature_most-things-even-the-greatest-movements_3084742.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/lauren-oliver-109_nature_most-things-even-the-greatest-movements_3084742.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b37/lauren-oliver-109_nature_most-things-even-the-greatest-movements_3084742.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most things, even the greatest movements on earth, have their beginnings in something small. An earthquake…” — Lauren Oliver",
                "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": "Lauren Oliver",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Most things, even the greatest movements...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-movements-on-earth-have-their-4/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/most-things-even-the-greatest-movements-on-earth-have-their-4/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
