--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What if I can't save Congo, but I try…" description: "\"“What if I can't save Congo, but I try anyway? Would it be better to do nothing? Did he abolitionists really think they could end slavery? Did the anit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daa/lisa-shannon-53971_quote_what-if-i-can-t-save-congo-but-i-try-any_2213036.jpg" --- # What if I can't save Congo, but I try anyway? Would it be… ![“What if I can't save Congo, but I try anyway? Would it be better to do nothing? Did he abolitionists really think they could end slavery? Did the anit-apartheid movement really think it could ban apartheid? Does Save Darfur really think they can save Darfur?” quote by Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daa/lisa-shannon-53971_quote_what-if-i-can-t-save-congo-but-i-try-any_2213036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daa/lisa-shannon-53971_quote_what-if-i-can-t-save-congo-but-i-try-any_2213036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daa/lisa-shannon-53971_quote_what-if-i-can-t-save-congo-but-i-try-any_2213036.jpg) > ““What if I can't save Congo, but I try anyway? Would it be better to do nothing? Did he abolitionists really think they could end slavery? Did the anit-apartheid movement really think it could ban apartheid? Does Save Darfur really think they can save Darfur?”” [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning the impact of individual effort versus systemic change in humanitarian crises. **In simple terms:** Individual attempts may seem small against massive problems. Key Takeaway Act, even if outcomes are uncertain. Themes activism ethical dilemmas humanitarian aid Mood reflective concerned Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - volunteering - policy advocacy - grassroots campaigns - personal fundraising Key Concepts moral responsibility effectiveness collective action Questions to Reflect On - Is it better to act imperfectly than remain idle? - How can personal effort complement systemic solutions? A Different Perspective Individual actions can be symbolic but may not address root causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abolitionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolitionists-527391/) [Congo Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congo-try-4908687/) [Did Abolitionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-abolitionists-2141793/) [Save Congo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-congo-3962767/) [Save Darfur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-darfur-3988903/) ## Related quotes > [One of the reasons why I say we all need to work together to save the Congo forest, because if we don't save the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/one-of-the-reasons-why-i-say-we-all-need-to-work-together-to-save-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [You point out that war is only a symptom of the whole horrid business of human behavior, and cannot be isolated. And that, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/you-point-out-that-war-is-only-a-symptom-of-the-whole-horrid-business/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [I was proud to witness American Jewish organizations found the Save Darfur Coalition in June 2004 to mobilize a coordinated interfaith response to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-schakowsky/i-was-proud-to-witness-american-jewish-organizations-found-the-save/) [Jan Schakowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-schakowsky/) > [Who freed the slaves? To the extent that they were ever u2018freed,' they were freed by the Thirteenth Amendment, which was authored and pressured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lerone-bennett-jr/who-freed-the-slaves-to-the-extent-that-they-were-ever-u2018freed/) [Lerone Bennett, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lerone-bennett-jr/) > [“Certain black women faced the triple hurdle—of being abolitionists in a slave society, of being black among white reformers, and of being women in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/certain-black-women-faced-the-triple-hurdle-of-being-abolitionists-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“In a democratic society, a wrongful practice persists only when most people don’t perceive it to be unjust. At first, only a small minority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/in-a-democratic-society-a-wrongful-practice-persists-only-when-most/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [We've actually bought quite a number of historical pieces. We are doing a piece on the abolitionists, Harper's Ferry and the abolitionist John Brown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landgraf/we-ve-actually-bought-quite-a-number-of-historical-pieces-we-are/) [John Landgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landgraf/) > [Oftentimes, a history book in school will talk about the Underground Railroad as if it's one sentence. But thousands of people decided to run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett-bell/oftentimes-a-history-book-in-school-will-talk-about-the-underground/) [Jurnee Smollett-Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett-bell/) > [Is art influential? It can be - 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' rallied abolitionists, and 'The Jungle' provoked the demand for a safer food industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-shetterly/is-art-influential-it-can-be-uncle-tom-s-cabin-rallied-abolitionists/) [Will Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-shetterly/) > [Enslaving each other was what human beings had done for ages. And the abolitionist movement was greeted with incredulity. Conservative spokesmen ridiculed the abolitionists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/enslaving-each-other-was-what-human-beings-had-done-for-ages-and-the/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask it early of the abolitionists, 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/everybody-has-asked-the-question-and-they-learned-to-ask-it-early-of/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“Doak and other early abolitionists planted a host of Presbyterian churches and “log cabin colleges” that taught a strong antislavery doctrine. They laid the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-himes/doak-and-other-early-abolitionists-planted-a-host-of-presbyterian/) [Andrew Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-himes/) > [I was in favour of the death penalty, and disposed to regard abolitionists as people whose hearts were bigger than their heads. Four years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gowers/i-was-in-favour-of-the-death-penalty-and-disposed-to-regard/) [Ernest Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gowers/) > [Many abolitionists have yet to learn the ABC of woman's rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/many-abolitionists-have-yet-to-learn-the-abc-of-woman-s-rights/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) ## More by Lisa Shannon > [“I don't know how to stop the atrocities. I don't know how to make people care. But looking into my sister's eyes, we seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/i-don-t-know-how-to-stop-the-atrocities-i-don-t-know-how-to-make/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) > [“You hope you impact people on the deepest level you are capable of at the time. Sometimes you hit it, sometimes you don’t. You’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/you-hope-you-impact-people-on-the-deepest-level-you-are-capable-of-at/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) > [“I interviewed my dad on video in his final weeks. When I asked about his work and finding meaning through helping others, he responded,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/i-interviewed-my-dad-on-video-in-his-final-weeks-when-i-asked-about/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) > [“Nothing is so tiresome as being insincere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/nothing-is-so-tiresome-as-being-insincere/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) > [“Then there are the questions with which the rest of the world must wrestle: What if one has the privilege of not directly experiencing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/then-there-are-the-questions-with-which-the-rest-of-the-world-must/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) [Explore all 6 Lisa Shannon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) ## More Abolitionists quotes > [Many abolitionists have yet to learn the ABC of woman's rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/many-abolitionists-have-yet-to-learn-the-abc-of-woman-s-rights/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [I was in favour of the death penalty, and disposed to regard abolitionists as people whose hearts were bigger than their heads. Four years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gowers/i-was-in-favour-of-the-death-penalty-and-disposed-to-regard/) [Ernest Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gowers/) > [“Doak and other early abolitionists planted a host of Presbyterian churches and “log cabin colleges” that taught a strong antislavery doctrine. They laid the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-himes/doak-and-other-early-abolitionists-planted-a-host-of-presbyterian/) [Andrew Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-himes/) > [There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask it early of the abolitionists, 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/everybody-has-asked-the-question-and-they-learned-to-ask-it-early-of/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Enslaving each other was what human beings had done for ages. And the abolitionist movement was greeted with incredulity. Conservative spokesmen ridiculed the abolitionists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/enslaving-each-other-was-what-human-beings-had-done-for-ages-and-the/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Is art influential? It can be - 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' rallied abolitionists, and 'The Jungle' provoked the demand for a safer food industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-shetterly/is-art-influential-it-can-be-uncle-tom-s-cabin-rallied-abolitionists/) [Will Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-shetterly/) > [Oftentimes, a history book in school will talk about the Underground Railroad as if it's one sentence. But thousands of people decided to run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett-bell/oftentimes-a-history-book-in-school-will-talk-about-the-underground/) [Jurnee Smollett-Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett-bell/) > [We've actually bought quite a number of historical pieces. We are doing a piece on the abolitionists, Harper's Ferry and the abolitionist John Brown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landgraf/we-ve-actually-bought-quite-a-number-of-historical-pieces-we-are/) [John Landgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landgraf/) > [“In a democratic society, a wrongful practice persists only when most people don’t perceive it to be unjust. At first, only a small minority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/in-a-democratic-society-a-wrongful-practice-persists-only-when-most/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Certain black women faced the triple hurdle—of being abolitionists in a slave society, of being black among white reformers, and of being women in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/certain-black-women-faced-the-triple-hurdle-of-being-abolitionists-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Who freed the slaves? To the extent that they were ever u2018freed,' they were freed by the Thirteenth Amendment, which was authored and pressured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lerone-bennett-jr/who-freed-the-slaves-to-the-extent-that-they-were-ever-u2018freed/) [Lerone Bennett, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lerone-bennett-jr/) > [There were thousands of abolitionists who were free traders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/there-were-thousands-of-abolitionists-who-were-free-traders/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [“just at that time, the slightest manifestation of humanity toward a colored person was denounced as abolitionism, and that name subjected its bearer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/just-at-that-time-the-slightest-manifestation-of-humanity-toward-a/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [ In one point of view, we, the abolitionists and colored people, should meet \[the Dred Scott\] decision, unlooked for and monstrous as it appears,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/in-one-point-of-view-we-the-abolitionists-and-colored-people-should/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) [Browse all 27 Abolitionists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolitionists-527391/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What if I can't save Congo, but I try anyway? 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