--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you do nothing you feel overwhelmed…" description: "\"When you do nothing you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/maya-angelou-104_accomplishment_when-you-do-nothing-you-feel-overwhelmed_708913.png" --- # When you do nothing you feel overwhelmed and powerless… ![“When you do nothing you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/maya-angelou-104_accomplishment_when-you-do-nothing-you-feel-overwhelmed_708913.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/maya-angelou-104_accomplishment_when-you-do-nothing-you-feel-overwhelmed_708913.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/908/maya-angelou-104_accomplishment_when-you-do-nothing-you-feel-overwhelmed_708913.png) > “When you do nothing you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Taking action transforms helplessness into hope and achievement, empowering personal agency. **In simple terms:** Action turns helplessness into hope. Key Takeaway Act to feel hopeful and accomplished. Themes agency hope empowerment Mood hopeful empowering Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - community service - volunteering - personal projects Key Concepts psychological resilience social activism Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take today? - How does involvement change your outlook? A Different Perspective Action may fail, causing disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Helping others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-others/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Powerless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerless/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [I suspect most politicians feel overwhelmed because people's lives are a real struggle, full of unhappiness, and you would probably feel powerless to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/i-suspect-most-politicians-feel-overwhelmed-because-people-s-lives/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [There's this emotion we all feel of being overwhelmed at times, feeling that you can't get ahead. For me it's self-imposed because I'm so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-chesney/there-s-this-emotion-we-all-feel-of-being-overwhelmed-at-times/) [Kenny Chesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-chesney/) > [“If you ever feel overwhelmed, take on another project.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-halston-frowick/if-you-ever-feel-overwhelmed-take-on-another-project/) Roy Halston Frowick > [“I was born a forest, but I feel overwhelmed by all these trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theladyfidgets/i-was-born-a-forest-but-i-feel-overwhelmed-by-all-these-trees/) Theladyfidgets > [If you feel overwhelmed, you may be trying to achieve too much at once. Step back and look at your goals. If you're doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mackler/if-you-feel-overwhelmed-you-may-be-trying-to-achieve-too-much-at-once/) [Lauren Mackler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mackler/) > [“As I feel less overwhelmed, my fear softens and begins to subside. I feel a flicker of hope, then a rolling wave of fiery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-a-levine/as-i-feel-less-overwhelmed-my-fear-softens-and-begins-to-subside-i/) [Peter A. Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-a-levine/) > [Sometimes getting something off your chest to someone else is an important step in coping - so you know that you're not alone, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lidington/sometimes-getting-something-off-your-chest-to-someone-else-is-an/) [David Lidington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lidington/) > [Often when people are diagnosed with a life-changing medical condition, they feel overwhelmed. They feel choked by darkness and hopelessness. Those are times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-eareckson-tada/often-when-people-are-diagnosed-with-a-life-changing-medical/) [Joni Eareckson Tada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-eareckson-tada/) > [One thing I discovered is that the book world is vast. It's easy to walk around the store - even the room with literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sampsell/one-thing-i-discovered-is-that-the-book-world-is-vast-it-s-easy-to/) [Kevin Sampsell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sampsell/) > [I don't feel overwhelmed with information. I really like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-don-t-feel-overwhelmed-with-information-i-really-like-it/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [“We have so much to balance constantly, and women especially juggle more jobs and responsibilities than ever before. The pressure to be everything to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-william/we-have-so-much-to-balance-constantly-and-women-especially-juggle/) [Anthony William](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-william/) > [The real focus at first is to just become a good stand-up comedian, and then when you get to a certain level, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/the-real-focus-at-first-is-to-just-become-a-good-stand-up-comedian/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I know that each of us has much to do. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the tasks we face. But if we keep our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/i-know-that-each-of-us-has-much-to-do-sometimes-we-feel-overwhelmed/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [It's okay to be annoyed with your significant other and feel overwhelmed at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/it-s-okay-to-be-annoyed-with-your-significant-other-and-feel/) [Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/) > [I realized that if you try to be the perfect mom, perfect wife, perfect actress, you start to feel overwhelmed. You shut down. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-dewan/i-realized-that-if-you-try-to-be-the-perfect-mom-perfect-wife-perfect/) [Jenna Dewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-dewan/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. 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Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Accomplishment quotes > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/) [Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/) > [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/) [Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/) > [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. People who go through life unscathed by sorrow and untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/suffering-in-life-can-uncover-untold-depths-of-character-and-unknown/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/) Anthony Sargent > [I expected college to feel like a major accomplishment. I walked across the stage, eight months pregnant with my almost seven-year-old daughter watching in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-expected-college-to-feel-like-a-major-accomplishment-i-walked/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [Our purpose on this earth is not one single event, an accomplishment we can check off a list. There is no test. No passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/our-purpose-on-this-earth-is-not-one-single-event-an-accomplishment/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 1,598 Accomplishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you do nothing you feel overwhelmed and powerless. 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