--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People can change their own lives…" description: "\"People can change their own lives, provided they have the right kind of institutional support. They're not asking for charity, charity is no solution t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73f/muhammad-yunus-2158_asking_people-can-change-their-own-lives-provid_1087283.png" --- # People can change their own lives, provided they have the… ![“People can change their own lives, provided they have the right kind of institutional support. They're not asking for charity, charity is no solution to poverty. Poverty is the creation of opportunities like everybody else has, not the poor people, so bring them to the poor people, so that they…” quote by Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73f/muhammad-yunus-2158_asking_people-can-change-their-own-lives-provid_1087283.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73f/muhammad-yunus-2158_asking_people-can-change-their-own-lives-provid_1087283.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73f/muhammad-yunus-2158_asking_people-can-change-their-own-lives-provid_1087283.png) > “People can change their own lives, provided they have the right kind of institutional support. They're not asking for charity, charity is no solution to poverty. Poverty is the creation of opportunities like everybody else has, not the poor people, so bring them to the poor people, so that they can change their lives.” [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Individuals can improve their circumstances when institutions create enabling opportunities rather than just giving aid. **In simple terms:** Support, not charity, empowers the poor. Key Takeaway Provide structures that enable self‑reliance. Themes poverty empowerment institutional design social entrepreneurship Mood hopeful determined inspirational Type policy social motivational When to use this quote - community development programs - government policy reform - NGO project design - education and training initiatives Key Concepts microfinance opportunity creation systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions redesign aid to foster autonomy? - What policies best translate opportunity into real change? A Different Perspective Charity alone may create dependency if not paired with capacity building. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poor people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-people/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Solutions to poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions-to-poverty/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) ## Related quotes > [When we want to help the poor, we usually offer them charity. Most often we use charity to avoid recognizing the problem and finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/when-we-want-to-help-the-poor-we-usually-offer-them-charity-most/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Policies are also to blame: the only thing that the governments and people can come up with to give to the poor people is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/policies-are-also-to-blame-the-only-thing-that-the-governments-and/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Think about it: Every educated person is not rich, but almost every education person has a job and a way out of poverty. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-blanco/think-about-it-every-educated-person-is-not-rich-but-almost-every/) [Kathleen Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-blanco/) > [I am now convinced that the simplest approach will prove to be the most effective -- the solution to poverty is to abolish it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-am-now-convinced-that-the-simplest-approach-will-prove-to-be-the/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The ultimate solution to POVERTY is found in the COMPASSION of God's people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/the-ultimate-solution-to-poverty-is-found-in-the-compassion-of-god-s/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Charity only perpetuates poverty by taking the initiative away from the poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/charity-only-perpetuates-poverty-by-taking-the-initiative-away-from/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [“The ending of war, the resolution of poverty, the creation of a material abundance unseen in history to meet human needs, the removal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzm-team/the-ending-of-war-the-resolution-of-poverty-the-creation-of-a/) Tzm Team > [Hundreds of millions of people around the world have been lifted out of poverty with the creation of robust middle classes in India and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/hundreds-of-millions-of-people-around-the-world-have-been-lifted-out/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [Relief, or redistribution of income, voluntary or coerced, is never the true solution of poverty, but at best a makeshift, which may mask the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/relief-or-redistribution-of-income-voluntary-or-coerced-is-never-the/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [You learn pretty fast that there is no magic solution to poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/you-learn-pretty-fast-that-there-is-no-magic-solution-to-poverty/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [“Poverty is rooted in broken relationships, so the solution to poverty is rooted in the power of Jesus' death and resurrection to put all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/when-helping-hurts-brian-fikkert/poverty-is-rooted-in-broken-relationships-so-the-solution-to-poverty/) When Helping Hurts Brian Fikkert > [Conservatives should single-mindedly privilege marriage as the solution to poverty and the best path for raising successful children, and not rationalize the real of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/conservatives-should-single-mindedly-privilege-marriage-as-the/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [Common sense, to me, is simple. And I've never understood why there aren't a lot of people trying to figure out how the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/common-sense-to-me-is-simple-and-i-ve-never-understood-why-there-aren/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth – these are one and the same fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/saving-our-planet-lifting-people-out-of-poverty-advancing-economic-2/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [Polak, a psychiatrist, has applied a behavioral and anthropological approach to alleviating poverty, developed by studying people in their natural surroundings. He argues that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lockwood/polak-a-psychiatrist-has-applied-a-behavioral-and-anthropological/) [Amy Lockwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lockwood/) ## More by Muhammad Yunus > [What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges every day. The guy who sells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigness-is-not-the-issue-poor/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Here we were talking about economic development, about investing billions of dollars in various programs, and I could see it wasn't billions of dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/here-we-were-talking-about-economic-development-about-investing/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [All human beings are very creative - full of potential, full of energy... So, money kind of allows them to express it... And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/all-human-beings-are-very-creative-full-of-potential-full-of-energy/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Credit markets were originally created to serve human needs; to provide businesses and individuals with capital to start or expand businesses or fulfill other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/credit-markets-were-originally-created-to-serve-human-needs-to/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [We have a list of human rights - right to food, right to shelter, right to health, right to education, many such items which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/we-have-a-list-of-human-rights-right-to-food-right-to-shelter-right/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [If we are looking for one single action which will enable the poor to overcome their poverty, I would go for credit. Money is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/if-we-are-looking-for-one-single-action-which-will-enable-the-poor-to/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [What we are trying to do is to create a social business in Bangladesh, a joint venture to create restaurants for common people. Good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-we-are-trying-to-do-is-to-create-a-social-business-in-bangladesh/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [There is the expression of selfishness and there is the expression of selflessness - but economists or theoreticians never touched that part. They said:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/there-is-the-expression-of-selfishness-and-there-is-the-expression-of/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I did something that challenged the banking world. Conventional banks look for the rich; we look for the absolutely poor. All people are entrepreneurs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-did-something-that-challenged-the-banking-world-conventional-banks/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Poverty is an artificial, external imposition on a human being; it is not innate in a human being. And since it is external, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/poverty-is-an-artificial-external-imposition-on-a-human-being-it-is/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I made a list of people who needed just a little bit of money. And when the list was complete, there were 42 names.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-made-a-list-of-people-who-needed-just-a-little-bit-of-money-and/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I dismiss personal profit and focus exclusively on people and planet. That's what I call social business: a nondividend company dedicated to solving human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-dismiss-personal-profit-and-focus-exclusively-on-people-and-planet/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I have come to believe, deeply and firmly, that we can create a poverty free world if we want to. I came to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-have-come-to-believe-deeply-and-firmly-that-we-can-create-a-poverty/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [The crisis is the price for the capitalist system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/the-crisis-is-the-price-for-the-capitalist-system/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I was teaching in one of the universities while the country was suffering from a severe famine. People were dying of hunger, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-was-teaching-in-one-of-the-universities-while-the-country-was/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) [Explore all 182 Muhammad Yunus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) ## More Asking quotes > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) Browse all 3,313 Asking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People can change their own lives, provided they have the right kind of institutional support. 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