---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people who influence us most are not…"
description: "\"The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/oswald-chambers-205_fields_the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not_1856327.png"
---

#  The people who influence us most are not those who…

![“The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould” quote by Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/oswald-chambers-205_fields_the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not_1856327.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/oswald-chambers-205_fields_the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not_1856327.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/oswald-chambers-205_fields_the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not_1856327.png)

> “The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould”

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

## About This Quote

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

True influence comes from living a simple, authentic life, not from direct instruction or preaching.

**In simple terms:** Live simply to influence others.

Key Takeaway

Embody humility and authenticity.

Themes

influence humility authenticity simplicity

Mood

reflective encouraging

Type

spiritual philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal conduct
- public behavior
- teaching by example

Key Concepts

ethical living role modeling

Questions to Reflect On

- How does a simple life inspire others?
- What barriers exist to living authentically?

A Different Perspective

Simplicity may be overlooked in a complex world.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Like Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-stars/) [Lilies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lilies/) [Mould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mould/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-influence/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stars Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars-heaven-290349/) [Unaffectedly Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unaffectedly-lives-2470315/)

## Related quotes

> [The people who influence us are those who have stood unconsciously for the right thing. They are like the stars and the lilies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-people-who-influence-us-are-those-who-have-stood-unconsciously/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“Remember, we who fell like stars from Heaven still shine bright in our own court.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-dodd/remember-we-who-fell-like-stars-from-heaven-still-shine-bright-in-our/)

[Philip Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-dodd/)

> [Hither rolls the storm of heat; I feel its finer billows beat Like a sea which me infolds; Heat with viewless fingers moulds, Swells,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/hither-rolls-the-storm-of-heat-i-feel-its-finer-billows-beat-like-a/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [It is not the thing on which we spend the most time that moulds us, but the thing that exerts the greatest power. Five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-not-the-thing-on-which-we-spend-the-most-time-that-moulds-us/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [It is perilously possible to make our conceptions of God like molten lead poured into a specially designed mould, and when it is cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-perilously-possible-to-make-our-conceptions-of-god-like-molten/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“The creator of stars, heaven and earth surpassed himself when he also created pain. Lips like rubies, delicious-smelling hair, blooming flowers, how many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/the-creator-of-stars-heaven-and-earth-surpassed-himself-when-he-also/)

[Omar Khayyám](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/)

> [“It is my lady. O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were! She speaks, yet she says nothing. What of that?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/it-is-my-lady-o-it-is-my-love-o-that-she-knew-she-were-she-speaks-yet/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“How can you be one of the stars of heaven, when the stars are innumerable? What star number do you have?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/how-can-you-be-one-of-the-stars-of-heaven-when-the-stars-are/)

[Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/)

> [“Addy, you are my sun, my moon, andmy stars. You are my heaven, my hell, and my earth. I'd go anywhere with you. I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-hammond/addy-you-are-my-sun-my-moon-andmy-stars-you-are-my-heaven-my-hell-and/)

[Lauren Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-hammond/)

> [Stars of heaven, clear and bright, Shine upon this Christmas light, Vaster far than midnight skies Are its timeless mysteries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-dudley-smith/stars-of-heaven-clear-and-bright-shine-upon-this-christmas-light/)

[Timothy Dudley-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-dudley-smith/)

> [“The stars of heaven gives light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-stars-of-heaven-gives-light/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“And his tail drew down a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-biblescript/and-his-tail-drew-down-a-third-part-of-the-stars-of-heaven-and-cast/)

[The Biblescript](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-biblescript/)

> [“I just want you to know that you are my sun, my moon, and my stars. My heaven, my hell, and my earth. I’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-hammond/i-just-want-you-to-know-that-you-are-my-sun-my-moon-and-my-stars-my/)

[Lauren Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-hammond/)

> [Truth is beautiful and divine, no matter how humble its origin; it is the same in the musty boiler-room as it is in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihajlo-idvorski-pupin/truth-is-beautiful-and-divine-no-matter-how-humble-its-origin-it-is/)

[Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihajlo-idvorski-pupin/)

> [“Finally, she took him in, all wet and sexy beneath her. Every breath and groan echoed over the water. She alternated her gaze from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gillis/finally-she-took-him-in-all-wet-and-sexy-beneath-her-every-breath-and/)

[Lisa Gillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gillis/)

## More by Oswald Chambers

> [“If we deliberately choose to obey God, then He will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-we-deliberately-choose-to-obey-god-then-he-will-tax-the-remotest/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [Realize that the Lord is here now, and the freedom you receive is immediate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/realize-that-the-lord-is-here-now-and-the-freedom-you-receive-is/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/you-will-never-cease-to-be-the-most-amazed-person-on-earth-at-what/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [When Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross, it was not the blood of a martyr; or the blood of one man for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/when-jesus-christ-shed-his-blood-on-the-cross-it-was-not-the-blood-of/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/sorrow-burns-up-a-great-amount-of-shallowness/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“Let circumstances take you where they will, but keep drawing on the grace of God in whatever condition you may find yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/let-circumstances-take-you-where-they-will-but-keep-drawing-on-the/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-goal-of-faithfulness-is-not-that-we-will-do-work-for-god-but-that/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-in-danger-of-forgetting-that-we-cannot-do-what-god-does-and/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God's children starving while actually seated at the Father's table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-a-solemn-thing-and-no-small-scandal-in-the-kingdom-to-see-god-s/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“If my holiness is not drawing towards Him, it is not holiness of the right order, but an influence that will awaken inordinate affection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-my-holiness-is-not-drawing-towards-him-it-is-not-holiness-of-the/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“My spiritual history must have as its underlying foundation a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. To be born again means that I see Jesus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/my-spiritual-history-must-have-as-its-underlying-foundation-a/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [We always have visions, before a thing is made real. When we realize that although the vision is real, it is not real in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-always-have-visions-before-a-thing-is-made-real-when-we-realize/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-lasting-value-of-our-public-service-for-god-is-measured-by-the/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [The thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-thing-that-awakens-the-deepest-fountain-of-gratitude-in-a-human/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [The secret of the missionary is...I am His, and He is carrying out His work through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-secret-of-the-missionary-is-i-am-his-and-he-is-carrying-out-his/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

[Explore all 922 Oswald Chambers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

## More Fields quotes

> [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/)

[Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/)

> [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/)

[Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/)

> [It's a great lesson in modesty that you realize you're illiterate in a field that you think you're an expert in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/it-s-a-great-lesson-in-modesty-that-you-realize-you-re-illiterate-in/)

[Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/)

[Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/)

> [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/)

[James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/)

> [My dream is to see India as a nation of well-looked-after and respected sportspeople in all fields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saina-nehwal/my-dream-is-to-see-india-as-a-nation-of-well-looked-after-and/)

[Saina Nehwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saina-nehwal/)

> [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I've been screwed by as many women as I have by men, in terms of lawyers. But lawyers don't count. If you take lawyers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-ve-been-screwed-by-as-many-women-as-i-have-by-men-in-terms-of/)

[Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/)

> [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/)

[John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/)

> [No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/no-matter-what-wherever-your-mind-wanders-it-seems-to-turn-up-at-the/)

[James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/)

> [I don't think that a company should own a studio and the network, and program for their own network. It hurts the creativity -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bakula/i-don-t-think-that-a-company-should-own-a-studio-and-the-network-and/)

[Scott Bakula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bakula/)

[Browse all 4,699 Fields quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Oswald Chambers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not-those-who-buttonhole-us-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fields"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not-those-who-buttonhole-us-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/oswald-chambers-205_fields_the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not_1856327.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/oswald-chambers-205_fields_the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not_1856327.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/oswald-chambers-205_fields_the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not_1856327.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their…” — Oswald Chambers",
                "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": "Oswald Chambers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The people who influence us most...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not-those-who-buttonhole-us-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-people-who-influence-us-most-are-not-those-who-buttonhole-us-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
