--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a great time to be born, what a…" description: "\"What a great time to be born, what a great time to be alive, because this generation gets to completely change this world.\" — Paul Hawken" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/paul-hawken-3831_alive_what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-grea_1650907.png" --- # What a great time to be born, what a great time to be… ![“What a great time to be born, what a great time to be alive, because this generation gets to completely change this world.” quote by Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/paul-hawken-3831_alive_what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-grea_1650907.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/paul-hawken-3831_alive_what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-grea_1650907.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/paul-hawken-3831_alive_what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-grea_1650907.png) > “What a great time to be born, what a great time to be alive, because this generation gets to completely change this world.” [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. This era offers a unique chance for the current generation to transform the world. **In simple terms:** Our generation can change the world. Key Takeaway Act to shape the future. Themes activism generational change optimism Mood energetic optimistic Type inspirational call‑to‑action When to use this quote - climate action - political activism - education reform - technology innovation Key Concepts sustainability social entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - What change will you champion? - How can you mobilize others? A Different Perspective Change requires collective effort and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Great time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-time/) [This generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-generation/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [What a great time to be born! What a great time to be alive! Because this generation gets to essentially completely change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-great-time-to-be-alive-because-2/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [“Imagine the amazing good fortune of the generation that gets to see the end of the world. This is as marvelous as being there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/imagine-the-amazing-good-fortune-of-the-generation-that-gets-to-see-2/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [Imagine the amazing good fortune of the generation that gets to see the end of the world. This is as marvelous as being there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/imagine-the-amazing-good-fortune-of-the-generation-that-gets-to-see/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [“Every generation gets stuck in own youth and then scolds succeeding generations for sticking in their youth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryanna-reid/every-generation-gets-stuck-in-own-youth-and-then-scolds-succeeding/) Bryanna Reid > [Every generation gets a chance to change the world Pity the nation that won't listen to your boys and girls Cos the sweetest melody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/every-generation-gets-a-chance-to-change-the-world-pity-the-nation/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [Each generation gets more accepting which is great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willam-belli/each-generation-gets-more-accepting-which-is-great/) [Willam Belli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willam-belli/) > [Every generation gets the Constitution that it deserves. As the central preoccupations of an era make their way into the legal system, the Supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/every-generation-gets-the-constitution-that-it-deserves-as-the/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [“The Greatest Generation gets too much credit. Those World War II guys, if they had all the shit we have today, they'd be assholes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k-2/the-greatest-generation-gets-too-much-credit-those-world-war-ii-guys/) [Louis C.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k-2/) > [The great thing about the dilemma we're in is that we get to re-imagine every single thing we do...There isn't a single thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/the-great-thing-about-the-dilemma-we-re-in-is-that-we-get-to-re/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [What this generation was bred to at television's knees was not wisdom, but cynicism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/what-this-generation-was-bred-to-at-television-s-knees-was-not-wisdom/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [This generation may either be the last to exist in any semblance of a civilised world or that it will be the first to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-st-barbe-baker/this-generation-may-either-be-the-last-to-exist-in-any-semblance-of-a/) [Richard St. Barbe Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-st-barbe-baker/) > [This generation I'm a member of, we're sort of infected by this idea that you had to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ross-barney/this-generation-i-m-a-member-of-we-re-sort-of-infected-by-this-idea/) [Carol Ross Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ross-barney/) > [I'm a fan boy when it comes to Michael Buble. He's just so good at 'it'. He's got a voice of this generation, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-williams/i-m-a-fan-boy-when-it-comes-to-michael-buble-he-s-just-so-good-at-it/) [Robbie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-williams/) > [What really distinguishes this generation in all countries from earlier generations ... is its determination to act, its joy in action, the assurance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/what-really-distinguishes-this-generation-in-all-countries-from/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [I'm not of this generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-manson/i-m-not-of-this-generation/) [Charles Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-manson/) ## More by Paul Hawken > [Information from destructive activities going back a hundred years right up until today is being incorporated into the system. And as that happens the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/information-from-destructive-activities-going-back-a-hundred-years/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [When the planes still swoop down and aerial spray a field in order to kill a predator insect with pesticides, we are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/when-the-planes-still-swoop-down-and-aerial-spray-a-field-in-order-to/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [The great thing about the dilemma we're in is that we get to re-imagine every single thing we do...There isn't a single thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/the-great-thing-about-the-dilemma-we-re-in-is-that-we-get-to-re/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Luck is earned. Luck is working so hard at your craft, service or enterprise that sooner or later you get a break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/luck-is-earned-luck-is-working-so-hard-at-your-craft-service-or/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Healing the wounds of the earth and its people does not require saintliness or a political party, only gumption and persistence. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/healing-the-wounds-of-the-earth-and-its-people-does-not-require/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [When cattle ranchers clear rain forests to raise beef to sell to fast-food chains that make hamburgers to sell to Americans, who have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/when-cattle-ranchers-clear-rain-forests-to-raise-beef-to-sell-to-fast/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We are the only species on this planet without full employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-without-full-employment/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We subsidize the disposal of waste in all its myriad forms — from landfills, to Superfund cleanups, to deep-well injection, to storage of nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-subsidize-the-disposal-of-waste-in-all-its-myriad-forms-from/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity's willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/inspiration-is-not-garnered-from-the-litanies-of-what-may-befall-us/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [If you look at the science that describes what is happening on earth today and aren't pessimistic, you don’t have the correct data. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/if-you-look-at-the-science-that-describes-what-is-happening-on-earth/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [All is connected ... no one thing can change by itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/all-is-connected-no-one-thing-can-change-by-itself/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We can no longer prosper by increasing human productivity. The more we try to do, the more poverty we will create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-can-no-longer-prosper-by-increasing-human-productivity-the-more-we/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Throughout the industrial era, economists considered manufactured capital - money, factories, etc. - the principal factor in industrial production, and perceived natural capital as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/throughout-the-industrial-era-economists-considered-manufactured/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [his planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/his-planet-came-with-a-set-of-instructions-but-we-seem-to-have/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Sustainability, ensuring the future of life on Earth, is an infinite game, the endless expression of generosity on behalf of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/sustainability-ensuring-the-future-of-life-on-earth-is-an-infinite/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) [Explore all 121 Paul Hawken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What a great time to be born, what a great time to be alive, because this generation gets to completely change this world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Hawken" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-great-time-to-be-alive-because/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-great-time-to-be-alive-because/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/paul-hawken-3831_alive_what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-grea_1650907.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/paul-hawken-3831_alive_what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-grea_1650907.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/634/paul-hawken-3831_alive_what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-grea_1650907.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What a great time to be born, what a great time to be alive, because this generation gets to completely…” — Paul Hawken", "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": "Paul Hawken", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What a great time to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-great-time-to-be-alive-because/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/what-a-great-time-to-be-born-what-a-great-time-to-be-alive-because/#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 } } ] } ```