--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is something about participating…" description: "\"There is something about participating; it is almost my religion. If the world is still here in 100 years, people will know the importance of participa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/pete-seeger-1942_agree_there-is-something-about-participating-i_2866718.png" --- # There is something about participating; it is almost my… ![“There is something about participating; it is almost my religion. If the world is still here in 100 years, people will know the importance of participating, not just being spectators. Millions of small groups around the world, that don't necessarily all agree with one another, are made up of…” quote by Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/pete-seeger-1942_agree_there-is-something-about-participating-i_2866718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/pete-seeger-1942_agree_there-is-something-about-participating-i_2866718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/pete-seeger-1942_agree_there-is-something-about-participating-i_2866718.png) > “There is something about participating; it is almost my religion. If the world is still here in 100 years, people will know the importance of participating, not just being spectators. Millions of small groups around the world, that don't necessarily all agree with one another, are made up of people who are not just sitting back waiting for someone to do things for them. No one can prove anything, but of course if I didn't believe it had some kind of power, I wouldn't be trying to do it.” [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Active participation, not passive observation, builds communal power and shared purpose over time. **In simple terms:** Participating builds community strength. Key Takeaway Engage actively to shape the future. Themes community participation activism shared purpose collective action Mood hopeful determined encouraging Type inspirational social. When to use this quote - volunteering - local meetings - grassroots campaigns - online forums - public art projects Key Concepts civic engagement social capital empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to join collective efforts? - How does participation change your view of society? A Different Perspective Some may feel forced or tokenistic in participation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree/) [Around the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Groups World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups-world-3899130/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Importance Participating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance-participating-3638219/) [Just being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-being/) [Just Spectators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-spectators-3899129/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Participating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participating/) [Participating Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participating-religion-3899128/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Small groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-groups/) [Spectators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spectators/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I believe in the critical importance of participating in the political system - from voting to standing for election. It's both rewarding and necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/i-believe-in-the-critical-importance-of-participating-in-the/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) > [I believe one of the best preparations for marriage is participating in a small group. If a person has learned to be intimate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/i-believe-one-of-the-best-preparations-for-marriage-is-participating/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [“The Bible tells us that the small groups in New Testament times pursued the biblical purposes of fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gladen/the-bible-tells-us-that-the-small-groups-in-new-testament-times/) [Steve Gladen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gladen/) > [You want to stay alive in a zombie swarm? You go alone or in a small group, where everyone is of similar physical condition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/you-want-to-stay-alive-in-a-zombie-swarm-you-go-alone-or-in-a-small/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [“So, look at the Trinity and think again about what it means to be human. Yes, the relationships in the Trinity call for and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-a-ware/so-look-at-the-trinity-and-think-again-about-what-it-means-to-be/) [Bruce A. Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-a-ware/) > [A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people's property, other people's money, other people's labor -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/a-small-group-had-concentrated-into-their-own-hands-an-almost/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [I co-taught a seminar called Small Group Processes with my professor. I learned so much from it, so much about myself, about groups, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-co-taught-a-seminar-called-small-group-processes-with-my-professor/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [That's where we all kind of were in the mid-1960s. Students for a Democratic Society grew from a small group of socialists at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/that-s-where-we-all-kind-of-were-in-the-mid-1960s-students-for-a/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [“Conformity is a problem for many small groups. Members put a higher priority on cohesion than on coming up with a well-reasoned choice. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/conformity-is-a-problem-for-many-small-groups-members-put-a-higher/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“STARTUP THINKING New technology tends to come from new ventures—startups. From the Founding Fathers in politics to the Royal Society in science to Fairchild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/startup-thinking-new-technology-tends-to-come-from-new-ventures/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [After so many years now, it's just suspected by most people that there simply is no way to change the direction Washington's going or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/after-so-many-years-now-it-s-just-suspected-by-most-people-that-there/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Having small group once a week gives me a lot of encouragement and accountability. Even though I go to church, I dont really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/having-small-group-once-a-week-gives-me-a-lot-of-encouragement-and/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I wish I could see over crowds and small groups of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oates/i-wish-i-could-see-over-crowds-and-small-groups-of-people/) [John Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oates/) > [Empowerment of individuals is a key part of what makes open source work, since in the end, innovations tend to come from small groups,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/empowerment-of-individuals-is-a-key-part-of-what-makes-open-source/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) ## More by Pete Seeger > [Honest songs aren't written for money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/honest-songs-aren-t-written-for-money/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [My father, Charles Seeger, got me into the Communist movement. He backed out around '38. I drifted out in the 50's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/my-father-charles-seeger-got-me-into-the-communist-movement-he-backed/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [In the sixties, during the Vietnam war, when anarchists and pacifists and socialists, Democrats and Republicans, decent-hearted Americans, all recoiled with horror at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/in-the-sixties-during-the-vietnam-war-when-anarchists-and-pacifists/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Now somebody will ask me, Pete, how can you prove these songs really make a difference? And I have to confess I can't prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/now-somebody-will-ask-me-pete-how-can-you-prove-these-songs-really/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [The truth is a rabbit in a bramble patch. All you can do is circle around and say it's somewhere in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/the-truth-is-a-rabbit-in-a-bramble-patch-all-you-can-do-is-circle/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [I was about 16 years old years when my father took me to a square dance festival in North Carolina. For the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/i-was-about-16-years-old-years-when-my-father-took-me-to-a-square/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [It was Rachel Carson's famous book 'Silent Spring' that got me involved with the environment. I read it in The New Yorker, in installments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/it-was-rachel-carson-s-famous-book-silent-spring-that-got-me-involved/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [When you play the 12-string guitar, you spend half your life tuning the instrument and the other half playing it out of tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/when-you-play-the-12-string-guitar-you-spend-half-your-life-tuning/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Folks out in the country couldn't afford to pay for anybody else to make music. They had to make their own. So the peasantry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/folks-out-in-the-country-couldn-t-afford-to-pay-for-anybody-else-to/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [If there's something wrong, speak up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/if-there-s-something-wrong-speak-up/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [This world is so full of hypocrisy, the only way you can be honest is to be a hermit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/this-world-is-so-full-of-hypocrisy-the-only-way-you-can-be-honest-is/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [There is a big, beautiful world that could be destroyed by selfishness and foolishness. We musicians have it within our power to help save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/there-is-a-big-beautiful-world-that-could-be-destroyed-by-selfishness/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [And the people in the houses All went to the University And they got put in boxes Little boxes all the same, Little boxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/and-the-people-in-the-houses-all-went-to-the-university-and-they-got/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [A good song reminds us what we're fighting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/a-good-song-reminds-us-what-we-re-fighting-for/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Most conservatives just want to turn back the clock to a time before the income tax - 100 years or so. I would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/most-conservatives-just-want-to-turn-back-the-clock-to-a-time-before/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) [Explore all 196 Pete Seeger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) ## More Agree quotes > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/) [Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/) > [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/) [Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/) > [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/) [Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/) > [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/) [Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/) [Browse all 3,079 Agree quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is something about participating; it is almost my religion. If the world is still here in 100 years, people will know the importance of participating, not just being spectators. Millions of small groups around the world, that don't necessarily all agree with one another, are made up of people who are not just sitting back waiting for someone to do things for them. No one can prove anything, but of course if I didn't believe it had some kind of power, I wouldn't be trying to do it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pete Seeger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/there-is-something-about-participating-it-is-almost-my-religion-if/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agree" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/there-is-something-about-participating-it-is-almost-my-religion-if/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/pete-seeger-1942_agree_there-is-something-about-participating-i_2866718.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/pete-seeger-1942_agree_there-is-something-about-participating-i_2866718.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/pete-seeger-1942_agree_there-is-something-about-participating-i_2866718.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is something about participating; it is almost my religion. If the world is still here in 100 years…” — Pete Seeger", "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": "Pete Seeger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is something about participating; it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/there-is-something-about-participating-it-is-almost-my-religion-if/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/there-is-something-about-participating-it-is-almost-my-religion-if/#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 } } ] } ```