Cause-and-effect assumes history marches forward, but history is not an army. It is a crab scuttling sideways, a drip of soft water wearing away stone, an earthquake breaking centuries of tension. Sometimes one person inspires a movement, or her words do decades later, sometimes a few passionate people change the world; sometimes they start a mass movement and millions do; sometimes those millions are stirred by the same outrage or the same ideal, and change comes upon us like a change of weather. All that these transformations have in common is that they begin in the imagination, in hope. . Rebecca Solnit
About This Quote

The quote above was written by Emma Goldman, an anarchist, feminist, poet and journalist. The text she wrote is something that can be interpreted in multiple ways. The idea that “history marches forward” is probably the most common interpretation of this quote. It means that things are always moving in a direction and that everything will eventually end up getting better.

Sometimes it takes time for change to happen, but once change does come it usually happens fast. The next line suggests that when you are the catalyst for change, when you are the one who starts something new, when you are the one who inspires others to act, nothing lasts forever. If someone else inspired you to act, if someone else started a movement in your name , then that person should be acknowledged and credited for their efforts just as much as you should be.

However, if it is your actions or ideas that inspired others to act, then you should take the credit for yourself just as much as anyone else should.

Source: Hope In The Dark

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More Quotes By Rebecca Solnit
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  5. The positive emotions that arise in...unpromising circumstances demonstrate that social ties and meaningful work are deeply desired, readily improvised, and intensely rewarding. The very structure of our economy and society prevent these goals from being achieved.

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