Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. He may be a blot radiating his dark influence outward to the very circumference of society, or he may be a blessing spreading benediction over the length and breadth of the world. But a blank he cannot be: there are no moral blanks; there are no neutral characters.
Interpretation
Every person influences the world, whether positively or negatively, intentionally or not.
This quote emphasizes the idea that each individual has an impact on society and cannot exist as a neutral force. It suggests that our actions and intentions either contribute to the well-being of others or detract from it, reinforcing the responsibility we have to be aware of the influence we wield in our interactions and behaviors.
In practice
In a speech about community involvement, you might use this quote to emphasize the importance of every individual's contribution.
I want to feel my own nothingness, I want to give myself up in absolute resignation to God, to lie prostrate and passive at His feet, with no other disposition in my heart than that of merging my will into His will, and no other language in my mouth than that of prayer for the perfecting of His strength in my weakness.
With the magnificence of eternity before us, let time, with all its fluctuations, dwindle into its own littleness.
It is more blessed to give than to receive, and therefore less blessed to receive than to give.
Faith is like the hand of the beggar that takes the gift while adding nothing to it.
Something was badly amiss with the spiritual life of the planet...Too many demons inside people claiming to believe in God.
The development of a kind heart, or feeling of closeness for all human beings, does not involve any of the kind of religiosity we normally associate with it...It is for everyone, irrespective of race, religion or any political affiliation.
For every force charged by God, may He be exalted, with some business is an angel put in charge.
For a moment of night we have a glimpse of ourselves and of our world islanded in a stream of stars - pilgrims of mortality, voyaging between horizons across the eternal seas of space and time.
Whether the Sikhs want to worship in Wisconsin or the Christians want to worship in Texas or the Jews want to worship in New York, we're living under the magnificent umbrella of a Constitution that says we can.
I love Sufism as I love beautiful poetry, but it is not the answer. Sufism is like a mirage in the desert. It says to you, come and sit, relax and enjoy yourself for a while.
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