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.
I have discovered that for me - now, maybe it doesn't work for everybody - for me, it is much more effective to arrive at any situation as a man from Mars than to try to fit in.
My argument is that War makes rattling good history; but Peace is poor reading.
The spiritual journey is one of continuous learning and purification. When you know this, you become humble.
There are two ways to wash the dishes. One way is to wash them to get them clean. The other way is to wash them in order to wash the dishes.
[The captain] looked at Florentino Ariza, his invincible power, his intrepid love and was overwhelmed by the belated suspicion that it is life, more than death, that has no limits.
It's that moon again, slung so fat and low in the tropical night, calling out across a curdled sky and into the quivering ears of that dear old voice in the shadows, the Dark Passenger, nestled snug in the backseat of the Dodge K-car of Dexter's hypothetical soul. That rascal moon, that loudmouthed leering Lucifer, calling down across the empty sky to the dark hearts of the night monsters below, calling them away to their joyful playgrounds.
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