"If you can change three lives in 10, three lives in a hundred, that's got to be good, hasn't it?"
About this Quote
The tag question - “hasn’t it?” - is the soft power move. It invites agreement without preaching, nudging the listener to recognize their own cynicism. It’s also a quiet rebuke to the culture of performative heroism, where anything short of saving the world is treated as pointless. Botham frames goodness as statistically modest but emotionally huge: three people aren’t a “campaign,” they’re faces, families, consequences.
Context matters because celebrity philanthropy is often met with suspicion, especially from sports icons who trade in public adoration. Botham preempts the eye-roll by lowering the stakes and raising the standard at the same time: you don’t get moral credit for intending to help, only for actually moving the needle somewhere. The line’s intent isn’t to claim sainthood; it’s to make decency feel doable.
Quote Details
| Topic | Kindness |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Botham, Ian. (2026, January 16). If you can change three lives in 10, three lives in a hundred, that's got to be good, hasn't it? FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-can-change-three-lives-in-10-three-lives-127144/
Chicago Style
Botham, Ian. "If you can change three lives in 10, three lives in a hundred, that's got to be good, hasn't it?" FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-can-change-three-lives-in-10-three-lives-127144/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If you can change three lives in 10, three lives in a hundred, that's got to be good, hasn't it?" FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-can-change-three-lives-in-10-three-lives-127144/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.










