"We can all make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small our actions may seem"
About this Quote
The intent is quietly strategic. Explorers know the mythology of heroism sells the wrong lesson: that impact belongs to the rare, extreme, and headline-worthy. Arnesen punctures that by flattening the hierarchy of action. In polar travel, “small” is never trivial - a careful knot, a checked weather window, a shared ration, a decision to turn back. The subtext is that agency isn’t granted by status; it’s exercised under constraint. That’s a pointed message in a culture that treats influence as something you either have (platform, power, money) or don’t.
Context matters too. Arnesen is a Norwegian woman who built a public life in a domain historically coded male and conquest-driven. So the quote also reads as a corrective to adventure’s old imperial tone: less “plant the flag,” more “take responsibility.” It’s activism without the posturing, humility without passivity. The emotional payload is permission: you don’t need to be extraordinary to be consequential; you need to be consistent.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Arnesen, Liv. (2026, January 15). We can all make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small our actions may seem. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-can-all-make-a-difference-in-the-world-no-171735/
Chicago Style
Arnesen, Liv. "We can all make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small our actions may seem." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-can-all-make-a-difference-in-the-world-no-171735/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"We can all make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small our actions may seem." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-can-all-make-a-difference-in-the-world-no-171735/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.








