As I work away on my upcoming book I found a piece that sums up my premise in a rather profound way. Now that “social impact” has become a business buzz phrase and in my view requires little sacrifice or work on ones part to be considered a participant, I offer the following as an example of how merely using words without action is ludicrous.

If you are preoccupied with people who are talking about the poor, you scarcely have time to talk to the poor. Some people talk about hunger, but they don’t come and say, “Mother, here is five rupees. Buy food for these people.” But they can give a most beautiful lecture on hunger.

I had the most extraordinary experience once in Bombay. There was a big conference about hunger. I was supposed to go to that meeting and I lost the way. Suddenly I came to that place, and right in front of the door to where hundreds of people were talking about food and hunger, I found a dying man. I took him out and took him home.

He died there. He died of hunger. And the people inside were talking about how in 15 years we will have so much food, so much this, so much that, and that man died.

See the difference?Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Words to Love By, 1983