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A community is so much more than people sharing a space. It's a living, breathing network of connections and shared experiences. While it's usually defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common,” true community runs much deeper than that.
Diversity
It doesn’t matter how different we are. What matters in building a community is the desire to live in a peaceful and caring environment, despite all our differences.Good Neighbors
Good Neighbors
When searching for a new place to call home, we hope to stumble upon neighbors who can transform a neighborhood into something meaningful. We all need to be surrounded by people who genuinely care for the well-being of others. Only this type of people can create a community that is more than just a bunch of individuals living next to each other.
It Starts with One
Building a strong community starts with individual contributions, no matter how small. As long as you are kind and willing to help others in need, you’ll be a great community member. In exchange, your community will give you a sense of belonging and the feeling that you are never alone.
Here are 35 quotes on what makes communities special — community service, coming together, engagement, involvement, and support
Quotes about community coming together
One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals.
JEAN VANIER
There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
MARGARET J. WHEATLEY
We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.
HERMAN MELVILLE
There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals.
IDOWU KOYENIKAN
Our generation has the ability and the responsibility to make our ever-more connected world a more hopeful, stable and peaceful place.
NATALIE PORTMAN
Quotes about building community
We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race.
CICERO
Some people think they are in community, but they are only in proximity. True community requires commitment and openness. It is a willingness to extend yourself to encounter and know the other.
DAVID SPANGLER
What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.
KURT VONNEGUT
We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.
DOROTHY DAY
The minute we become an integrated whole, we look through the same eyes and we see a whole different world together.
AZIZAH AL-HIBRI
This world of ours… must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
Every person is defined by the communities she belongs to.
ORSON SCOTT CARD
Quotes about community service, engagement, and involvement
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.
MUHAMMAD ALI
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
MAHATMA GANDHI
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Teaching kids how to feed themselves and how to live in a community responsibly is the center of an education.
ALICE WATERS
Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.
SHERRY ANDERSON
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
LEO BUSCAGLIA
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
ANNE FRANK
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
DR. SEUSS
The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.
OSCAR WILDE
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
MAYA ANGELOU
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
JOHN F. KENNEDY
Quotes about community support
In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.
CORETTA SCOTT KING
The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities; but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.
JACQUELINE WOODSON
One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.
SHANNON L. ALDER
No man can become rich without himself enriching others.
ANDREW CARNEGIE
Quotes about community health
The power of community to create health is far greater than any physician, clinic or hospital.
MARK HYMAN
For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people’s love and concern for each other.
MILLARD FULLER
Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women.
MICHELLE OBAMA
When elected officials abandon our environment and ruin our natural resources, public health is endangered. I know the importance of providing a clean environment for our children.
GWEN MOORE
And I believe that the best buy in public health today must be a combination of regular physical exercise and a healthy diet.
JULIE BISHOP
These quotes remind us of the joy of being part of something bigger than ourselves.
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Give Your Brain a Workout: 5 Reasons You Should (Really) Read More
Reading just might be the single best hobby in the entire universe. It takes your mind off all the craziness of everyday life, relaxes you, and improves mental health. Also, a book will never run low on batteries, so you can enjoy it everywhere.
It is a known fact that reading has far more benefits than just being a popular method for killing time. It’s also a highly effective workout for the brain that can decrease your chances of developing dementia and other mental conditions after you turn 60.
Indeed, reading is a powerful pastime. Let’s explore the five reasons why it is absolutely essential for your brain for you to read more -- and be sure to read till the end to get some quick tips for making reading a habit!
Give Your Brain a Workout: 5 Reasons You Should (Really) Read More
1. Reading keeps your brain agile
A large body of research suggests that brain-stimulating activities like reading are effective at slowing down cognitive decline in seniors and improving mental health in middle-aged individuals. For example, a recent study published in Neurology Journal found that a strong reading habit greatly reduced the decline in memory.
Specifically, the group that was mentally engaged (e. g., reading) showed a 32% slower decline in their mental abilities. By contrast, the control group that was irregularly involved in brain-stimulating activities reported a 48% quicker decline.
These results suggest that reading is a powerful tool for keeping your brain busy and fit.
2. Reading improves focus and alleviates stress
The modern lifestyle is extremely hectic for most. Even when people leave the office nowadays, it seems they're always glued to their screens, reading emails, tweets, snaps, Facebook posts, and YouTube videos. It can be said that many people carry a mini-entertainment center with them at all times because of the gadgets they use on a constant basis.
For the brain, this means one thing: work, work, work. If a person's mind is engaged in perpetual distractions, it becomes difficult to let the brain rest, even for a bit. They need a good tool for relaxing it.
Reading is that much needed tool. It is extremely effective at reducing stress because it allows you to escape the worries of the everyday world. The science claims that reading can reduce stress by as much as 68%. It even outperforms such well-known stress beaters as walking in the park and listening to music!
Sounds unbelievable? Try it yourself. Begin reading a book for 20 minutes a day on the way to work and see how this mindful practice eliminates the stress triggers of our crazy lifestyles.
3. Reading makes you more empathetic
Reading is a tool that fosters the Theory of Mind (the capacity to understand that other people have different desires and beliefs). For example, this study published in Science magazine used literary fiction to test how reading contributed to increased performance on tests of affective and cognitive Theory of Mind.
The study found that reading fiction can help you comprehend what people are thinking by analyzing their emotions. As the result, a reading fan can be more empathetic because they know how to relate to others. This is a great skill to have because it can help to find solutions in difficult situations. For example, being able to alleviate a customer concern can be helpful for entrepreneurs.
4. Reading helps you sleep better
Many people prefer to read from their smartphones and tablets before they go to sleep. This is not a good idea, because light-emitting reading devices have a negative impact on sleep quality. According to Anne-Marie Chang, a sleep scientist who studied the impact of light-emitting ebook readers and iPads on sleep, the body’s natural circadian rhythms are interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched right, also known as blue light, emitted from these electronic devices.
Therefore, reading on your tablet or smartphone increases sleep deficiency and makes you tired in the morning regardless of how many hours you spent in bed. Reading a good old-fashioned print book, on the other hand, does not have this deleterious effect on sleep. Moreover, a bedtime reading ritual can improve sleep quality because it detaches the mind from all the stresses of daily living.
As the result, you’re getting some quality zzz's.
5. Reading can stave off Alzheimer’s and other mental conditions
The science shows that a strong reading habit is effective at keeping a number of mental conditions at bay, including Alzheimer’s dementia. A recent study by a group of scientists at the University of Pittsburgh found that deeper engagement in reading activities was associated with a lower risk of developing incident dementia. Given that reading is a highly stimulating activity, it can help to keep your mental functioning strong.
Tips to make reading a habit
There are a number of strategies to cultivate a stronger reading habit, so check them out and select the ones that can work for you.
Ready for a brain workout?
Becoming a frequent reader offers a number of benefits for your health and happiness. Indeed, as any experienced reader can tell you, immersing yourself in a rich world of books can make your brain come alive. Are you ready to enter this world?