Man working his way up 
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
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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You Come First: Why Treating Yourself is Healthy, Not Frivolous
“Treat yo-self” has become a popular mantra in today’s world, but why is there so often guilt associated with someone doing something nice for themselves? Everyone deserves to feel pampered and special once in awhile, and it goes beyond the superficial reasons for wanting a treat. In fact, doing something indulgent can have a positive effect on one’s mental health as well as a host of other benefits. In this article, we explore those perks and get to the bottom of why it is not frivolous to treat yourself, but instead is healthy to do so in moderation.
You Come First: Why Treating Yourself is Healthy, Not Frivolous
Deprivation leads to unhealthy feelings and habits
The first reason it’s important to treat oneself is that deprivation is simply not a healthy way to form good habits. Completely cutting out things that are you crave can have the opposite effect than intended when you are aiming to live a healthy and happy life. A life devoid of any indulgences is one that will prompt feelings of resentment, frustration, and depletion.
Thus, those feelings will inevitably lead to breaking a good habit, as the craving for the treat will become so great that one will cease to care about the formation of the habit at all. Instead, a reward or treat should be built into the building of these routines and habits, as these will help individuals stay on track, and to be happy while doing it.
Indulging can rejuvenate you
In a world of constant chaos, it can sometimes be difficult to find ways to avoid burn out and to help yourself feel rejuvenated and reenergized. That is where the role of indulgence comes in. Doing something nice for yourself is an easy way to hit your internal 'reset' button and to motivate you to keep up with all the hard work that goes into your day-to-day life.
While some may associate the words “indulgence” and “pampering” with lavish and costly extravagances, that does not have to be the case. Simply having a home spa day, going for a walk on the beach, or making your favorite meal are all reasonable yet effective ways to center yourself and to feel completely pampered.
It reduces stress
Self-care is an important part of stress management, and treating yourself can do wonders when it comes to reducing your stress levels. Stress can wreak havoc on our bodies, both physically and mentally. It can prompt sleep disorders, increase the risk of hypertension, compromise our immune systems, and increase the risk of cardiac and inflammatory disease. Approximately three-fourths of the human population undergoes some level of stress within each two-week period, making it a prevalent factor in most people’s lives.
However, pampering yourself from time to time negates stress and reminds you that you and your needs are important, too. This can contribute to a higher level of confidence in yourself and your life and it can also contribute to long-term feelings of well-being.
It’ll boost your mood
No one wants to be a grump, but let’s face it -- we all get into slumps once in awhile. To turn a frown upside down, treat yourself in some way, whether it be big or small. Self-care is oftentimes associated with selfishness, which can prompt those pesky feelings of guilt when it comes to indulging. However, that guilt is unmerited as doing something nice for yourself when you’re feeling blue can be just what you need to improve your mood or to turn a day around. Again, these don’t need to be grand gestures, but instead small indulgences or treats can be just as effective in practicing self-care and to help yourself feel better.
You come first
It’s not always easy to prioritize yourself amidst a busy life filled with hustle and bustle. But doing so ensures that you will reduce your stress, boost your mood, and help promote healthy habits throughout your life. Use this opportunity to treat yourself to something fun, relaxing, and completely indulgent -- you deserve it!