{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":""Four Quotes to Inspire Us From Dr. Jane Goodall," Episode #159, October 3, 2025","description":"What follows is the Weekly Wellness Compass Column which is emailed each Friday morning-the content of our column and podcast are always related. You can find our columns at: https:\/\/www.wellnesscompass.org\/column A Few Things We Can Learn From Dr. Jane Goodall Each of our four Wellness Compass Points this week is a quote from scientist Dr. Jane Goodall, who passed away this week at the age of ninety-one. She will be remembered for many things, but probably most often for the way her scientific curiosity and her work with chimpanzees in the forests of Gombe remind us of the interconnectedness of all life. As therapists who think and practice systemically, we are especially grateful for her teachings about how all of life is an interconnected web and that every action we take in the world has a profound impact on all beings.  1. \u201cThe greatest danger to our future is apathy.\u201d \u201cAm I really making a positive difference in the world?\u201d is a question that any of us may ask ourselves from time to time. There is a lot that needs our attention in our personal and collective lives, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed. The opposite of apathy is hope\u2014not naive optimism, but a disciplined choice to keep showing up as a force for good in the world.    2. \u201cLasting change is a series of compromises. And compromise is all right, as long as your values don\u2019t change.\u201d Too often, compromise is viewed as a sign of weakness.  Remembering that we are all interconnected with all other living organisms helps us realize that compromise is always necessary to achieve the greater good. There is almost always more that unites than divides us. Note that her quote does not ask us to compromise our core values, but to hold true to them with kindness, humility, and respect. None of us possesses all the wisdom.  3. \u201cWhat you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.\u201d During the pandemic, we wrote about how the question wasn\u2019t Are we contagious?\u201d but rather \u201cWhat are we contagious with?\u201d Our emotional and spiritual energy is always contagious to those we interact with\u2014either positively or negatively. We all make a difference \u2014the question is, \u201cWhat kind of difference do we want to make in the world?\u201d. 4. \u201cYou cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference.\u201d Here, Dr. Goodall reminds us always to be aware of the impact our actions and words have on ourselves and those around us. This quote brings to mind two quotes from our Wellness Compass Initiative: \u201cThe grass is greener where you water it,\u201d and \u201cWhatever we pay attention to, is what will grow.\u201d Three Questions for Making It Personal 1. Does one of these quotes particularly speak to you? If so, why, and what might you do to put the wisdom of that quote into action? 2. Do you struggle with apathy? If so, what\u2019s one thing you can do to help you recover a sense of hope?  3. Is there a situation in your life right now where an openness to compromise might serve the greater good? ","author_name":"The Wellness Compass Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/podcast.wellnesscompass.org\/podcasts\/the-wellness-compass-podcast","html":"