It Can Be Done: Poems of Inspiration

“Elections determine who is in power, but they do not determine how power is used.””

— Unknown

“Rebels usually have something to complain about, and if they don't they make it up. All too often the really disadvantaged are in no position to rebel; they just suffer quietly.””

— Unknown

“You are a citizen, and citizenship carries responsibilities.””

— Unknown

“Without an informed electorate, politicians will continue to use the bottom billion merely for photo opportunities, rather than promoting real transformation.””

— Unknown

“Change in the societies at the very bottom must come predominantly from within; we cannot impose it on them.””

— Unknown

“Launching a turnaround takes courage. I cannot measure that and so it is not going to be included in my analysis, but behind the moments of change there are always a few people within these societies who have decided to try to make a difference.””

— Unknown

“Most conduct is guided by norms rather than by laws. Norms are voluntary and are effective because they are enforced by peer pressure.””

— Unknown

“The aid agencies are not run by fools. they are full of intelligent people severely constrained by what public opinion permits.””

— Unknown

“And so a miserable but possible scenario is that countries in the bottom billion oscillate between the traps and limbo, perhaps switching in the process from one trap to another..Let me be clear: we cannot rescue them. The societies of the bottom billion can only be rescued from within. In every society of the bottom billion there are people working for change, but usually they are defeated by the powerful internal forces stacked against them. We should be helping the heroes. So far, our efforts have been paltry: through inertia, ignorance, and incompetence, we have stood by and watched them lose.Let me be clear: we cannot rescue them. These societies of the bottom billion can only be rescued from within.””

— Unknown