Social Work Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old social work quotes, social work sayings, and social work proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

At this very moment, there are people only you can reach…and differences only you can make. Mike Dooley
We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone. Ronald Reagan
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little. Edmund Burke
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them. Dalai Lama
It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do. Moliere
One person can make a difference, and everyone should try. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. Theodore Roosevelt
The time is always right to do what is right. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity. Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. Shirley Chisholm
It is not your job to save everyone. Some people are not even ready to be helped. Focus on being of service to those who are, and be wise and humble enough to know when the best service you can offer is to guide them toward help in another direction. Anna Taylor
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. Elie Wiesel
Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity. Pema Chodron
It is a privilege to be able to bear witness to someone’s story when they may not have had the chance to tell it before. Lindy Alexander
Society, society and society, this should be on your mind 24/7. Abhijit Naskar
To a social worker working for other is not a job, it is a joy. Amit Kalantri
To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind. Pearl S. Buck
I can't imagine a social worker, for example, devoting herself to such a profession unless she had in her mind, at some level of consciousness, a vision of a better society than the one she's actually engaged with day after day. Northrop Frye
Many of us still find time to do social work in one way or another. There may be a lack of time but there is no lack of ideas or ideals. We must be fired by the same sense of duty in political work as we are in social work. George Yeo
A city is in many respects a great business corporation, but in other respects it is enlarged housekeeping... May we not say that city housekeeping has failed partly because women, the traditional housekeepers, have not been consulted as to its multiform activities? Jane Addams
Perhaps I may record here my protest against the efforts, so often made, to shield children and young people from all that has to do with death and sorrow, to give them a good time at all hazards on the assumption that the ills of life will come soon enough. Young people themselves often resent this attitude on the part of their elders; they feel set aside and belittled as if they were denied the common human experiences. Jane Addams
My calling, as I interpret it now, was always a call to service. I had always wanted to help people, and I realized social work was a way to do that. Preston Dyer
All social workers come into this field in order to make a difference and enact some change. At one point or another, many of us feel disillusioned. While we maintain a human rights lens for all social work practice, it is time for dramatic improvements at the macro level that will do more to promote and ensure equity and deliver on the promise of a good life. Sandra Bernabei
I am a social worker because when I’m walking to my field placement every day, the threads of society aren’t just tying that man without a home to the sidewalk; they’re pulling at my ankles, following me as I continue on. I don’t feel guilt. I don’t feel pity. I feel duty, solidarity with a fellow human, and a childlike inability to understand injustice. I am a social worker because when you’re free, I’m free. Alyssa Lowell
I believe in the beauty of our human family and the holiness of every person, and because I believe I have been blessed with unique gifts that can help restore beauty and dignity where it has been lost. Caitlin O’Donnell
I want to challenge that which is taboo in communities, systems, and families; to ensure that stories are heard, feelings are understood, resources are known, and all are empowered. Danielle Joseph
I believe with relentless optimism that compassionate critical thinking can cut through the noise of complex social problems to ensure that every person has the opportunity to thrive. Megan Toohey
I want to organize and mobilize people to stand with the voiceless and powerless, such as child abuse victims and victims of senseless crimes. I am a social worker because I stand behind the individual person to give their voice and power back. I am a social worker because I use my skills, talents, and drive to lead and be a warrior. Taylor Leach
Social justice, social work values and ethics; including anti-oppressive practice, are fundamental to the social work curriculum. Paula McFadden
What I love most about social work is that when I grow and change the profession allows me to express this in my career no matter where my path leads. Ellen Belluomini