The participants were seated at 4 different tables of 6-8 people at each table. I gave each table copies of one of the pages of quotes listed below. Each participant was to choose a quote that spoke to them. They were to all choose a different quote, so they discussed which quote they wanted with their table group to ensure there weren’t duplicates.

As each participant introduced themselves and talked about their role with the city, they then shared their quote. They also explained why that quote was meaningful to them. It was a great way to talk about themselves and promote positivity and for the session. The focus of the night was “What do we need to do differently to improve the quality of life in our city?” There were a lot of creative and collaborative ideas generated. Despite our dismal economic outlook in Michigan, the group stayed positive and focused on the things within their control.

Thanks again,
Sarah Custack

Page 1

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. Andrew Carnegie

We must all hang together or most assuredly we will all hang separately. Benjamin Franklin

Great teamwork is the only way we create the breakthroughs that define our careers. Pat Riley

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Helen Keller

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. Henry Ford

Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. Vince Lombardi

All winning teams are goal-oriented. They go about their business with blinders on; nothing will distract them from achieving their aims. Lou Holtz

Strength lies in differences, not in similarities. Stephen Covey

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can be great. Mark Twain

You cannot build character and courage by taking away mans’ initiative and independence. Abraham Lincoln

We should try to do the impossible. And when we fail, our failure should be a challenge to others. Amelia Earhart

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. George Patton

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams

In periods where there is no leadership, society strands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. Harry S. Truman

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. Martin Luther King Jr.

Page 2

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. Martin Luther King

It were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races. Mark Twain

To be one to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater. Jimmy Carter

The real death of America will come when everyone is alike. James T. Ellison

If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships, the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. John F. Kennedy

You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings. –Pearl S. Buck

The time is always right to do what is right. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude. William James

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Nelson Mandela

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. Rosa Parks

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. Mahatma Gahndi

Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right. Henry Ford

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity. Louis Pasteur

Page 3

When it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. Harriet Beecher Stowe

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. Thomas A. Edison

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Christopher Reeve

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr.

It isn’t sufficient just to want – you’ve got to ask yourself what you are going to do to get the things you want. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done. Amelia Earhart

Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can. Vince Lombardi

Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. Muhammad Ali

An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity. Winston Churchill

You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. Aristotle

A great man must not make up his mind merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand repulses and defeats. Theodore Roosevelt

Life is not easy for any of us. We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be obtained. Marie Curie

Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. George Washington

Page 4

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot. Eleanor Roosevelt

My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure. Abraham Lincoln

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. Helen Keller

Only those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly. John F. Kennedy

When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. Helen Keller

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. Ralph Waldo Emerson

You cannot teach a man anything: you can only help him discover it in himself. Galileo Galilei

I view education as the most important subject that we as a people can be engaged in. Abraham Lincoln

You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life. Amelia Earhart

Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. Henry Ford

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. Abraham Lincoln

If we all did the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves. Thomas Edison

Only through the experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller

Thanks for your kind words. . .and thanks for providing a specific example of how we might get conversations moving in “the right direction.” I like it.

Rick