Quote by environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai: "Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking"

This is an incredibly powerful statement made by the environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Wangari Maathai. Essentially, this quote suggests that intentions, dreams, and desires are meaningless unless acted upon; in other words, there should be more action and less talk.

While this quote may refer specifically to actions relating to the environment, this idea can be applied to almost any sphere of human activity including relationships, learning, career, etc.

What it actually teaches us?

The quote above emphasizes the distinction between merely thinking or talking about a certain issue and taking action. In essence, everyone has dreams, goals, opinions, and plans. Most people like to talk about how they want to become physically fit, earn some extra money, become healthier, improve their relationships with other people or make a contribution to society.

Yet, having such intentions and acting on them is not the same thing.From the quote, it is clear that the action is needed in making ideas happen. Making holes, planting trees, watering them, and making sure they survive are separate things. All these things together make actions, dedication, and perseverance. It is impossible to grow a forest just by speaking about the significance of trees. Likewise, nothing changes when people talk about their willingness to do so.

Perhaps one of the most important lessons that can be drawn from the above quotation is that results come from actions performed consistently over time. Just like growing a tree, achieving one's aims and ambitions takes more than just one action. Instead, it takes many actions done consistently until positive results are achieved.

What can students learn from this?

For instance, students can learn from the above quote that mere discussions on how to study successfully will never produce desired results.

Rather, what will produce results is the consistent studying and doing homework. For working professionals, it will remind them that ambitious plans need to be complemented with some action. And for dreamers, it will help them understand that there will never come a perfect time but now is the time to do something practical.This quote is also critical of the prevalent trend in contemporary society to confuse awareness with action.

In today’s world, we have unprecedented means at our disposal to exchange ideas and engage in dialogue on relevant subjects via social media, forums, and websites. Although dialogue helps raise awareness, this quote makes us realize that raising awareness alone will not resolve any issue.From environmental conservation to poverty eradication and education to community development, whatever the case may be, any progress will only be possible if people step up and contribute their part.One of the other reasons why this quote strikes a chord with so many people is due to the sense of accountability involved in it. This quote makes us think about whether our deeds live up to our words, whether we have been progressing towards our goals or just talking about them, and whether we have been solving problems or just discussing them.The questions above might come off as unpleasant, but it is important for growth that we make an honest assessment of how well our actions align with our words.Probably the most motivating thing about this quote is the fact that it highlights something that we can always do. While digging a hole and planting a tree seems like a mundane task, it is a great reminder of the fact that any meaningful progress in life must start with small steps that we take one by one.As the world is full of high-sounding promises and ambitious proposals, the wise words from Wangari Maathai teach an eternal lesson: it is the actions that matter much more than intentions. The ideas should be realized, otherwise, no matter how great they may sound, they mean nothing. It is suggested to be engaged in practical deeds instead of just talking about one's ambitions.At last, it serves as a warning that deeds have much more importance than intentions. One can simply say that one is going to plant a tree, but will it grow?