“Great thoughts speak only to a thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all humankind.” This quotation differentiates between the singular experience of thinking and the plural experiences of acting. The process and euphoria experienced during thinking is only felt by one person where as displaying these thoughts through actions can be seen by all. When one is openly generous through actions, the effects are not only felt by those directly involved, but also seen and experienced by bystanders. Information is passed along from person to person about the great action causing all of humankind to be informed of the happenstance. However, it must also be examined that all great actions begin as great thoughts. The most idolized people throughout history have been those who chose to take the initiative to turn their thoughts into actions thus affecting all those around them. Great actions, with their ability to be seen and heard of by all humankind, affect everyone in ways that mere great thoughts cannot.

     To understand the extent of influence created by great actions, one must examine their origin.  Great thoughts are the metaphorical seed of all great actions.  In order for a person to carry out a great action there must initially be inspiration from their own great thoughts or from another’s great thoughts.  Throughout history there have been wonderful philosophers with grand and extravagant ideas which can be praised for their concepts but only reach a limited audience.  It is only until these ideals have reached a certain person with the means to carry out the aforementioned notions that they become useful and widely influential ordeals through action.  Henry David Thoreau’s philosophy of civil disobedience is a prime example of this.  Even after one hundred years Thoreau’s great thoughts influenced Martin Luther King Jr. to take action and speak out.  Thoreau had merely only acted as a muse to King’s dreams and actions and is not also associated with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.  This is evidence that although great thoughts can lead to great actions, without the actual acting there is nothing to be seen or heard of by all humanity.  King’s public reach, with his riveting speeches and organized marches, was without a doubt more influential than Thoreau’s documents.  Apart from the differentiation between a mere great thought and a great action is the differentiation between sizes of great actions.

      Great actions are far-reaching despite their volatile nature and characteristics. The amount of people they reach is dependent upon their scale due to their ability to be miniscule or elaborate.  Great actions can range anywhere from simply holding a door for someone to starting a reform movement.  However vast the differences in an actions size are, the results are all similar.  Whether the action has affected people globally or simply just a passing stranger, there is always the outcome of gratitude and appreciation.  People begin talking to others about their interactions with benevolent people and begin a ripple effect.  In this way, great actions can speak to all of humankind no matter how small one begins.  Take into consideration the existence of chivalry during the Middle Ages.  Most acts of chivalry were very small, simple gestures of kindness; however, due to their basis, these gestures can be considered among great actions.  These acts occurred frequently and spontaneously, happening throughout the kingdoms and countrysides of the time.  However negligible these acts might seem, they were treasured in the past and yearned for in the present proving that no matter how small a kind act is, it can still be considered a far-reaching great action.  Besides all of the different shapes and sizes that great actions come in is the ability for any one person who commit a great action.

     Another aspect to be taken into consideration is all great actions can be carried out by any member of the population.  This fact only heightens the assurance that great actions do indeed speak to all humankind.  The ability for any given person to commit any size of great action increases their widespread nature.  Great actions can originate ranging anywhere from a small child to the most influential and wealthy person.  In example, a middle-class man can bring flowers home for his wife or the president of a nation could make a plan to end a war.  The effects of great actions are the same no matter who carries them out.  Also, it can be considered that since any person can carry out a great action, any person can also interpret and appreciate a great action.  This aspect is vital in keeping these actions practical and comprehendible.  If great actions were not an everyday occurrence society would not only be a more melancholy place, but there would be no existing precedents to inspire the many different levels of population to create their own great actions.  The fact that no great action discriminates between racial or social boundaries is important in their ability to speak to all humankind.  A precedent for any and all classes to continue acting with greatness has been set and will continue to inspire the entire population to carry out great actions.   

       Great actions speak to all humankind for a myriad of reasons.  There has always been an abundance of great thinkers in the world and therefore there will always be an abundance of inspiration for great actions in the future.  The only effort needed to make a great thought into a great action is simply initiative.  It is important for great actions to continue speaking to all of humankind because it is truly what connects the world.  No matter how much despair or how many wars are being fought, there are always an equal if not greater number of peace conferences, reformations, or numerous other ideals occurring.  From this can be derived that great actions, in their ability to affect all of humankind, are the metaphorical peace keepers of humanity by evoking appreciation and gratitude from all.