[Year in Review 2021] ‘Leave the world a better place’ - 50 inspiring quotes on social enterpreneurs and changemakers

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a regular feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles. Share these quotes with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

Entrepreneurship is hard enough, but extending the fruits of enterprise to underserved communities or building the ‘triple bottom line’ of profit, people and planet is the holy grail.

From ideation to implementation, the changemakers in this compilation have memorable words for us all. See our earlier quotes compilation from 2020 here.

We have divided this compilation of quotes into nine categories: Inclusion, Green economy, Eco-friendly products, Agriculture, Environment, Health, Ecosystems, Social responsibility, The next wave, and The road ahead.

YourStory thanks all social entrepreneurs and NGO teams for their tireless and inspiring work towards creating a better world. We wish all founders and readers a Happy Holiday Season and Happy New Year ahead!

Inclusion

It is not enough to say that you are concerned about the disadvantaged. Concern must be translated into action, and action into results. - AM Naik, Larsen & Toubro

Disability inclusion is a key driver of a successful business. - Shilpa Sinha Harsh, Hinduja Global Solutions

There are an estimated 16.2 lakh hand amputees in India, and globally, there are about 50 lakh hand amputees, with only 4 percent having access to prosthetics. - Osden Mascarenhas, Robo Bionics

Musculoskeletal pain is the number one cause of work-related disabilities, and it costs more than 300 million to the industrial workers worldwide. - Ganesh Ram Jangir, Newndra Innovations

Without comprehensive social protection, we are staring at an old age poverty crisis that will soon impact everyone in the world. - Gautam Bhardwaj, pinBox

India's rural and semi-urban markets are under-served in credit extension. They present sustainable long-term growth opportunities for the Indian banking system. - Rahul Shukla, HDFC Bank

ALSO READ

[Year in Review 2021] Top ten changemakers of the year

The green economy

There needs to be a revival of local economies. You need to create green jobs that can create employment and also help mitigate climate change. - Nithin Kamath, Rainmatter Foundation

We strive for a future where we understand that human society is a part of a larger ecological whole. - Jagdeesh Rao, Foundation for Ecological Security

As more people learn the benefits of adopting a conscious and sustainable way of life, it is also incumbent on furniture brands to rethink their processes. - Suman Sharma, Mangrove Collective

With all industries pivoting rapidly to cater to the global mega-trend of environmentally conscious consumers, the textile industry has done far too little for far too long. - Manav Dhanda, D’Moksha Homes

The renewable sector is unfolding itself with new opportunities and challenges. People are more adaptive to new technology and are becoming environmentally conscious, which gives a boost to the sector. - Bhargav Deori, Renergy Solutions

Consumers are willing to pay extra for an added value of being environmentally responsible. - Vinay Raghunath, EY

If the population of India continues to use the plastic brushes, think about the amount of waste generated every month. By looking at the sheer number of these toothbrushes, we wanted to do something about it. - Karthick Solai KS, Terra

ALSO READ

[Year in Review 2021] Times are changing as women in tech reach new heights

Eco-friendly products

Eco-friendly hygienic products are emerging to help create carpets that protect occupants as well as the environment. These flooring carpet collections have environmental reuse, repurpose, recycle, and environmental themes attached to them. - Richard Morris, Carpets Inter Brand

Straw can be a raw material for making engineered panels/boards that are not only sustainable but thermally and acoustically superior to traditional materials. - Shriti Pandey, Strawcture

Recyclable products may appear to be expensive initially, but in the long term, they are more cost-efficient. They also tend to last much longer. - Shikha Kumar, Nino Bambino

Interest among consumers in eco-friendly products has increased after seeing the impact of climate change on glaciers, land, and sea. - Ruchi Jain, Paivi

Aluminium beverage cans are the perfect example of a circular packaging solution as they can be recycled infinitely without any loss of quality. - Amit Lahoti, Ball Beverage Packaging

ALSO READ

[Year in Review 2021] Trends, technology, talent – Top quotes on digital transformation

Agriculture and rural communities

Regenerative agriculture, a greater voice for farmers, and moving from low cost to "true cost" food can build a stronger food system for people, the planet, and the future. - Sanjiv Lal, Rallis India

Banana fibre uses six times less water per ton produced than cotton, and 10 times less fertilisers. - Tarun Bothra, Saathi

As aeroponics promises to solve multiple problems through its innovative approach to farming and it is time the technology got its due attention. - Richard Lobo, Tata Chemicals

Native crop seeds are the best option for climate-resilient farming. - Devendra Jani, Bee The Lead

Hemp can solve India’s three biggest problems: farmer suicides, malnutrition, and unemployment. - Vignesh Murthy, Hemp Wildleaf

Once you focus on water, sanitation, health, education, and livelihoods together, the impact is sustainable and villages can be fully empowered. - Ronnie Screwvala, Swades Foundation

ALSO READ

[Year in Review] Meet these Indian women who used social media to drive change and social impact

Environment and habitat

Indian cities are amongst the world’s most polluted and congested cities and record the highest fatalities in road accidents. - Shilpa Kharwal and Sreekumar Kumaraswamy, WRI India

The sheer imbalance between necessity and availability of water is one of the reasons why several of our cities, including Bangalore, are facing the ‘Zero Day’ situation today. - Advait Kumar, Swajal

Happiness and health comes when you are in sync with nature. - Dimple Jangda, 'Prana by Dimple Jangda'

We need to build a strong community of investors that realise the economic, social, and environmental potential of restoring India’s land. - Kavita Sharma, Amanda Gant, and Will Anderson, World Resources Institute

No matter how many times you clean the beach, unless you rid the ocean of some waste, they will wash ashore every time. - Showkath Jamal, Bay of Life Surf School

The narrative must change, else the forest depletions under the garb of development will always be pursued. - Govind Gorur

ALSO READ

Opening markets and mindsets: What to expect from India’s femtech sector in 2022 and beyond

Health

There are many small and mid-sized hospitals catering to the healthcare needs of 70 percent Indians. However, they lack ready access to facilities and services like their larger counterparts. - Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Venture Catalysts

Awareness among users for preventive health genetic screening is relatively low even today. - Neeraj Gupta, Genes2Me

Roughly about 25 percent of global TB cases exist in India, and we have both forms of the disease - pulmonary and extrapulmonary. - Sushil Mehta, NGIVD

To help maintain the elder’s quality of life, it needs to be supported by adequate social and health infrastructure. - Archana Gautam Sharma, Samvedna Senior Care

Millions of people across the globe have transitioned to vegan diets for its numerous health benefits. - Siddharth Kothari, Om Kothari Group

ALSO READ

[Year in Review 2021] From unicorns to IPOs, top 10 Indian startup milestones this year

Ecosystems

Today, the need for innovation is greater than ever before. We are standing at crossroads, where on one side, we face challenges to our planet & people, while on the other, we are seeing boundless opportunities arising out of emerging technologies and changing consumer demands that lead to new business models. - Kamal Bali, Volvo Group

The Indian handicraft industry is the second largest income generator in the rural sector. - Abhinav Agarwal, Mittihub

India’s strength lies in handmade carpets. The country accounts for more than 60 percent of the world's market share as far as handmade carpets are concerned. - Sakshi Talwar, Yak Carpets

If you care and show empathy to the animals, there should not be any shelter homes needed. - Mini Vasudevan, Humane Animal Society

Many people shy away from charitable work now, saying that their youth is the time to make money. - Mital Khetani, Shree Karuna Foundation Trust

ALSO READ

[Year in Review 2021] Amid COVID-19, these 10 non-profits created social impact this year

Social responsibility

Business need to go beyond the interest of their companies to the communities they serve. - Ratan Tata

While CSR continues to rise, one thing becomes clear – collaboration is needed if positive social change on a national scale is ever to be realised. - Shaina Ganapathy, Embassy Group

Business should be a lot more than just profit; it should be about social impact. - Kunal Kapoor, Ketto

Everyone talks about growth but very few people talk about sustaining. - Manoj Pipersania, SoftServ

ALSO READ

[Year in Review 2021] ‘Your story is your birthright’ – 50 inspiring quotes on the power and practice of storytelling

The next wave

To transform the healthcare industry, it is important to identify grassroots changemakers and back them with sufficient resources. - Shuchin Bajaj, Cygnus Medicare Group

Millions of rural entrepreneurs in India don’t have access to any financial training or backing. - Ajeet Kumar Singh, Society for Advancement of Village Economy

India needs to build opportunities for its rural youth to become entrepreneurs who will power growth. These opportunities include creating micro-entrepreneurs and economic clusters in rural India. - Sanjay Rai Sherpuriya, YREF

Along with encouraging environment-friendly solutions, the electric two-wheeler segment has notched up the game and advanced its battery technologies over time. - Vasu Deva Reddy Beerala, eWheelers

The road ahead

Life is as much about giving as it is about receiving. - Ratna Vira and Suhasini Vira, ‘Why People Give’

Responsible art should not be an option anymore to be in sync with nature and our environment. - Gunjan Shrivastava, 'Happy Childhoods'

Location-based social innovation opens the possibility to even disrupt the development sector by connecting NGOs with volunteers and donors nearby. - Naren Kumar, IamHere

Leave the world a better place. - Abhimanyu Saxena, Scaler

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).