Upgrading one's imagination about what is possible is always a leap of faith.

How we treat one another matters, and not just in a "it's nice to be nice" kind of way: our behavior contributes to an environment that encourages some opportunities and hinders others.

Personal value is the kind of value we receive from being active instead of passive, creative instead of consumptive.

Civic participants don't aim to make life better merely for members of the group. They want to improve even the lives of people who never participate...

Public and civic value require commitment and hard work among the core group of participants. It also requires that these groups be self-governing and submit to constraints that help them ignore distracting and entertaining material and stay focused instead of some sophisticated task.

This work is not easy, and it never goes smoothly. Because we are hopelessly committed to both individual and group effectiveness, groups committed to public or civic value are rarely permanent. Instead, groups need to acquire a culture that rewards their members for doing that hard work. It takes this kind of group effort to get what we need, not just what we want; understanding how to create and maintain is one of the great challenges of our era.

People want to do something to make the world a better place. They will help when they are invited to.