Quotes for 2008 Calendar

[Guest]

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[KivanSteven]

Guys and Girls...I started a new topic for the quotes just so it was separated and easy to access.  If we start editing or people add additional quotes, the quoted posts will be all over the place and just a mess, so I carried over all the quotes I accumulated and any other recent suggestions to this topic and I numbered them to make it a little easier, hope no one minds.




Jill thanks, I like Clintons 3rd one as well.  As for the others and any I am about to post here I dont have an opinion as of yet.  I have to re-read them all myself.  But I have to thank Jill for providing me through PM a number of links to make the process of compiling a preliminary list of quotes easier for all of us.  I was pretty general in selecting them, so long as they sounded good to the ear, were inspirational in at least one of a number of ways, and/or provided info about Kiva, and made clear sense.  Some will be fine and approved and others not so much, some will also need to be shortened and/or edited, I realize that. Thats ok, I just wanted to get together a good number of them, since we will need at least 13 anyways.  I purposely didnt edit most of anything with these quotes until everyone had a say on how that should be done and where.  Anywhere there are "..." impertinent info was excluded and an occasional "[ ]" was added for clarity or better sense. 

And we need to figure out a word limit.  By looking it appears we might be able to fit 4 lines of text + the name and/or location of the quoted on a 5th line, but Christopher would have to double check that--it may be only 3 lines of text in order to be spacially appealing, but hopefully 4 + name/locale.  Generally speaking if we can use 4 lines of text then almost all of the quotes below will fit with the exception of two.  Id say those two 5+ liners and a handful of a couple others would need to be slightly shortened just to prevent the quotes from being too long and congested on the page.  If 3 lines is the limit then obviously some cannot be edited that much and the selection will be smaller so let's get back out there in search of some more!

By no means is this a final list, so anyone feel free to add to it or write some off.  Its a pretty good start for now.  Anyone who wants to opt out from being quoted feel free to let us know.  Also my apologies to anyone who felt they said something impactful about Kiva or expressed a great point of view that I didnt include.  It was not because I did or did not approve of it, but probably because I never even read it or came across it.  Like I said I only searched these out from the following three links:

What's Your Kiva Story?
http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,722.0.html
Introductions
http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,98.0.html
Skunk Eyes thread (Part way into-- where I asked, "Why Kiva?")
http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,656.0.html

Reading through these just now, really makes me feel good about putting the quotes in, they caused the fires of passion for Kiva to burn as bright as ever.  Will we be doing a poll now on this aspect of the calendar once a list of quotes is finalized and edited to size?  I dont know how else to decide it when it comes to the point of choosing.

Hopefully this wont be too difficult to read through, sorry if it is too long of a post:  Here ya go...there are 28 in total (Oli posted some towards the end that I included as well), and I wasnt about to include anything of my own, probably would still leave me with the same list anyways,  ...

1.  I love the feeling of connection I have to the people to whom I lend money via Kiva.  I support these
people wholeheartedly in their daily struggles to meet the needs of their families.
Wood Fairy Glenda

2.  There are lots of slogans about folks wanting a "hand up" not a "hand out", enough to convince us that
lending leaves borrowers with their dignity-- and enables the funds to be reused again.
Accountability - Dan

3.  I liked the idea of helping someone that I could see, that I could read about, that I could feel
responsible for. It is the connection between lender and borrower that I admire and that is the catch for me.
Oli

4.  My hope is that by lending, a borrower will see that a diverse group of people from all over the world
have faith that they are not only capable of repaying the loan but are worthy of having a loan.
Odette

5.  While I contribute to several charities, I find Kiva to be one of the greatest things out there.  The way
I'm able to directly assist an individual *and* get my money back is amazing!
Ari

6.  I tuned in to my local PBS station to watch Frontline, and that's where I discovered Kiva and all that it
does.  The different stories and the joy of all loan recipients was amazing.  This was so exciting that I
knew then that I had to become part of this effort.
Carlos

7.  I happened to be watching TV....and the program talked of KIVA. I was so excited about the show and what
Kiva was doing that I had to go on line to check it out. Two days later I made my first loan. I had goose
bumps for the thrill of doing it. I have since emailed many of my friends about KIVA.
longjonblu

8.  I'm only one person, but I can truly make a difference! I truly believe that KIVA will change the way the
financial world will view microfinancing in the near future, and I'm proud to be a part of that! With
KIVA, I know I'm making a difference by investing in humanity!
Ed Chandler

9.  Getting to know a person from another country or another culture breaks barriers and destroys
stereotypes...This is what living in a global village means: people care for each other. This is what
will help us overcome the problems we are facing globally.
Ulli

10.  The appeal...of connection and empowerment crosses all ages.  I still come back to look at the faces of
those whose loans I've helped fund.  I feel as if their stories have become part of me, and I learn so
much more about the world around me by learning about the world around them.
Diane

11.  I'm a Kiva lender because I believe it's the best, most personal way for me to make a positive difference
for people and communities in faraway places.  For me, there's nothing like the thrill of knowing that
I'm personally making a difference for the people who are smiling back at me from so many of Kiva's
wonderful borrower photos.
Fred

12.  I loan because it feels great -- and that tells me that it's the right thing to do.  My relationships
with the borrowers I lend to and some of the people I've met through Kiva form a key part of my life that
is utterly, relentlessly positive.   And you can't place a value on that kind of goodness.
Fred

13.  It's so easy to do and so convenient.   Kiva connects lenders with entrepreneurs and makes it all seem so
effortless; it really shows how powerful a great idea can be.
Sarah G.

14.  The older I  have become, the stronger the conviction in me has grown that we, on this earth, have so
very much more in common that could bring us together than we have differences that might separate us. 
If it is in us to look for commonalities, they are there to be found -- right out there in front of us.
Jill

15.  I feel compelled to assist these visionary people who still dream of a better life where their kids are
educated or their business is sustainable or they no longer have a dirt floor.  I feel compelled, not to
give them a donation, but to give them an opportunity.
Michael

16.  I love Kiva - there is nowhere else that is so hassle free, easy and simple to use, no matter where you
are in the world.  I also love the immediacy of seeing how much there is to go on each loan, the small
amounts so you can lend regularly without it breaking the budget, the immediacy of the loans being paid
out and the short loan terms.  I am in the process of getting together a work group to lend more and my
mum is helping to organise a school group at my old local college for the kids to lend.  I am truly a Kiva addict.
Funkywhuff

17.  Kiva has a certain resonance with people across the political spectrum, practically anyone with strong
feelings about entrepreneurship, capitalism, social action, or individual choice.  Couple that with vivid
imagery, a kaleidoscope of inspirational stories, an elegantly designed interface and the low price of
admission and it is hardly surprising to see Kiva catching on in such a viral fashion.
StevePPS

18.  It certainly is habit-forming, and I also gain a sense of community in a redeeming cause.  I have enjoyed
seeing Kiva partner in new countries, the opportunity to read journals and participate with the ones that
capture my imagination, and also to level the playing field a little bit for women in the developing
world.  My thanks to Kiva; keep up the great work.
StevePPS

19.  We believe that someone who has the skills and determination to get ahead should be encouraged to do so
in a way that allows this person to thrive. Helping micro-finance small Latin American entrepreneurs is
our contribution to exporting the "American Dream" of getting ahead by working hard. Providing loans
instead of gifts is important for two reasons: it provides the entrepreneur with the motivation to invest
every penny where it counts most, and it provides us, the lenders, with a way to keep on re-giving our
money.
Ramon

20.  I am a 16 year old high school student.  My parents raised me to be very aware that other people don't
have the same opportunities that I have had and will have throughout my life. Kiva lets me share those
opportunities in a way that helps me learn about [the entrepreneur] also. I made my first loan...and I am
giving a Kiva gift certificate to my mother for her birthday. Hopefully this will just be the start of my
loaning care[e]r.
DanaLi

21.  Why KIVA? simple- Helping others feels great!...At KIVA I use a small amount of savings to help others,
[and] that savings will most likely be there for me when/if I need it...It's like getting extra cherries on a
sundae! And those cherries only cost me a tiny bit of interest!
Henry

22.  The money we loan comes back. It can then be loaned out, over and over. The money will do something
better for somebody else, than it will sitting in my bank account, or spent in an hour on a meal for two.
It's an investment, where the rate of return is measured in happiness, not in percentage of money earned.
The rate of return for inner-happiness cannot be calculated by a spreadsheet. It can only be experienced
HValenzuela




23.  “Direct and straightforward lending to individuals in developing countries is here... You don't have to be a Bill Gates to drastically change people's lives anymore.” NPR Here on Earth - Radio without borders

24.  “For those readers who ask me what they can do to help fight poverty, one option is to sit down at your computer and become a microfinancier." Nicholas Kristof, New York Times

25.  “Finally: microlending as I'd imagined it...Kiva combines online community with microlending in a way that's truly exciting." Jude Stewart, Slate Magazine

26.  "Literally if you have 25 dollars, you personally can become an international micro-credit lender building a world with more partners and less terrorists." Bill Clinton

27.  "It's rewarding to know that you don't have to give much, to make a huge difference in someone's life. I know. I've been there!" Ann, Kiva lender

28.  "While others in my family collect "things", I collect stories of hope and desire, and the willingness to work to make dreams into reality." Diane, Kiva Lender

"All quotes are taken from the Kiva website, the lenders I quote have agreed to have their testimonial used."
From Oli


Dont forget Clinton and Yunus's quotes in the additional posts.
 
 

[KivanSteven]

Quotes:

Im not sure if we are permitted to use these quotes or how to go about obtaining the permission, but if its not too much trouble and doesnt break much with the theme of quotes, be it from lenders, media, or kiva staff, or public figures, I think it would be great to include statements from President Clinton and Muhammad Yunus, amongst others like Premal or Matt and Jessica themselves.  But if we want to go entirely with quotes from Kiva lenders thats fine too.  Just in case, here are a few I have compiled from Clinton and Yunus.  The lengthy one attributed to Yunus sounded so good that I didnt condense it or break it down.  Im not even sure we can because removing any part of it makes it so much less, but had to include it anyway.

President Clinton:

1.  "As we look to the future, many of our greatest challenges can be overcome through the simple act of
giving."

2.  "With the power of the internet, everyone has the unprecedented ability to change the world."

3.  "Almost everyone...can do something useful for others, and in the process, strengthen the fabric of our
shared humanity."




Muhammad Yunus, founder Grameen Bank

1.  "My vision for the future? Two things: to make credit a human right so that each individual human being
will have the opportunity to take loans and implement his or her ideas so that self-exploration becomes
possible. And second: that it will lead to a world where nobody has to suffer from poverty -- a world
completely free from poverty. Not a single human being will suffer from the misery and indignity of
poverty. Poverty is unnecessary. The human being is quite capable of taking care of himself or herself.
But we have created a society that does not allow opportunities for those people to take care of
themselves because we have denied them those opportunities. I have described poor people as like a bonsai 
-- that little tree that grows in a flower pot. I said you pick the best seed of the tallest tree in the
forest, and plant it in a flower pot, and it will grow into a tiny tree. Is there anything wrong with the
seed? Nothing is wrong with the seed. It's the best seed. Then why is it tiny? Because you planted it in
a flower pot. You didn't allow it to grow in the real soil. The poor people are the bonsai people.
Society has not allowed them the real soil. If you allow them the real soil, real opportunities, they
will grow as tall as everybody else." 

1a.  "My vision for the future?.......a world where nobody has to suffer from poverty..."   From Jill
or, from the second to last,

1b.  "Each individual person is very important. Each person has tremendous potential..."  From Jill


2.  "My experience...has given me faith; an unshakable faith in the creativity of
human beings. It leads me to believe that humans are not born to suffer the misery of hunger and
poverty."

3.  "One day our grandchildren will go to museums to see what poverty was like."

4.  "If we...believe that poverty is unacceptable to us, and that it should not belong to a civilized
society, we [should] create appropriate institutions and policies to create a poverty-free world."

5.  "Each individual person is very important. Each person has tremendous potential. She or he alone can
influence the lives of others within the communities, nations, within and beyond her or his own time"

6.  "The poor themselves can create a poverty-free world...all we have to do is to free them from the chains
that we have put around them."

[cpbailey]

I like this quote from Fiona, as reported in the recent article.

Recipients "already know how to fish, they just need a loan so they can buy a net," says Fiona Ramsey, spokeswoman for microloan facilitator Kiva.

It could really inspire some of the recipients of the calendars.

Colette

[KivanSteven]

Thats a good one Colette, and I think it would be great to include a quote or two from Kiva staff.  I was looking for a few from either Matt or Premal but it was becoming difficult...it was hard to find something catchy and quick, but Im still looking.  I think the staff at Kiva would really love that.

[wind5001]

Fiona's quote is great! We should definitely include that.

Let me get back to a point I tried to make somewhere: If possible, I'd like to see the quotes limited to 2 liners...they're catchier than 4 lines. That diverts my eye too much and might prevent me from reading it at all (and that comes from an AVID reader!).

EDIT: Steve, in answer to your post on the calendar poll thread. You made a valid point. It is a good opportunity to let some more depth show. Thinking again, I guess a mixture of catchy and a little longer quotes provides a good measure of diversity. Just let's not make ALL quotes long...

[KivanSteven]

Hey Oli, I just replied to this in the main calendar thread:

http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,988.440.html

Im there with you guys concerning shorter quotes, just not one liners--which I now realize is not what you mean by short and snappy.  I included some longer quotes, 4-5 liners in a couple examples, but they were intended to be condensed so they are still possibilities.  I thnk 14 of the 22 I provided were about 2 1/2 lines or less, along with a couple nice short ones from Clinton and Yunus, and a good handful from Oli that were right on when it comes to size (sorry Oli, hadnt read them yet-but Im sure they are good).

BTW Oli, are you still working on write ups?  I plan on doing a good number of them today.  Christopher needs to have this calendar submitted by the 30th, so Im assuming he needs the completed write ups by maybe the 28th or so to be comfortable with the time remaining.  Ill let you know what I have completed, or we can split them up...I know you completed a few already so no need to be redundant.  Since voting has not yet been completed, we can still complete the definite 10 that will be in the calendar, until we figure out what the voting shows.


EDIT:  I agree whole heardedly Oli - to implement all 3 n 4 liners is far too much, just as all 1 liners would be too short (not that anyone suggested that anyways).  A mix would be nice, and I think keeping them to 2-3 lines is perfect, with the exception of a couple really short symbolic ones, like Fiona's.

[wind5001]

Steve,

I sent you a pm on the write ups...just in case you haven't seen it: just let me know which ones you want me to cover...I'm at a loss to currently find out who is definitely in the calendar. 

We need to be quicker with the write-ups, because Fiona will have to look over the calendar, too and we cannot expect her to review it in half a day or so. We need to give her time for that. I will send her an email informing her that we might need a quick okay from her as a prewarning. BUt we ought to speed things up. We can actually do write ups for all candidates that might be in the calendar, so we already can have that covered by tonight and have it go to the proof readers...that would make us leap ahead, but the write ups after all are not that difficult to create...

Oli

[KivanSteven]

Thats a good point.  I was saying that too about Fiona needing time to overlook everything, but it had slipped my mind.  I dont see any problem moving on these.  Ill get a quick list of whose left to document and PM you a copy...we can split whats left as you suggested.  If anyone wants to leave their mark on the calendar in a sense as well, feel free to PM me or Oli if you want to do a write up or two--that shouldnt be a problem, but they would have to be done no later than by Monday...in the meantime we'll be working on them.

[wind5001]

Steve:

[Dottie b]

I would actually prefer no quotes! Just adds more clutter! Additionally, the more quotes that are used, the less the overall impact.

Dottie B