In Other Words...

All have their worth and each contributes to the worth of the others.
- J.R.R. Tolkein, The Silmarillion

In and of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever in and of itself.
- Chuck Klosterman, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail

A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.
- Albert Einstein, The World as I See It

‎Inter-dependence, of course, is a fundamental law of nature. Not only higher forms of life but also many of the smallest insects are social beings who, without any religion, law or education, survive by mutual cooperation based on an innate recognition of their interconnectedness. The most subtle level of material phenomena is also governed by interdependence. All phenomena from the planet we inhabit to the oceans, clouds, forests and flowers that surround us, arise in dependence upon subtle patterns of energy. Without their proper interaction, they dissolve and decay. It is because our own human existence is so dependent on the help of others that our need for love lies at the very foundation of our existence. Therefore we need a genuine sense of responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others.
- The 14th Dalai Lama, Compassion and the Individual

Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.
- Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Givers reject the notion that interdependence is weak. Givers are more likely to see interdependence as a source of strength, a way to harness the skills of multiple people for a greater good.
- Adam Grant, Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success

If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. We can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are.
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Awakening of the Heart: Essential Buddhist Sutras and Commentaries

We men and women are all in the same boat, upon a stormy sea. We owe to each other a terrible and tragic loyalty.
- G.K. Chesterton, Christmas Thoughts on Vivisection

The combination of realizing our distinctiveness along with our unity is seeing interdependence.
- Sharon Salzberg, Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection

Compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.
- Thomas Merton, a couple of hours before his death

All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.
- Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, June 4, 2009
If you have the time, the entire text of this speech is worth reading, regardless of your political affilitation.