About this quote

A wider loyalty grows out of a nearer one. Someone who has never learned to care for the people right around them has nothing real to extend outward; genuine concern for the whole world is built by first being rooted, not by skipping that step.

When to use it

• A volunteer who serves her own block well before claiming she wants to fix the whole city.
• A manager who earns his team's trust first, then represents them credibly to the wider company.
• A student who learns his own culture deeply, which makes him a better guest in someone else's.