Winston Churchill once said, “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”  Churchill’s boldness, resolve, and principled leadership as Britain’s Prime Minister during World War II helped to preserve freedom and democracy and to defeat fascism.

But Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”  As the most celebrated civil rights leader in America, Dr. King played a central role in defeating legal segregation and helping our nation to realize its founding promise that “all men are created equal.”

So, makers of history, or made by history? How can two men of enormous historical significance see things so differently?  And who’s right?

The truth is, history neither makes us nor is it made by us.  We, like Churchill and King, can choose what we do, but not the circumstances of our choices, nor the outcomes.  The character Jaques, in Shakespear’s As You Like It, may have been closer to getting it right, when he said:

“All the world’s a stage, [a]nd all the men and women merely players”

Don’t make the mistake of thinking yourselves either too big or too little for history.  Like theater club, we all have a role to play, and we can play it either well or poorly.  Our actions do make a difference; but the difference we make is not entirely up to us—we do not write the script. 

So, just focus on playing your part well…and have a wonderful day.