Building a Positive Legacy: A Reflection on Jane Goodall’s Life
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall
On October 1st, the world lost one of its greatest voices of hope. Jane Goodall’s passing at the age of 91 leaves us with a profound legacy — not only in the field of primatology and conservation but also in the way she inspired generations to live with greater care for all life on this planet.
Her words above have always resonated with me. They remind us that no action is neutral. Every decision — from how we treat the person next to us, to how we consume, to how we contribute to our communities — creates ripples. Jane Goodall lived her life fully aware of this truth, embodying compassion, resilience, and the conviction that kindness and science together can transform the world.
When I read her last book, I felt her message deeply. She reminded me that making a difference doesn’t always mean creating something grand or visible. It can be the small, daily choices that add up: listening with empathy, reducing waste, mentoring someone who needs encouragement, or simply showing up with kindness in difficult times. These actions may seem small, but together they form the building blocks of a legacy.
Jane’s life teaches us something vital: a legacy is not built at the end of our days — it is built in the everyday moments when we choose how to act, how to lead, and how to care.
As we honor her memory, I ask myself — and invite you to ask yourself — what kind of difference do I want to make today? Because it is in the accumulation of these choices that we shape the world we leave behind.
Jane Goodall’s legacy will continue for generations. It will live on in the forests she fought to protect, in the children she inspired to become scientists and activists, and in all of us who carry her message forward.
May we choose, each day, to add to that legacy by creating ripples of hope, kindness, and courage.
Much love, Barbara.
