If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

The saying uses a humorous, everyday image to puncture the belief that only large actors can create meaningful change. A mosquito is tiny, yet its presence can dominate a person’s attention and disrupt sleep—an analogy for how small actions, minor players, or seemingly insignificant choices can have outsized effects. Read as encouragement, it urges individuals not to underestimate their agency: persistence, strategic pressure, or a well-placed intervention can shift outcomes even against larger forces. It also hints at moral responsibility: if small harms can be powerful, so can small goods, and both deserve attention.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.
If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night with a mosquito.