Peter Ustinov was the first really positive influence in my

The words of Terence Stamp—“Peter Ustinov was the first really positive influence in my career. He was real and he bore witness to it. The things he said to you, he lived them.”—resound like a testimony of discipleship, the remembrance of one soul lifted by another’s example. They tell us that the greatest teachers are not those whose words glitter with cleverness, but those whose lives embody their counsel. To be a positive influence is not to charm, nor to flatter, but to stand as a living witness of one’s truth.

The origin of this wisdom lies deep in the human heart. From the dawn of civilization, the elders who shaped generations were not merely speakers, but doers. In the schools of Athens, young men gathered not just to hear Socrates, but to see how he lived—how he questioned, how he stood before trial, how he accepted death rather than betray his principles. His life was his greatest lesson. So too, Stamp recalls Ustinov not for theatrical brilliance alone, but for being real, for embodying the very truths he imparted.

Consider the story of Mahatma Gandhi. He spoke of nonviolence, of truth, of simplicity. But his greatness lay not in his words alone; it lay in the fact that he spun his own cloth, fasted for peace, and chose poverty over comfort. His followers knew that “the things he said, he lived them.” That authenticity made him unbreakable, a man whose influence spread across continents. His life bears the same lesson that Stamp drew from Ustinov: true leadership is lived, not declared.

We may also recall Florence Nightingale, who was not only a reformer in words but in action. When she urged others to tend to the sick with compassion and cleanliness, she herself walked the wards at night, lamp in hand, caring for the wounded. Her presence bore witness to her teaching, and so she inspired a generation of nurses. Had she spoken without living her truth, her influence would have been forgotten. But because she embodied her words, her light still shines across centuries.

The meaning of Stamp’s reflection is clear: the greatest influence upon us comes not from those who advise from afar, but from those who stand close, living examples of the ideals they proclaim. Words may stir for a moment, but lives lived with integrity transform forever. To be real, to align word and deed, is the surest path to leaving a legacy of good.

Practical wisdom calls us to act in the same way. Do not tell your children honesty is important unless you yourself are honest. Do not tell your friends to be brave if you shrink from truth. Do not counsel others to endure hardship if you flee from your own trials. Instead, let your life be your teaching. Even the smallest consistency between what you say and what you do becomes a beacon to those around you.

Thus, let Terence Stamp’s remembrance of Peter Ustinov be carried as eternal counsel: to be a positive influence is not to speak much, but to live well. To be real is to let no gap lie between your words and your actions. To bear witness is to show others, through your life, that what you believe is possible. And when you live in this way, your influence will echo across generations, for it will not be tied to words that fade, but to deeds that endure.