We can make the world a better place, one butt at a time.

Sara Blakely, the visionary founder of Spanx, once declared with wit and wisdom: “We can make the world a better place, one butt at a time.” Though playful in tone, these words carry the depth of her philosophy: that transformation often begins not with grand declarations, but with small, practical acts that bring confidence, comfort, and dignity to daily life. Behind the humor is a profound truth—that even the most ordinary parts of existence can become gateways to empowerment.

The meaning of this saying is layered. At its surface, it speaks to the very product that brought Blakely success: reshaping garments designed to help people feel more confident in their bodies. Yet beneath it lies a larger principle: the idea that positive change does not always arrive through sweeping revolutions, but through attention to the seemingly small details of life. By improving how a person feels in their own skin—even if that begins with something as humble as clothing—one can awaken confidence, courage, and the power to step boldly into the world. Thus, one butt at a time becomes a metaphor for incremental progress, the kind that builds into lasting transformation.

The origin of these words comes from Blakely’s own journey. Before she became a billionaire entrepreneur, she was a door-to-door fax machine saleswoman, armed only with persistence and a belief that she could make life better for women through her invention. She did not set out to change the entire world at once; she focused on solving a single problem she saw and experienced. From that one act of ingenuity, an empire was born, and with it, philanthropic efforts that have touched countless lives. Her humorous phrase reflects this truth: the grandest changes begin in the most humble of places.

History itself offers echoes of this wisdom. Consider Florence Nightingale, who did not set out to conquer nations or write laws, but instead to bring cleanliness and care to soldiers’ hospital wards. By focusing on small, practical steps, she transformed medicine across the world. Or think of Mahatma Gandhi, who began not with the call for independence, but with the simple act of spinning his own thread, reclaiming dignity through ordinary means. In both, we see the truth of Blakely’s words: that the smallest, most personal acts can ripple outward to touch the world.

The lesson is powerful: do not underestimate the small beginnings of change. Many despair at the enormity of the world’s problems, believing only grand gestures or heroic sacrifices can make a difference. But Blakely reminds us that transformation can begin in the most ordinary of places, with the simplest of ideas. To make one person feel more confident, to ease one burden, to brighten one corner of life—that is already a spark of light in the world. And when such sparks multiply, they illuminate nations.

Practical wisdom flows from this truth. If you see a problem, do not shrink because you cannot fix everything at once. Instead, take one step, however small. Lift one person’s spirit. Solve one inconvenience. Encourage one soul. These modest acts, repeated over time, create momentum, and momentum creates change. Just as a business empire was built on improving the comfort of one garment, so too can your contributions, however humble, build into something far greater than you imagine.

Thus Sara Blakely’s playful yet profound saying shines with ancient resonance. “We can make the world a better place, one butt at a time.” Let it remind us that greatness is not always clothed in solemnity—it can be humorous, ordinary, even cheeky. But behind the laughter lies a truth as old as humanity: the world is changed not in leaps, but in steps, not in vast strokes, but in single acts. Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. For every small act of care, every simple solution, every spark of confidence given to another is a stone laid on the road to a better world.