People say, "Actions speak louder than words" all the time. While in some cases that is entirely true, that phrase decreases the power that words hold. Words can be as loud or even louder than actions, if they're used correctly.

We use words everyday to communicate with each other. We use them to make plans, tell stories, give answers in class, everything. We use words so much that the weight of what those words mean can easily get lost. We aren't careful with what we say to each other anymore, because in our minds what we are saying doesn't really mean anything. But it does. It means so much.

Words are extremely powerful. They have the power to change the world. They have the power to save a life. They have the power to take a life.

Just think about all the speeches that have been given like Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" or Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Those speeches made a powerful impact on the country at the time they were given. So powerful that we still learn about them in history classes today. Those speeches were made of simple words, the same words that we throw around so carelessly.

Or think about all the people that have been bullied that committed suicide.

That is how much weight they carry.

We don't think about that though.

We have been given this powerful gift, but we don't take advantage of it. We toss words around constantly. Doing that throws them away, takes away they're power. And we don't care enough to notice.

What you say matters. And if you think that no one listens to you, you're wrong. Someone listens to every single word you say even if they don't show it.

The words you say can have as much of an impact as your actions.

Everyone wants to be remembered, to leave a legacy. Many people want to change the world. There isn't some big elaborate thing you have to do to make that happen. We all have already been given this amazing, powerful gift to use. Your words can change the world, and they could just change one person's life. Both are equally important. Either way, we need to use words as they are meant to be used as a gift. We shouldn't keep turning them into weapons.