Context

This line is from the book Horton Hears a Who!, by Dr. Seuss (1954).

Horton's done a lot to try to save these little Whos down on this tiny speck. Now it's up to them. The Whos need to make tons of noise so the other, larger creatures will know they exist. It's a tough order, but they've gotta give it their best shot. What's most important is this—every single Who in Who-ville needs to be participating. No one can be sitting out. That's apparently how decibel levels work.

But, what's this? A young Who named Jo-Jo isn't making any noise? What? The mayor of Who-ville rushes to the boy and tells him that he needs to shout it out loud and proud. They're counting on him. His voice counts. And guess what? Jo-Jo's "Yopp!" puts the town over the top and everyone is saved. Yay!

Hey, we guess every voice really did count.

Where you've heard it

The idea that every voice counts isn't unique to Dr. Seuss. You'll hear it a lot around election season or any time folks are being encouraged to speak up. You are unique and what you have to say matters—so say it, friends.

Here's the scene from the movie version of Horton Hears a Who where Jo-Jo puts the Whos over the top with his "Yopp!"

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Every voice does count. That's not pretentious. It's 100% true. Keep on speaking your truth, everyone.