You might be somebody’s turning point without ever knowing it. Treat people like that’s possible.

Nobody tells you when something you said changed their direction. It happens quietly, sometimes years later, and the person who caused it usually has no idea. So the ordinary way you speak to people is doing more work than you can measure, in both directions.

You cannot aim this, so aim at the baseline instead. Be decent in the exchanges that seem to matter least, especially with people who can do nothing for you. It costs almost nothing and you will never know which one landed.