Action is inherent to the tasks of a social activist. Ideas alone are not enough. Although the development of philosophies and manifestos forms the basis of every social movement and every move toward social justice, without social action and social activists, little can be accomplished. The great social activist must, by definition, be the great actor of social action. Jane Addams was the epitome of such an entrepreneur. Addams herself believed that ideas were not enough. She was not content to live a life of ideological morality. Instead, she believed that the true moral life could only be accomplished through action (“Dream” 84). Embodying the vision she stood for, Addams put her beliefs into action. For 46 years, from 1889 until her death in 1935, Jane Addams was involved in almost every major social movement of the time. When put into practice, his understanding of Christian mission and democracy resulted in unprecedented innovations in social work and an unwavering commitment to peace, making Addams one of the foremost activists most important social issues of the 20th century. Addams' life was guided by a kind of Christian Democratic ideal, in which his interpretation of democracy was influenced by his understanding of Christianity, and vice versa. His motivation to act according to democratic and Christian values ​​was a Tolstoyan understanding of the demand for action resulting from conviction. In fact, it was Tolstoy's total commitment to his philosophical conclusions, rather than his philosophical ideas themselves, that Addams most admired ("Dream" 214). As a girl and young woman, Jane Addams was deeply influenced by her father, John Huy Addams. . Mr. Addams was a Hicksite Quaker and an outspoken abolitionist ("Dream" 2...... middle of paper ......bel Women." Nobelprize.org. September 22, 1997. The Nobel Foundation, Web. December 1, 2009. Brown, Victoria B. The Education of Jane Addams. Philadelphia: University of Philadelphia Press, 2004. Daniel, Cathleen L. “Hull House Incorporated: The Professionalization of Social Work.” December 1, 2009. .Davis, Allen F. American Heroine: The Life and Legend of Jane Addams New York: Oxford University Press, 1973. Print.Elshtain, Jean B. Jane Addams and the Dream of American Democracy New York: Basic Books, 2002. Print.---. The Jane Addams Reader New York: Basic Books, 2002. Print. Haberman, Frederick W., ed. Nobel Lectures, Peace 1926-1972. Print..