If I stopped, they'd stop too

yadi hyahaṃ na varteyaṃ jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥmama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

If I ever stopped acting, tirelessly, Partha, people everywhere would follow my path.

What it means

Krishna explains why he keeps acting. People watch the great. If he, revered as God, ever stopped engaging in karma, in action, everyone would take it as permission to stop too. His tireless work is partly for their sake. Example is a responsibility.

The story

Krishna is holding the reins, day after day, in a war he isn't fighting. He wants Arjuna to see why. If Krishna can serve tirelessly with nothing to gain, Arjuna can face his own duty with less to fear.

In your life

Picture a captain on a sinking ship who stays at the wheel while the crew evacuates. Everyone stays calm because the captain does. If others look to you, your steadiness steadies them.