internal struggle

I am struggling with something. I am in a situation where I have to decide whether to sit back and wait to be offered the opportunity to make change, or to speak my mind now. In the meantime it requires me to keep quiet until I am given that opportunity. If I do something now I will feel better about myself for standing up for myself and speaking my mind where it is appropriate. However this may jeopardize my opportunity to be put in the position to affect a greater change for a larger group in the long run. I guess I have to choose to make the choice that brings the greatest good to the greatest number of people, right? But can I respect myself in the meantime? I'm not sure. Plus, I'm not always the best at keeping my mouth shut.