I shall try to persuade first the Rulers and soldiers, and…
““I shall try to persuade first the Rulers and soldiers, and then the rest of the community, that the upbringing and education we have given them was all something that happened to them only in a dream. In reality they were fashioned and reared, and their arms and equipment manufactured, in the depths of the earth, and Earth herself, their mother, brought them up, when they were complete, into the light of day; so now they must think of the land in which they live as their mother and protect her if she is attacked, while their fellow citizens they must regard as brothers born of the same mother earth…. That is the story. Do you know of any way of making them believe it?” “Not in the first generation,” he said, “but you might succeed with the second, and later generations.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker urges teaching people to view Earth as a mother, fostering communal protection and stewardship, but acknowledges change takes generations.
In simple terms: Teach people to see Earth as a mother and protect it.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate environmental stewardship across generations.
Themes
environment
stewardship
community
education
generational change
Mood
reflective
hopeful
determined
Type
philosophical
inspirational
ethical
When to use this quote
- schools
- family upbringing
- government policy
- media campaigns
Key Concepts
anthropocentrism
ecocentrism
social conditioning
Questions to Reflect On
- How can education reshape our relationship with nature?
- What role can policy play in fostering this mindset?
A Different Perspective
Change is slow; deep-rooted beliefs resist rapid shift.