--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Above all we should, in the century since…" description: "\"“Above all we should, in the century since Darwin, have come to know that man, while now captain of the adventuring ship, is hardly the sole object of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/aldo-leopold-1278_adventure_above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since_2135097.png" --- # Above all we should, in the century since Darwin, have… ![“Above all we should, in the century since Darwin, have come to know that man, while now captain of the adventuring ship, is hardly the sole object of its quest, and that his prior assumptions to this effect arose from the simple necessity of whistling in the dark.” quote by Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/aldo-leopold-1278_adventure_above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since_2135097.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/aldo-leopold-1278_adventure_above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since_2135097.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/aldo-leopold-1278_adventure_above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since_2135097.png) > ““Above all we should, in the century since Darwin, have come to know that man, while now captain of the adventuring ship, is hardly the sole object of its quest, and that his prior assumptions to this effect arose from the simple necessity of whistling in the dark.”” [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human dominance is limited; we must recognize our role as part of a larger ecosystem, not its sole purpose. **In simple terms:** We are not the only important beings. Key Takeaway Respect all life forms. Themes environment humility interconnectedness Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - wildlife management - urban planning - education curricula Key Concepts anthropocentrism ecology ethical responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing other beings' value change policy? - What responsibilities arise from this humility? A Different Perspective Human ego can blind ecological understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Adventuring Ship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventuring-ship-4418664/) [Captain Adventuring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captain-adventuring-4418663/) [Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwin/) [Ecology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecology/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Environmentalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmentalism/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Necessity Whistling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessity-whistling-4418662/) [Whistling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whistling/) [Whistling Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whistling-dark-2235213/) ## Related quotes > [Most of us, no matter what we say, are walking in the dark, whistling in the dark. Nobody knows what is going to happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-of-us-no-matter-what-we-say-are-walking-in-the-dark-whistling-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Even in her mind the words had the forlorn gallantry of someone whistling in the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/even-in-her-mind-the-words-had-the-forlorn-gallantry-of-someone/) [Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/) > [My idea of gambling was walking through Central Park, whistling show tunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tune/my-idea-of-gambling-was-walking-through-central-park-whistling-show/) [Tommy Tune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tune/) > [All the general fear I've been feeling condenses into an immediate fear of this girl, this predator who might kill me in seconds. Adrenaline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/all-the-general-fear-i-ve-been-feeling-condenses-into-an-immediate/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [One legged veterans will greet the dawn, and they're whistling marches as they mow the lawn, and the gargoyles on sit and grieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/one-legged-veterans-will-greet-the-dawn-and-they-re-whistling-marches/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [No clouds are in the morning sky, The vapors hug the stream, Who says that life and love can die In all this northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/no-clouds-are-in-the-morning-sky-the-vapors-hug-the-stream-who-says/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [“Assad whistled a few notes of one of his native country's melancholic songs. It sounded as though he was whistling backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jussi-adler-olsen/assad-whistled-a-few-notes-of-one-of-his-native-country-s-melancholic/) [Jussi Adler-Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jussi-adler-olsen/) > [For the first time I was flying by jet propulsion. No engine vibrations. No torque and no lashing sound of the propeller. Accompanied by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-galland/for-the-first-time-i-was-flying-by-jet-propulsion-no-engine/) [Adolf Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-galland/) > [Come, ye cold winds, at January's call, On whistling wings, and with white flakes bestrew The earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/come-ye-cold-winds-at-january-s-call-on-whistling-wings-and-with/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [I always wanted a father. Any kind. A strict one, a funny one, one who bought me pink dresses, one who wished I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blundell/i-always-wanted-a-father-any-kind-a-strict-one-a-funny-one-one-who/) [Judy Blundell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blundell/) > [It is a poor dog that is not worth the whistling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heywood/it-is-a-poor-dog-that-is-not-worth-the-whistling/) [John Heywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heywood/) > [But ice-crunching and loud gum-chewing, together with drumming on tables, and whistling the same tune 70 times in succession, because they indicate an indifference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/but-ice-crunching-and-loud-gum-chewing-together-with-drumming-on/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [Oft in the silence of the night, When the lonely moon rides high, When wintry winds are whistling, And we hear the owl's shrill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/oft-in-the-silence-of-the-night-when-the-lonely-moon-rides-high-when/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; And frogs in the pool singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/there-will-come-soft-rains-and-the-smell-of-the-ground-and-swallows/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [ I remember having some problems with \[the Deus Ex theme\] when I first heard it and I was trying to figure out how to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-spector/i-remember-having-some-problems-with-the-deus-ex-theme-when-i-first/) [Warren Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-spector/) ## More by Aldo Leopold > [The worthiness of any cause is not measured by its clean record, but by its readiness to see the blots when they are pointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/the-worthiness-of-any-cause-is-not-measured-by-its-clean-record-but/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Is it possible to preserve the element of Unknown Places in our national life? Is it practicable to do so, without undue loss in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/is-it-possible-to-preserve-the-element-of-unknown-places-in-our/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Teach the student to see the land, understand what he sees, and enjoy what he understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/teach-the-student-to-see-the-land-understand-what-he-sees-and-enjoy/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Wildflower corners are easy to maintain, but once gone, they are hard to rebuild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/wildflower-corners-are-easy-to-maintain-but-once-gone-they-are-hard/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [In our attempt to make conservation easy, we have made it trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/in-our-attempt-to-make-conservation-easy-we-have-made-it-trivial/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [He who searches for spring with his knees in the mud finds it, in abundance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/he-who-searches-for-spring-with-his-knees-in-the-mud-finds-it-in/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Nonconformity is the highest evolutionary attainment of social animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/nonconformity-is-the-highest-evolutionary-attainment-of-social-animals/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [If education really educates, there will, in time, be more and more citizens who understand that relics of the old West add meaning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/if-education-really-educates-there-will-in-time-be-more-and-more/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [This song of the waters is audible to every ear, but there is other music in these hills, by no means audible to all……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/this-song-of-the-waters-is-audible-to-every-ear-but-there-is-other/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [To those who know the speech of hills and rivers straightening a stream is like shipping vagrants—a very successful method of passing trouble from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/to-those-who-know-the-speech-of-hills-and-rivers-straightening-a/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Wilderness is a resource which can shrink but not grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/wilderness-is-a-resource-which-can-shrink-but-not-grow/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [We shall never achieve harmony with land, any more than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-shall-never-achieve-harmony-with-land-any-more-than-we-shall/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Wilderness is the very stuff America is made of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/wilderness-is-the-very-stuff-america-is-made-of/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [The landscape of any farm is the owner's portrait of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/the-landscape-of-any-farm-is-the-owner-s-portrait-of-himself/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [If we lose our wilderness, we have nothing left, in my opinion, worth fighting for; or to be more exact, a completely industrialized United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/if-we-lose-our-wilderness-we-have-nothing-left-in-my-opinion-worth/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) [Explore all 254 Aldo Leopold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) [Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) [Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/) > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Above all we should, in the century since Darwin, have come to know that man, while now captain of the adventuring ship, is hardly the sole object of its quest, and that his prior assumptions to this effect arose from the simple necessity of whistling in the dark.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aldo Leopold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since-darwin-have-come-to-know/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since-darwin-have-come-to-know/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/aldo-leopold-1278_adventure_above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since_2135097.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/aldo-leopold-1278_adventure_above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since_2135097.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/aldo-leopold-1278_adventure_above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since_2135097.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Above all we should, in the century since Darwin, have come to know that man, while now captain of the…” — Aldo Leopold", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aldo Leopold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Above all we should, in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since-darwin-have-come-to-know/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/above-all-we-should-in-the-century-since-darwin-have-come-to-know/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```