--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it possible to preserve the element of…" description: "\"Is it possible to preserve the element of Unknown Places in our national life? Is it practicable to do so, without undue loss in economic values? I say..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/aldo-leopold-1278_bits_is-it-possible-to-preserve-the-element-o_17702.png" --- # Is it possible to preserve the element of Unknown Places… ![“Is it possible to preserve the element of Unknown Places in our national life? Is it practicable to do so, without undue loss in economic values? I say 'yes' to both questions. But we must act vigorously and quickly, before the remaining bits of wilderness have disappeared.” quote by Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/aldo-leopold-1278_bits_is-it-possible-to-preserve-the-element-o_17702.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/aldo-leopold-1278_bits_is-it-possible-to-preserve-the-element-o_17702.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/aldo-leopold-1278_bits_is-it-possible-to-preserve-the-element-o_17702.png) > “Is it possible to preserve the element of Unknown Places in our national life? Is it practicable to do so, without undue loss in economic values? I say 'yes' to both questions. But we must act vigorously and quickly, before the remaining bits of wilderness have disappeared.” [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. Advocates protecting untouched natural areas within a nation, balancing ecological preservation with economic interests, urging swift action before they vanish. **In simple terms:** Preserve wild places despite economic pressures. Key Takeaway Urgent conservation needed. Themes environmental ethics sustainability national identity economic trade‑offs conservation urgency Mood determined hopeful urgent Type call to action philosophical statement When to use this quote - government land‑use planning - environmental NGOs lobbying - community debates on development - academic discussions on sustainability Key Concepts wilderness preservation policy urgency balance of nature and economy Practical Applications - designating protected areas - integrating conservation into economic policy Questions to Reflect On - How can societies value nature beyond monetary terms? - What policies can reconcile growth with wilderness protection? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economic value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-value/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/) ## Related quotes > [The practice of conservation must spring from a conviction of what is ethically and aesthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/the-practice-of-conservation-must-spring-from-a-conviction-of-what-is/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [“We seem to be drifting into unknown places and unknown ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/we-seem-to-be-drifting-into-unknown-places-and-unknown-ways/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“the oncoming night was filled with the mystery of unknown places and of distance, of things that happened long ago and happenings yet to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyne-mitchell/the-oncoming-night-was-filled-with-the-mystery-of-unknown-places-and/) [Elyne Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elyne-mitchell/) > [It is inconceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land, and a high regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/it-is-inconceivable-to-me-that-an-ethical-relation-to-land-can-exist/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Colorado's majestic landscapes are one of our most valuable assets, and it's important that we work to preserve these treasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/colorado-s-majestic-landscapes-are-one-of-our-most-valuable-assets/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [Preserve your energy - do not waste it on mediocre activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-wilde/preserve-your-energy-do-not-waste-it-on-mediocre-activity/) [Stuart Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-wilde/) > [My mission in life is to preserve craftsmanship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waris-ahluwalia/my-mission-in-life-is-to-preserve-craftsmanship/) [Waris Ahluwalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waris-ahluwalia/) > [All we have to do is preserve our personality, to live our own life, be captain of our own ship, and all will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bach/all-we-have-to-do-is-preserve-our-personality-to-live-our-own-life-be/) [Edward Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bach/) > [I am passionate about my family, adventure, good wine, nature and the outdoors, sharks, the ocean, and working hard to preserve it all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehgan-heaney-grier/i-am-passionate-about-my-family-adventure-good-wine-nature-and-the/) [Mehgan Heaney-Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehgan-heaney-grier/) > [I never rehearse scenes with the whole ensemble, because I need to preserve some surprise. Instead, I work with the cast individually on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnaud-desplechin/i-never-rehearse-scenes-with-the-whole-ensemble-because-i-need-to/) [Arnaud Desplechin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnaud-desplechin/) > [You can keep your memory intact, preserve your brain's health, and minimize the risk of aging and senile dementia, things that are greatly feared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/you-can-keep-your-memory-intact-preserve-your-brain-s-health-and/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [It's impossible to overstate how my relationship to music forms a preserve for the esoteric or even spiritual aspect of my relationship to cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-s-impossible-to-overstate-how-my-relationship-to-music-forms-a/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [Child! do not throw this book about Refrain from the unholy pleasure Of cutting all the pictures out! Preserve it as your chiefest treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/child-do-not-throw-this-book-about-refrain-from-the-unholy-pleasure/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [I want to protect and preserve social security and Medicare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-heller/i-want-to-protect-and-preserve-social-security-and-medicare/) [Dean Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-heller/) > [No price is too great to preserve the health of the fleet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-price-is-too-great-to-preserve-the-health-of-the-fleet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [An oak is no respecter of persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/an-oak-is-no-respecter-of-persons/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) [Explore all 254 Aldo Leopold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) ## More Bits quotes > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. 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