--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We abuse land because we regard it as a…" description: "\"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.\" — Aldo Leopold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/aldo-leopold-1278_abuse_we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a_3022922.png" --- # We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity… ![“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.” quote by Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/aldo-leopold-1278_abuse_we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a_3022922.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/aldo-leopold-1278_abuse_we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a_3022922.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/aldo-leopold-1278_abuse_we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a_3022922.png) > “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.” [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. Treating land as a commodity leads to exploitation and environmental harm. **In simple terms:** Land should not be commodified. Key Takeaway Adopt stewardship mindset. Themes environment ethics land use conservation economics Mood concerned inspired Type environmental philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - urban planning - agriculture - education programs Key Concepts sustainability ecosystem services anthropocentrism Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance profit and preservation? - What policies protect land from commodification? A Different Perspective Economic pressures may resist stewardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Abuse Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse-land-591832/) [Belonging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belonging/) [Commodity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commodity/) [Commodity Belonging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commodity-belonging-591833/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Community garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-garden/) [Community living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-living/) [Conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation/) [Conserving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conserving/) [Conserving environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conserving-environment-36932/) [Deep ecology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-ecology/) [Earth and nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-and-nature/) [Eco friendly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eco-friendly/) [Ecology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecology/) [Energy conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-conservation/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Environmental pollution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental-pollution/) [Environmental sustainability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental-sustainability/) [Go green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go-green/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Green living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green-living/) [Inspirational environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational-environmental/) [Inspiring nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring-nature/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Land conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-conservation/) [Land Regard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-regard-591831/) [Mother earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-earth/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-environment/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature and environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-and-environment/) [Nature conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-conservation/) [Our community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-community/) [Our environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-environment/) [Pollution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pollution/) [Preservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preservation/) [Preserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserves/) [Protect nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-nature/) [Regard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard/) [Regard Commodity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard-commodity-4902493/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Save mother earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-mother-earth/) [Sustainability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustainability/) [Where you belong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where-you-belong/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/) [Wildlife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildlife/) [Wildlife and nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildlife-and-nature-206531/) [Wildlife conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildlife-conservation/) ## Related quotes > [We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a-commodity-belonging-to-us-2/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a-commodity-belonging-to-us/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [“We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-abuse-land-because-we-see-it-as-a-commodity-belonging-to-us-when/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [“Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/conservation-is-getting-nowhere-because-it-is-incompatible-with-our-2/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/conservation-is-getting-nowhere-because-it-is-incompatible-with-our/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Our settlement of land is without regard to the best use of land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-erickson/our-settlement-of-land-is-without-regard-to-the-best-use-of-land/) [Arthur Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-erickson/) > [Hold infinity in the palm of your hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/hold-infinity-in-the-palm-of-your-hand/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/each-species-is-a-masterpiece-a-creation-assembled-with-extreme-care/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [What a country chooses to save is what a country chooses to say about itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-beattie/what-a-country-chooses-to-save-is-what-a-country-chooses-to-say-about/) [Mollie Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-beattie/) > [To see a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wildflower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/to-see-a-world-in-a-grain-of-sand-and-a-heaven-in-a-wildflower/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [To the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/to-the-eyes-of-the-man-of-imagination-nature-is-imagination-itself/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [He who knows what sweets and virtues are in the ground, the plants, the waters, the heavens, and how to come at these enchantments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/he-who-knows-what-sweets-and-virtues-are-in-the-ground-the-plants-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The good news is, we have everything we need now to respond to the challenge of global warming. We have all the technologies we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-good-news-is-we-have-everything-we-need-now-to-respond-to-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The best friend on earth of man is the tree: When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-best-friend-on-earth-of-man-is-the-tree-when-we-use-the-tree/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Forests are the lungs of our land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/forests-are-the-lungs-of-our-land/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) ## 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 Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Words are free. It does not mean you should abuse them. Be kind with them. They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aldo Leopold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a-commodity-belonging-to-us-3/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a-commodity-belonging-to-us-3/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/aldo-leopold-1278_abuse_we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a_3022922.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/aldo-leopold-1278_abuse_we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a_3022922.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/aldo-leopold-1278_abuse_we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a_3022922.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.” — 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": "We abuse land because we regard...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a-commodity-belonging-to-us-3/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/we-abuse-land-because-we-regard-it-as-a-commodity-belonging-to-us-3/#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 } } ] } ```