--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A pristine landscape was perfection…" description: "\"“A pristine landscape was perfection itself; it was only when you added people that everything changed.”\" — Armistead Maupin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/armistead-maupin-7109_quote_a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itse_2093096.jpg" --- # A pristine landscape was perfection itself; it was only… ![“A pristine landscape was perfection itself; it was only when you added people that everything changed.” quote by Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/armistead-maupin-7109_quote_a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itse_2093096.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/armistead-maupin-7109_quote_a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itse_2093096.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/armistead-maupin-7109_quote_a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itse_2093096.jpg) > ““A pristine landscape was perfection itself; it was only when you added people that everything changed.”” [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes pristine nature as perfect until human presence alters it, implying humanity disrupts ideal landscapes. **In simple terms:** Nature is perfect until people change it. Key Takeaway Consider impact of human activity on environments. Themes environment human impact change Mood contemplative critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - conservation - environmental education Key Concepts anthropocentrism ecology Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance development and preservation? - Can humans enhance landscapes? A Different Perspective Human change can also improve nature. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I'm not changing because I'm part of a hit. People around me have changed in their attitude toward me, but I haven't changed. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-penny/i-m-not-changing-because-i-m-part-of-a-hit-people-around-me-have/) [Joe Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-penny/) > [Well, I think they're going to learn that an awful lot of French people changed their minds. In 1940, the Third Republic had made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-paxton/well-i-think-they-re-going-to-learn-that-an-awful-lot-of-french/) [Robert O. Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-paxton/) > [Because if you remember - and people forget this - the first two years of Game of Thrones everybody was going, "I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/because-if-you-remember-and-people-forget-this-the-first-two-years-of/) [Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/) > [The first time I sang in the church choir; two hundred people changed their religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/the-first-time-i-sang-in-the-church-choir-two-hundred-people-changed/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [The reality is, if you go to the library and read biographies, thousands of people have changed, radically changed. St. Augustine was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/the-reality-is-if-you-go-to-the-library-and-read-biographies/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Perhaps one day, all these conflicts will end, and it won't be because of great statesmen or churches or organisations like this one. It'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/perhaps-one-day-all-these-conflicts-will-end-and-it-won-t-be-because/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Good people are found not changed. They can change themselves, but you can't change them. You want good people, you have to find them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-they-can-change-themselves-but-you/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [“If people changed, it meant that she was allowed to change too. She could be different. She could be happier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/if-people-changed-it-meant-that-she-was-allowed-to-change-too-she/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Things changed, people changed, and the world went rolling along right outside the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/things-changed-people-changed-and-the-world-went-rolling-along-right/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I think the only reason why we are so attached to memories, is that they do not change, even if people have changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-the-only-reason-why-we-are-so-attached-to-memories-is-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes I do look back in the past but only because I miss some people.They have changed and they become total strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshy/sometimes-i-do-look-back-in-the-past-but-only-because-i-miss-some/) Ewshy > [Wow people changed. I can't believe I liked them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-r-durban/wow-people-changed-i-can-t-believe-i-liked-them/) Justin R. Durban > [We continue down the same path like so many other times before. Thought maybe time would have changed us but we're still the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-m/we-continue-down-the-same-path-like-so-many-other-times-before/) Morgan M > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [...a culture that holds people back should and can be changed...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/a-culture-that-holds-people-back-should-and-can-be-changed/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) ## More by Armistead Maupin > [But I'm acutely aware that the possibility of fraud is even more prevalent in today's world because of the Internet and cell phones and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/but-i-m-acutely-aware-that-the-possibility-of-fraud-is-even-more/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [I’m pissed off at my Republican family back in North Carolina, several of whom came to my wedding, but who went right back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/i-m-pissed-off-at-my-republican-family-back-in-north-carolina-several/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [“Mona … lots of things are more binding than sex. They last longer too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/mona-lots-of-things-are-more-binding-than-sex-they-last-longer-too/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [Taureans are stubborn as hell. They never want to tell you what sign they are… But underneath that tough Taurus hide beats the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/taureans-are-stubborn-as-hell-they-never-want-to-tell-you-what-sign/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [I believe very firmly that gay people of every stripe and age should be role models for all children, and that means interacting with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/i-believe-very-firmly-that-gay-people-of-every-stripe-and-age-should/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [“How old are you?” I hadn’t been asked this in a place of business since I was seventeen, when I tried, unsuccessfully, to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/how-old-are-you-i-hadn-t-been-asked-this-in-a-place-of-business-since/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [Outing is a nasty word for telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/outing-is-a-nasty-word-for-telling-the-truth/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [I've included these little jokes and mysteries in my writing for the amusement of readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/i-ve-included-these-little-jokes-and-mysteries-in-my-writing-for-the/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [If you want to know who the oppressed minorities in America are, simply look at who gets their own shelf in the bookstore. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/if-you-want-to-know-who-the-oppressed-minorities-in-america-are/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [“It all goes so fast, she thought. We dole out our lives in dinner parties and plane flights, and it's over before we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/it-all-goes-so-fast-she-thought-we-dole-out-our-lives-in-dinner/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [“Then they would both dissolve in giggles, bowing in their mirth to the awful hopelessness of it all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/then-they-would-both-dissolve-in-giggles-bowing-in-their-mirth-to-the/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [“My life is full of love; I designed it that way. I try to make my own experience about love and I look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/my-life-is-full-of-love-i-designed-it-that-way-i-try-to-make-my-own/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [“Actions have consequences. In actions have them. We set things in motion by what we don't do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/actions-have-consequences-in-actions-have-them-we-set-things-in/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [I'm not sure I even need a lover, male or female. Sometimes I think I'd settle for five good friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/i-m-not-sure-i-even-need-a-lover-male-or-female-sometimes-i-think-i-d/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [Well, maybe it has to do with the fact that I was a complete Hitchcock fanatic from age 9.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/well-maybe-it-has-to-do-with-the-fact-that-i-was-a-complete-hitchcock/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) [Explore all 94 Armistead Maupin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) ## More Pristine quotes > [The church is not a museum for pristine saints, but a hospital ward for broken sinners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-church-is-not-a-museum-for-pristine-saints-but-a-hospital-ward/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Most people are walking around the city like corpses; they aren't alive enough to notice the trash. They come from other places and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/most-people-are-walking-around-the-city-like-corpses-they-aren-t/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [Quality of life is the sum total of the fairness of our tax structure; the caliber of our homes; the cleanliness of our air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mccall/quality-of-life-is-the-sum-total-of-the-fairness-of-our-tax-structure/) [Tom McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mccall/) > [You can't have a pristine house with ten dogs, and I'd rather have the ten dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/you-can-t-have-a-pristine-house-with-ten-dogs-and-i-d-rather-have-the/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [I'm particularly inspired by pristine locations. I enjoy working in areas where one can travel for miles without seeing any human influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-smith/i-m-particularly-inspired-by-pristine-locations-i-enjoy-working-in/) [Matt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-smith/) > [In my Pantheon, Pan still reigns in his pristine glory, with his ruddy face, his flowing beard, and his shaggy body, his pipe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-my-pantheon-pan-still-reigns-in-his-pristine-glory-with-his-ruddy/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I discovered that close to half the planet is 'pristine.' We live in towns such as London, Paris or Sao Paulo and have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-discovered-that-close-to-half-the-planet-is-pristine-we-live-in/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I don't want to play these games of statistics any more; I have done that. I don't want to be imprisoned by that, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-don-t-want-to-play-these-games-of-statistics-any-more-i-have-done/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Thus will the fondest dream of Phallic science be realized: a pristine new planet populated entirely by little boy clones of great scientific entrepreneurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/thus-will-the-fondest-dream-of-phallic-science-be-realized-a-pristine/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [It is among the less privileged groups relatively new to leisure and consumption that the zest for possessions retains something of its pristine energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-riesman/it-is-among-the-less-privileged-groups-relatively-new-to-leisure-and/) [David Riesman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-riesman/) > [So many times I've photographed stories that show the degradation of the planet. I had one idea to go and photograph the factories that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/so-many-times-i-ve-photographed-stories-that-show-the-degradation-of/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [Recognize that the very molecules that make up your body...are traceable to the crucibles that were once the centers of high mass stars that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/recognize-that-the-very-molecules-that-make-up-your-body-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [While our budget shortfall is temporary, ruining pristine national lands is permanent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-keller/while-our-budget-shortfall-is-temporary-ruining-pristine-national/) [Ric Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-keller/) > [I was a camp counselor for kids whose moms were on welfare, unfortunately, and right across the camp was the best, most pristine and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-weinstein/i-was-a-camp-counselor-for-kids-whose-moms-were-on-welfare/) [Harvey Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-weinstein/) > [Men had made, we believe, fundamental changes in the doctrines, purposes, and practices of the Pristine Gospel and Church. There had been an apostasy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lowell-l-bennion/men-had-made-we-believe-fundamental-changes-in-the-doctrines-purposes/) Lowell L. Bennion Browse all 83 Pristine quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A pristine landscape was perfection itself; it was only when you added people that everything changed.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Armistead Maupin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itself-it-was-only-when-you-added/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Pristine" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itself-it-was-only-when-you-added/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/armistead-maupin-7109_quote_a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itse_2093096.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/armistead-maupin-7109_quote_a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itse_2093096.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/armistead-maupin-7109_quote_a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itse_2093096.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A pristine landscape was perfection itself; it was only when you added people that everything changed.” — Armistead Maupin", "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": "Armistead Maupin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A pristine landscape was perfection itself;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itself-it-was-only-when-you-added/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/a-pristine-landscape-was-perfection-itself-it-was-only-when-you-added/#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 } } ] } ```