--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the truth is that we could win every…" description: "\"But the truth is that we could win every other fight that we face and if we lose the climate fight, the other victories will be pyrrhic. I don't think ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/905/bill-mckibben-1057_change_but-the-truth-is-that-we-could-win-every_1970371.jpg" --- # But the truth is that we could win every other fight that… ![“But the truth is that we could win every other fight that we face and if we lose the climate fight, the other victories will be pyrrhic. I don't think even people who are worried about climate change quite understand the scale and speed with which we're now shifting the planet.” quote by Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/905/bill-mckibben-1057_change_but-the-truth-is-that-we-could-win-every_1970371.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/905/bill-mckibben-1057_change_but-the-truth-is-that-we-could-win-every_1970371.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/905/bill-mckibben-1057_change_but-the-truth-is-that-we-could-win-every_1970371.jpg) > “But the truth is that we could win every other fight that we face and if we lose the climate fight, the other victories will be pyrrhic. I don't think even people who are worried about climate change quite understand the scale and speed with which we're now shifting the planet.” [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Winning all battles is futile if the climate crisis is lost; it overshadows other successes. **In simple terms:** Climate loss null all victories meaningless. Key Takeaway Prioritize climate action. Themes environment urgency interconnectedness long-term impact Mood concerned urgent Type activist philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - business strategy - personal lifestyle - education curricula Key Concepts sustainability systemic risk collective responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we align prosperity with climate health? - What immediate steps can we take? A Different Perspective Economic growth may conflict with climate goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Climate Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-fight-3305098/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lose Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-climate-3305097/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scales/) [Shifting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shifting/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/) [Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory/) [Win Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win-fight/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [Worried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worried/) [Worried Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worried-climate-2766283/) ## Related quotes > [I'd probably go Green because I am really worried about climate change and the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/i-d-probably-go-green-because-i-am-really-worried-about-climate/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [I am worried about climate change. In one respect, I may be more worried than other people. I am worried because I have very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-kling/i-am-worried-about-climate-change-in-one-respect-i-may-be-more/) [Arnold Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-kling/) > [Americans are worried about climate change because they can already witness its effects. They see its signature in the drought in California, where record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/americans-are-worried-about-climate-change-because-they-can-already/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [I hear people who are worried about climate change tell me, oh, Congress that's gridlock, that's not where the action is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/i-hear-people-who-are-worried-about-climate-change-tell-me-oh/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [Where people aren't as deeply reliant on fossil fuel as in the United States, it's far easier for them to imagine change on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/where-people-aren-t-as-deeply-reliant-on-fossil-fuel-as-in-the-united/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Hush little baby dont you cry, dont cut your arms dont say goodbye, put down the razor, put down the knife. it may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hush-little-baby-dont-you-cry-dont-cut-your-arms-dont-say-goodbye-put/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm always the underdog and I always win the fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-blachowicz/i-m-always-the-underdog-and-i-always-win-the-fight/) [Jan Blachowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-blachowicz/) > [If you are going to win the fight of your life, you can't be afraid to fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/if-you-are-going-to-win-the-fight-of-your-life-you-can-t-be-afraid-to/) [Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/) > [In five rounds, the guy who is better prepared is going to win the fight, so I like the idea of a five-round fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-rodrigo-nogueira/in-five-rounds-the-guy-who-is-better-prepared-is-going-to-win-the/) [Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-rodrigo-nogueira/) > [I came to win to fight to conqure to fly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/i-came-to-win-to-fight-to-conqure-to-fly/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [“So who do you think would win in a fight, Max? Us or the rest of the world?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-austen/so-who-do-you-think-would-win-in-a-fight-max-us-or-the-rest-of-the/) [Catherine Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-austen/) > [When in love, sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-in-love-sometimes-it-s-worse-to-win-a-fight-than-to-lose/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just because I act a little different doesn't mean I'm not always with it Staying true is the way I roll won't stop til…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-sagginario/just-because-i-act-a-little-different-doesn-t-mean-i-m-not-always/) [Jasmine Sagginario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-sagginario/) > [If you give up the horrible people in your past WIN, if you fight and move on you WIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-you-give-up-the-horrible-people-in-your-past-win-if-you-fight-and/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) ## More by Bill McKibben > [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Oil companies are radical because they're willing to alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/oil-companies-are-radical-because-they-re-willing-to-alter-the/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Whenever anyone challenges anything, the powers that be try to paint them as extremists or radicals or whatever. And I think that's actually nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/whenever-anyone-challenges-anything-the-powers-that-be-try-to-paint/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [My guess is that liberating the fossil fuel industry to frack anywhere they want will drive down the rate at which we're converting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/my-guess-is-that-liberating-the-fossil-fuel-industry-to-frack/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [What makes us different? We're the creature that can decide not to do something that we are capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/what-makes-us-different-we-re-the-creature-that-can-decide-not-to-do/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“The snow was coming down so hard. It looked like the flakes were hurrying to get out of the sky so the next ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-snow-was-coming-down-so-hard-it-looked-like-the-flakes-were/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Most of the men and women who vote in Congress each year to continue subsidies have taken campaign donations from big energy companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/most-of-the-men-and-women-who-vote-in-congress-each-year-to-continue/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [“I’ve sat behind a microphone and listened for decades as Americans learned to stop talking with each other and start shouting instead. No discussions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-ve-sat-behind-a-microphone-and-listened-for-decades-as-americans/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [People in low-lying countries like Bangladesh with almost 140 million people who are managing to feed themselves, whose carbon emissions can't really be calculated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/people-in-low-lying-countries-like-bangladesh-with-almost-140-million/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We're putting more carbon into the atmosphere than the atmosphere can absorb. And everybody told us when we started, coz we knew nothing when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-re-putting-more-carbon-into-the-atmosphere-than-the-atmosphere-can/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Everything that the administration has done has been counterproductive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everything-that-the-administration-has-done-has-been-counterproductive/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [We use the web to help people organize in the flesh, and then we take the images of those events and put them back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/we-use-the-web-to-help-people-organize-in-the-flesh-and-then-we-take/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [everyone knows, at some level, that the sharp line between "good weather" and "bad weather" is a fiction, that we need rain as surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everyone-knows-at-some-level-that-the-sharp-line-between-good-weather/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [The thing about global warming is that you can address it on a great number of levels - in fact you have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-thing-about-global-warming-is-that-you-can-address-it-on-a-great/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Where people aren't as deeply reliant on fossil fuel as in the United States, it's far easier for them to imagine change on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/where-people-aren-t-as-deeply-reliant-on-fossil-fuel-as-in-the-united/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) [Explore all 299 Bill McKibben quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. 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On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But the truth is that we could win every other fight that we face and if we lose the climate fight, the other victories will be pyrrhic. 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