--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone said to me: 'Oh there's nothing…" description: "\"Everyone said to me: 'Oh there's nothing you can do about plastic once it gets into the oceans,' and I wondered whether that was true.\" — Boyan Slat" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba0/boyan-slat-8602_about_everyone-said-to-me-oh-there-s-nothing-y_1264655.jpg" --- # Everyone said to me: 'Oh there's nothing you can do about… ![“Everyone said to me: 'Oh there's nothing you can do about plastic once it gets into the oceans,' and I wondered whether that was true.” quote by Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba0/boyan-slat-8602_about_everyone-said-to-me-oh-there-s-nothing-y_1264655.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba0/boyan-slat-8602_about_everyone-said-to-me-oh-there-s-nothing-y_1264655.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba0/boyan-slat-8602_about_everyone-said-to-me-oh-there-s-nothing-y_1264655.jpg) > “Everyone said to me: 'Oh there's nothing you can do about plastic once it gets into the oceans,' and I wondered whether that was true.” [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning the inevitability of ocean plastic pollution encourages proactive solutions. **In simple terms:** Plastic in oceans may be manageable. Key Takeaway Seek actionable ways to reduce ocean plastic. Themes environment activism innovation Mood urgent hopeful Type call‑to‑action inspirational When to use this quote - coastal communities - policy making - education - entrepreneurship Key Concepts sustainability technology policy Questions to Reflect On - What practical steps can individuals take? - How can policy accelerate cleanup? A Different Perspective Solutions may be limited by scale. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) ## Related quotes > [I got the wake-up call that no one is policing our oceans. I wondered, how can I do anything? What really can I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-kinsey/i-got-the-wake-up-call-that-no-one-is-policing-our-oceans-i-wondered/) [Angela Kinsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-kinsey/) > [We're starting with the North Pacific gyre simply because it is the largest accumulation of plastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/we-re-starting-with-the-north-pacific-gyre-simply-because-it-is-the/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [What humans aren't good at is trying to consume less, to consume less plastic, to not be lazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/what-humans-aren-t-good-at-is-trying-to-consume-less-to-consume-less/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [The worst is yet to come, because all the plastic that is already out there is going to become more hazardous if we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/the-worst-is-yet-to-come-because-all-the-plastic-that-is-already-out/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [The way the clean-up system works is that we let the plastic come to us, using the ocean currents in our advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/the-way-the-clean-up-system-works-is-that-we-let-the-plastic-come-to/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [It's nice there is a cleanup system, but if it doesn't collect any plastic, it's not very useful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/it-s-nice-there-is-a-cleanup-system-but-if-it-doesn-t-collect-any/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Look at climate change. That's a bigger problem than plastic, but we can't all focus on that and forget about plastic - that isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/look-at-climate-change-that-s-a-bigger-problem-than-plastic-but-we/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [For 60 years man has been putting plastic into the ocean. And from that day onward we're also taking it back out again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/for-60-years-man-has-been-putting-plastic-into-the-ocean-and-from/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [We put suffocation warnings on all the - on every piece of plastic film manufactured in the United States or for sale with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gever-tulley/we-put-suffocation-warnings-on-all-the-on-every-piece-of-plastic-film/) [Gever Tulley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gever-tulley/) > [Statuettes of drunken sailors, velvet pictures of island maidens, plastic seashell lamps made in Taiwan. What contempt the people who think up souvenirs have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/statuettes-of-drunken-sailors-velvet-pictures-of-island-maidens/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Star Trek' is the McDonald's of science fiction; it's fast food storytelling. Every problem is like every other problem. They all get solved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/star-trek-is-the-mcdonald-s-of-science-fiction-it-s-fast-food/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [Ugster vinyl pumps, Partridge Family records, plastic daisy jewelry, old postcards. . . . It's a magpie Christmas market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/ugster-vinyl-pumps-partridge-family-records-plastic-daisy-jewelry-old/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [It doesn't matter to me where Barack Obama goes. If he wants to go to Hawaii because it's his home state, fine! Hunky-dory. Plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-where-barack-obama-goes-if-he-wants-to-go-to/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I wouldn't want to play a normal princess who always walks around in nice dresses. I never had a connection to it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-wouldn-t-want-to-play-a-normal-princess-who-always-walks-around-in/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [When I was 3, my parents strapped on a pair of Playskool plastic roller skates to my feet, and that's where the story begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-celski/when-i-was-3-my-parents-strapped-on-a-pair-of-playskool-plastic/) [J. R. Celski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-celski/) ## More by Boyan Slat > [Musk is very inspiring to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/musk-is-very-inspiring-to-me/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I think humanity can do more than one thing at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-think-humanity-can-do-more-than-one-thing-at-the-same-time/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Whenever you start working on something, you have to go about it with the underlying assumption that this puzzle has a solution, right? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/whenever-you-start-working-on-something-you-have-to-go-about-it-with/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [For 60 years man has been putting plastic into the ocean. And from that day onward we're also taking it back out again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/for-60-years-man-has-been-putting-plastic-into-the-ocean-and-from/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [We started solely concentrating on cleaning up the Garbage Patch because we felt it was the most neglected part of the spectrum of solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/we-started-solely-concentrating-on-cleaning-up-the-garbage-patch/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [We use a curtain, so we don't use a net, so there's nothing sea life can get entangled with. And also, the system moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/we-use-a-curtain-so-we-don-t-use-a-net-so-there-s-nothing-sea-life/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [When ideas are confronted with reality, there will always be surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/when-ideas-are-confronted-with-reality-there-will-always-be-surprises/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [When I started there was this consensus that you could never clean this up, that the problem is way too big, the ocean is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/when-i-started-there-was-this-consensus-that-you-could-never-clean/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I think people overestimate the risk of high-risk projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-think-people-overestimate-the-risk-of-high-risk-projects/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [The legacy, the waste, is mostly in international waters that are sort of in no man's land and thus considered to be no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/the-legacy-the-waste-is-mostly-in-international-waters-that-are-sort/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I do enjoy being at the ocean, like most people, but not so much being on the ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-do-enjoy-being-at-the-ocean-like-most-people-but-not-so-much-being/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [It's important to stay humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/it-s-important-to-stay-humble/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [It's never really fun to be in the public spotlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/it-s-never-really-fun-to-be-in-the-public-spotlight/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [I would never be able to work on a photo-sharing app or 'Internet startup XYZ.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/i-would-never-be-able-to-work-on-a-photo-sharing-app-or-internet/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) > [Look at climate change. That's a bigger problem than plastic, but we can't all focus on that and forget about plastic - that isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyan-slat/look-at-climate-change-that-s-a-bigger-problem-than-plastic-but-we/) [Boyan Slat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) [Explore all 79 Boyan Slat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyan-slat/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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