--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lessons: Diversity = resilience…" description: "\"“Lessons: Diversity = resilience. Abundance = resilience. to survive catastrophe, you need a surplus, a reservoir, money under the mattress, food in th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/carl-safina-12479_resilience_lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-r_3161144.png" --- # Lessons: Diversity = resilience. Abundance = resilience… ![“Lessons: Diversity = resilience. Abundance = resilience. to survive catastrophe, you need a surplus, a reservoir, money under the mattress, food in the fridge. If you're already starving, you won't survive a famine. Take the world down to the bone and the only thing that flourishes are boneyards…” quote by Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/carl-safina-12479_resilience_lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-r_3161144.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/carl-safina-12479_resilience_lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-r_3161144.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/carl-safina-12479_resilience_lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-r_3161144.png) > ““Lessons: Diversity = resilience. Abundance = resilience. to survive catastrophe, you need a surplus, a reservoir, money under the mattress, food in the fridge. If you're already starving, you won't survive a famine. Take the world down to the bone and the only thing that flourishes are boneyards; the only thing that expands is collapse.”” [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Resilience comes from diversity and abundance; lacking reserves makes societies vulnerable to disaster. **In simple terms:** Diversity and surplus build resilience. Key Takeaway Build buffers and diversify resources. Themes resilience diversity preparedness Mood cautious forward‑looking Type analytical advisory When to use this quote - urban planning - personal finance - food security - climate adaptation Key Concepts systems theory resource management Questions to Reflect On - What resources can you safeguard now? - How does diversity reduce systemic risk? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on surplus can ignore efficiency and waste concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Resilience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resilience/) ## Related quotes > [“Finally having one other person in this world who cares feels like being tossed a scrap of food when you haven’t eaten in weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-espinoza/finally-having-one-other-person-in-this-world-who-cares-feels-like/) [Rebecca Espinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-espinoza/) > [Grit can't be measured on pop quizzes, but it can often predict long-term success more than mere intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moser/grit-can-t-be-measured-on-pop-quizzes-but-it-can-often-predict-long/) [Laura Moser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-moser/) > [“Keep going even when the going is slow and uncertain. Make your dream your prayer and your service. Don’t wait for recognition. Let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-g-renee-hill/keep-going-even-when-the-going-is-slow-and-uncertain-make-your-dream/) [G.G. Renee Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-g-renee-hill/) > [My tenacity and determination to be true to the person I had become were sacrosanct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/my-tenacity-and-determination-to-be-true-to-the-person-i-had-become/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [“I really do believe stories about the struggles of life do help foster resilient and happy children. They make Tips children understand the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iben-dissing-sandahl/i-really-do-believe-stories-about-the-struggles-of-life-do-help/) [Iben Dissing Sandahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iben-dissing-sandahl/) > [One's own troubles can be borne with fortitude; only a monster of indifference can bear the sufferings of others with fortitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ertz/one-s-own-troubles-can-be-borne-with-fortitude-only-a-monster-of/) [Susan Ertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ertz/) > [What I always liked best about myself was my resilience, especially in this business with all the 'no's,' the doors closed in my face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lachanze/what-i-always-liked-best-about-myself-was-my-resilience-especially-in/) [LaChanze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lachanze/) > [“Mistakes are lessons and lessons are gifts. Examine them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-knox/mistakes-are-lessons-and-lessons-are-gifts-examine-them/) Jen Knox > [“Sometimes resilience arrives in the moment you discover your own unshakeable goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/sometimes-resilience-arrives-in-the-moment-you-discover-your-own/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [“Grits Glossary blues \\’blüz\\ n: nothing but a good man singing about hardship, sorrow, and the things he’s done wrong--but sake’s alive, they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/grits-glossary-blues-bl-z-n-nothing-but-a-good-man-singing-about/) [Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The cognitive skills that underpin resilience, then, seem like they can indeed be learned over time, creating resilience where there was none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-konnikova/the-cognitive-skills-that-underpin-resilience-then-seem-like-they-can/) [Maria Konnikova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-konnikova/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) ## More by Carl Safina > [We put the murderer in charge of the crime scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/we-put-the-murderer-in-charge-of-the-crime-scene/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [Try to cut down drastically on plastic. Recycle. Use less energy and more renewable energy. We can all live better by doing better for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/try-to-cut-down-drastically-on-plastic-recycle-use-less-energy-and/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [Why would even I say we can't stop drilling in the Gulf? Because we have no alternatives. Whether or not we drill in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/why-would-even-i-say-we-can-t-stop-drilling-in-the-gulf-because-we/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [When I was in high school in the early 1970s, we knew we were running out of oil; we knew that easy sources were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/when-i-was-in-high-school-in-the-early-1970s-we-knew-we-were-running/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [“Summer has weeks left, but once the calendar displays the word “September,” you’d think it was Latin for “evacuate.” I pity them for missing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/summer-has-weeks-left-but-once-the-calendar-displays-the-word/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [“The world belongs to us, the wise ones, we declare...will we be pirates or captains, slumlords or godparents of time? Will we burn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/the-world-belongs-to-us-the-wise-ones-we-declare-will-we-be-pirates/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [To save the seas, we can eat sustainably and be conscious of the seafood we eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/to-save-the-seas-we-can-eat-sustainably-and-be-conscious-of-the/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [If you ask the fish whether they'd rather have an oil spill or a season of fishing, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd vote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/if-you-ask-the-fish-whether-they-d-rather-have-an-oil-spill-or-a/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [“In a universe devoid of life, any life at all would be immensely meaningful. We ARE that meaning. “And what we see, “says the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/in-a-universe-devoid-of-life-any-life-at-all-would-be-immensely/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [From the happy-go-lucky days of oil exploration and drilling, when a lot of easy sources were being found and easily managed, we're gotten ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/from-the-happy-go-lucky-days-of-oil-exploration-and-drilling-when-a/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [But one doesn't wait for a revolution. One becomes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/but-one-doesn-t-wait-for-a-revolution-one-becomes-it/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [“One can fully own a manufactured thing—a toaster, say, or a pair of shoes. But in what reasonable sense can one fully "own" and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/one-can-fully-own-a-manufactured-thing-a-toaster-say-or-a-pair-of/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [“Knowing the songs - and I'm still learning - lets one envision birds you can hear but can't see. And as always, the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/knowing-the-songs-and-i-m-still-learning-lets-one-envision-birds-you/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [“The world is changing because we're changing it. And that makes me understand, at least, what kind of person I'd like to be. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/the-world-is-changing-because-we-re-changing-it-and-that-makes-me/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [As a teenage fisherman, I watched and followed terns to find fish. Later, I studied terns for my Ph.D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/as-a-teenage-fisherman-i-watched-and-followed-terns-to-find-fish/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) [Explore all 54 Carl Safina quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) ## More Resilience quotes > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [“Desert are you, deluge are you, in a crowd of fakes, only truth is you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/desert-are-you-deluge-are-you-in-a-crowd-of-fakes-only-truth-is-you/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [The cognitive skills that underpin resilience, then, seem like they can indeed be learned over time, creating resilience where there was none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-konnikova/the-cognitive-skills-that-underpin-resilience-then-seem-like-they-can/) [Maria Konnikova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-konnikova/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Grits Glossary blues \\’blüz\\ n: nothing but a good man singing about hardship, sorrow, and the things he’s done wrong--but sake’s alive, they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/grits-glossary-blues-bl-z-n-nothing-but-a-good-man-singing-about/) [Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/) > [“Sometimes resilience arrives in the moment you discover your own unshakeable goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/sometimes-resilience-arrives-in-the-moment-you-discover-your-own/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [“Mistakes are lessons and lessons are gifts. Examine them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-knox/mistakes-are-lessons-and-lessons-are-gifts-examine-them/) Jen Knox > [What I always liked best about myself was my resilience, especially in this business with all the 'no's,' the doors closed in my face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lachanze/what-i-always-liked-best-about-myself-was-my-resilience-especially-in/) [LaChanze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lachanze/) > [One's own troubles can be borne with fortitude; only a monster of indifference can bear the sufferings of others with fortitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ertz/one-s-own-troubles-can-be-borne-with-fortitude-only-a-monster-of/) [Susan Ertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ertz/) > [“I really do believe stories about the struggles of life do help foster resilient and happy children. They make Tips children understand the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iben-dissing-sandahl/i-really-do-believe-stories-about-the-struggles-of-life-do-help/) [Iben Dissing Sandahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iben-dissing-sandahl/) > [My tenacity and determination to be true to the person I had become were sacrosanct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/my-tenacity-and-determination-to-be-true-to-the-person-i-had-become/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [“Keep going even when the going is slow and uncertain. Make your dream your prayer and your service. Don’t wait for recognition. Let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-g-renee-hill/keep-going-even-when-the-going-is-slow-and-uncertain-make-your-dream/) [G.G. Renee Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-g-renee-hill/) > [Grit can't be measured on pop quizzes, but it can often predict long-term success more than mere intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moser/grit-can-t-be-measured-on-pop-quizzes-but-it-can-often-predict-long/) [Laura Moser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-moser/) > [We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/we-could-encourage-the-best-qualities-of-youthfulness-curiosity/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) [Browse all 1,138 Resilience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resilience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Lessons: Diversity = resilience. Abundance = resilience. to survive catastrophe, you need a surplus, a reservoir, money under the mattress, food in the fridge. If you're already starving, you won't survive a famine. Take the world down to the bone and the only thing that flourishes are boneyards; the only thing that expands is collapse.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Safina" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-resilience-to-survive/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Resilience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-resilience-to-survive/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/carl-safina-12479_resilience_lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-r_3161144.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/carl-safina-12479_resilience_lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-r_3161144.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/carl-safina-12479_resilience_lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-r_3161144.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lessons: Diversity = resilience. Abundance = resilience. to survive catastrophe, you need a surplus, a…” — Carl Safina", "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": "Carl Safina", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Lessons: Diversity = resilience. Abundance =...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-resilience-to-survive/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/lessons-diversity-resilience-abundance-resilience-to-survive/#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 } } ] } ```