Evolution Quote by Daniel Quinn
““Exactly. That's what's been happening here for the past ten thousand years: You've been doing what you damn well please with the world. And of course you mean to go right on doing what you damn well please with it, because the whole damn thing belongs to you.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Public talk, 1990s
Critiques humanity’s entitlement to dominate nature, urging humility and responsibility.
In simple terms: Humanity should not act as if the world belongs to us.
Key Takeaway
Adopt stewardship over exploitation.
Themes
environment
philosophy
ethics
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
activist
When to use this quote
- environmental activism
- education curricula
- corporate responsibility
Key Concepts
anthropocentrism
environmental ethics
humility
Questions to Reflect On
- What responsibilities do we have to the planet?
- How can humility change policy?
A Different Perspective
May be idealistic without actionable steps.
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![“Westereners often think that the East is one vast Buddhist temple, which is rather like thinking the West is one vast Carthusian monastery. If the [Western people who like Buddhism] were to visit the East, he'd certainly experience many new things, but he'd find first, that the food is under lock…” quote by Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/691/daniel-quinn-1786_buddhism_westereners-often-think-that-the-east-is_269299.jpg)
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
