--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Despite my great disappointment in…" description: "\"Despite my great disappointment in American foreign policy, I am very proud of the American tradition of wild land conservation. It is the best traditi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/douglas-tompkins-14040_american-tradition_despite-my-great-disappointment-in-ameri_553671.jpg" --- # Despite my great disappointment in American foreign… ![“Despite my great disappointment in American foreign policy, I am very proud of the American tradition of wild land conservation. It is the best tradition and example of land conservation in the world. It goes back a long way.” quote by Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/douglas-tompkins-14040_american-tradition_despite-my-great-disappointment-in-ameri_553671.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/douglas-tompkins-14040_american-tradition_despite-my-great-disappointment-in-ameri_553671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/douglas-tompkins-14040_american-tradition_despite-my-great-disappointment-in-ameri_553671.jpg) > “Despite my great disappointment in American foreign policy, I am very proud of the American tradition of wild land conservation. It is the best tradition and example of land conservation in the world. It goes back a long way.” [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He praises U.S. land preservation while criticizing its foreign policy, highlighting the nation's historic conservation legacy. **In simple terms:** Proud of U.S. conservation despite foreign policy flaws. Key Takeaway Recognize and support strong conservation traditions. Themes environment politics heritage Mood proud critical Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - wildland preservation - policy debate - public advocacy Key Concepts conservation ethics national identity Questions to Reflect On - How can we separate environmental achievements from foreign policy? - What role should citizens play in preserving natural lands? A Different Perspective Conservation efforts can be undermined by broader political actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-tradition/) [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Land conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-conservation/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [There's this long tradition of... even 'Where The Wild Things Are,' which many people consider the best kids' picture book of all time. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/there-s-this-long-tradition-of-even-where-the-wild-things-are-which/) [Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/) > [If you're not willing to take the political heat, then you shouldn't get into the game of land conservation, especially on a large scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/if-you-re-not-willing-to-take-the-political-heat-then-you-shouldn-t/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/our-ability-to-perceive-quality-in-nature-begins-as-in-art-with-the-2/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Conservation means development as much as it does protection. I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/conservation-means-development-as-much-as-it-does-protection-i/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. That is to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/harmony-with-land-is-like-harmony-with-a-friend-you-cannot-cherish-3/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [A land ethic...reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/a-land-ethic-reflects-the-existence-of-an-ecological-conscience-and/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Without love of the land, conservation lacks meaning or purpose, for only in a deep and inherent feeling for the land can there be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigurd-f-olson/without-love-of-the-land-conservation-lacks-meaning-or-purpose-for/) [Sigurd F. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigurd-f-olson/) > [The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/the-outstanding-scientific-discovery-of-the-twentieth-century-is-not/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [...conservation of land and conservation of people frequently go hand in hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/conservation-of-land-and-conservation-of-people-frequently-go-hand-in/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Increasingly the evidence suggests that people benefit so much from contact with nature that land conservation can now be viewed as a public health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/increasingly-the-evidence-suggests-that-people-benefit-so-much-from/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [If the land mechanism as a whole is good then every part is good, whether we understand it or not...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/if-the-land-mechanism-as-a-whole-is-good-then-every-part-is-good/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/conservation-will-ultimately-boil-down-to-rewarding-the-private/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [What more delightful avocation than to take a piece of land and by cautious experimentation to prove how it works. What more substantial service…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/what-more-delightful-avocation-than-to-take-a-piece-of-land-and-by/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he's been given. But up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/man-has-been-endowed-with-reason-with-the-power-to-create-so-that-he/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/conservation-is-getting-nowhere-because-it-is-incompatible-with-our/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) ## More by Douglas Tompkins > [It doesn't seem to be worth wasting a lot of energy on attempting to rewrite the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/it-doesn-t-seem-to-be-worth-wasting-a-lot-of-energy-on-attempting-to/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Every single national park had some component of private philanthropy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/every-single-national-park-had-some-component-of-private-philanthropy/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [The byproduct of the main thrust to protect the biodiversity of a given place is that you get especially young people out to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/the-byproduct-of-the-main-thrust-to-protect-the-biodiversity-of-a/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I tell myself to hurry up, that I have to do everything before death catches me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-tell-myself-to-hurry-up-that-i-have-to-do-everything-before-death/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [If you're not willing to take the political heat, then you shouldn't get into the game of land conservation, especially on a large scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/if-you-re-not-willing-to-take-the-political-heat-then-you-shouldn-t/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I don't think capitalism can survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-don-t-think-capitalism-can-survive/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I don't have a cell phone because I know how horrible it is. Using your cell phone is like putting your head in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-don-t-have-a-cell-phone-because-i-know-how-horrible-it-is-using/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Resource efficiency is the wrong metric. We should use nature as the measure, using nature's wisdom as a template for our economic systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/resource-efficiency-is-the-wrong-metric-we-should-use-nature-as-the/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [For those of us (those that have the desire to explore the world unknown) that grew up going out into the wilds of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/for-those-of-us-those-that-have-the-desire-to-explore-the-world/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Fashion is one of the most intellectually vacuous industries. We had to manufacture desires to get people to buy our products. We were selling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/fashion-is-one-of-the-most-intellectually-vacuous-industries-we-had/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [Once we establish an architectural style in each park, we stick with it religiously and comprehensively so that it comes out as a gestalt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/once-we-establish-an-architectural-style-in-each-park-we-stick-with/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I just realized at least what I was doing was making a lot of stuff that nobody needed and pushing a consumerist society. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-just-realized-at-least-what-i-was-doing-was-making-a-lot-of-stuff/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [As we get sucked more and more into the technosphere, we become less and less capable of understanding it because it becomes a technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/as-we-get-sucked-more-and-more-into-the-technosphere-we-become-less/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [There's no doubt whatsoever that there's no future in capitalism. It's probably no more than 500 years old, and it's demonstrating over and over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/there-s-no-doubt-whatsoever-that-there-s-no-future-in-capitalism-it-s/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [I don't want to see anything natural get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/i-don-t-want-to-see-anything-natural-get-hurt/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) [Explore all 48 Douglas Tompkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) ## More American tradition quotes > [American traditions and the American ethic require us to be truthful, but the most important reason is that truth is the best propaganda and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/american-traditions-and-the-american-ethic-require-us-to-be-truthful/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American traditions. I quickly picked it up when I moved to the U.S. from Sweden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/thanksgiving-is-one-of-my-favorite-american-traditions-i-quickly/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [The word is important in Native American tradition. You speak the path on which you walk. Your words make the trail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-glancy/the-word-is-important-in-native-american-tradition-you-speak-the-path/) [Diane Glancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-glancy/) > [Is the American tradition of self-reliance disappearing? That's a painful question for conservatives to ponder. After all, we're dedicated to reducing the role of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-feulner/is-the-american-tradition-of-self-reliance-disappearing-that-s-a/) [Edwin Feulner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-feulner/) > [The United States of America is still run by its citizens. The government works for us. Rank imperialism and warmongering are not American traditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-united-states-of-america-is-still-run-by-its-citizens-the/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Anyone in any walk of life who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and to American tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-in-any-walk-of-life-who-is-content-with-mediocrity-is-untrue/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like the sensitive look of traditional French films and the fact that the children are often portrayed as rebels, but I also like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-sciamma/i-like-the-sensitive-look-of-traditional-french-films-and-the-fact/) [Celine Sciamma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-sciamma/) > [The principle of self defense is an American tradition that began at Lexington and Concord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/the-principle-of-self-defense-is-an-american-tradition-that-began-at/) [Robert F. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-williams/) > [Satan is attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/satan-is-attacking-the-great-institutions-of-america-using-those/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [There's probably more in the American tradition than people give the place credit for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-judd/there-s-probably-more-in-the-american-tradition-than-people-give-the/) [Donald Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-judd/) > [I don't feel the individualist anarchists, particularly in the American tradition, including the Transcendental tradition of New England, in any way deserve the derogatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-don-t-feel-the-individualist-anarchists-particularly-in-the/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [And I should like to assure you, my Islamic friends, that under the American Constitution, under American tradition, and in American hearts, this Center,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/and-i-should-like-to-assure-you-my-islamic-friends-that-under-the/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [I think that Hillary Clinton has an appreciation that American power needs to be put in the service of American values, which is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fried/i-think-that-hillary-clinton-has-an-appreciation-that-american-power/) [Daniel Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-fried/) > [When they talk about family values, it's in a repressive way, as if our American tradition were only the Puritan tradition or the 19th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/when-they-talk-about-family-values-it-s-in-a-repressive-way-as-if-our/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [In view of the tide of religiosity engulfing a once secular republic it is refreshing to be reminded by Freethinkers that free thought and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/in-view-of-the-tide-of-religiosity-engulfing-a-once-secular-republic/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) [Browse all 57 American tradition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-tradition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Despite my great disappointment in American foreign policy, I am very proud of the American tradition of wild land conservation. It is the best tradition and example of land conservation in the world. 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