---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Destroying a tropical rainforest for…"
description: "\"Destroying a tropical rainforest for profit is like burning all the paintings of the Louvre to cook dinner.\" — E. O. Wilson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/e-o-wilson-1348_burning_destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-pro_1813591.png"
---

#  Destroying a tropical rainforest for profit is like…

![“Destroying a tropical rainforest for profit is like burning all the paintings of the Louvre to cook dinner.” quote by E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/e-o-wilson-1348_burning_destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-pro_1813591.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/e-o-wilson-1348_burning_destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-pro_1813591.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/e-o-wilson-1348_burning_destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-pro_1813591.png)

> “Destroying a tropical rainforest for profit is like burning all the paintings of the Louvre to cook dinner.”

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Destroying rainforests for profit is as destructive as burning priceless art for a meal.

**In simple terms:** Deforestation for profit is like burning art for dinner.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize ecological and cultural preservation over short-term gain.

Themes

environment ethics valuation

Mood

urgent somber

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- corporate responsibility
- education
- activism

Key Concepts

conservation biology cultural heritage

Questions to Reflect On

- What values should guide resource use?
- How can societies balance profit and preservation?

A Different Perspective

Economic pressures often outweigh moral considerations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Louvre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/louvre/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Profit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit/) [Rainforest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainforest/)

## Related quotes

> [When you see Hitler burning paintings by Salvador Dali and Picasso he's telling you that this time period and these men and this culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/when-you-see-hitler-burning-paintings-by-salvador-dali-and-picasso-he/)

[George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/)

> [Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/destroying-rainforest-for-economic-gain-is-like-burning-a-renaissance/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [“the restless world of unenlightened men is like a burning house”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariake-confessions-of-lady-nijo/the-restless-world-of-unenlightened-men-is-like-a-burning-house/)

Ariake (Confessions of Lady Nijo

> [“Pursue your purpose,especially if it burns in your bones like a burning fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/pursue-your-purpose-especially-if-it-burns-in-your-bones-like-a/)

Anyaele Sam Chiyson

> [“She makes several references to Paul making her "burn," almost like she's conjugating verbs. I burn for him. He burns for me. We burn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/she-makes-several-references-to-paul-making-her-burn-almost-like-she/)

[Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/)

> [“She turns me on and makes me want to consume her like a burning blaze.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiffy-kate/she-turns-me-on-and-makes-me-want-to-consume-her-like-a-burning-blaze/)

Jiffy Kate

> [“He whisked off her shoes and panties in one movement, wild like an enraged shark. His bulky totem beating a seductive rhythm. Mary's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-marenghi/he-whisked-off-her-shoes-and-panties-in-one-movement-wild-like-an/)

Garth Marenghi

> [I developed this - I don't know, like a burning love, almost, inside of me that I just wanted to get up, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-celski/i-developed-this-i-don-t-know-like-a-burning-love-almost-inside-of-me/)

[J. R. Celski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-celski/)

> [Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. Invest your energy into something more worthwhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hating-people-is-like-burning-down-your-own-house-to-get-rid-of-a-rat/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Hating someone is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. Invest your energy into something more worthwhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perrie-edwards/hating-someone-is-like-burning-down-your-own-house-to-get-rid-of-a/)

[Perrie Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perrie-edwards/)

> [that's what it was like waking up in the crypts. no-longer-dead. but without her. like burning alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/that-s-what-it-was-like-waking-up-in-the-crypts-no-longer-dead-but/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [The Occupy Wall Street project feels like a burning ember that might light the torch of justice and inflame our longing for freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-forbes/the-occupy-wall-street-project-feels-like-a-burning-ember-that-might/)

[James A. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-forbes/)

> [“I no longer believe in fairytale endings since I stopped kissing boys with mouthfuls of disappointment and started treating my body like a burning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-andria-zabala/i-no-longer-believe-in-fairytale-endings-since-i-stopped-kissing-boys/)

[Sade Andria Zabala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-andria-zabala/)

> [Many appear full of mildness and sweetness as long as everything goes their own way; but the moment any contradiction or adversity arises, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-of-clairvaux/many-appear-full-of-mildness-and-sweetness-as-long-as-everything-goes/)

[Bernard of Clairvaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-of-clairvaux/)

> [Everyone of them words rang true and glowed like burning coal, pouring off every page like it was written in my soul from me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/everyone-of-them-words-rang-true-and-glowed-like-burning-coal-pouring/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

## More by E. O. Wilson

> [Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-a-trace-of-irony-i-can-say-i-have-been-blessed-with-brilliant/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [It's always been a dream of mine, of exploring the living world, of classifying all the species and finding out what makes up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-s-always-been-a-dream-of-mine-of-exploring-the-living-world-of/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Competing is intense among humans, and within a group, selfish individuals always win. But in contests between groups, groups of altruists always beat groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/competing-is-intense-among-humans-and-within-a-group-selfish/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [When all else fails, men turn to reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/when-all-else-fails-men-turn-to-reason/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The commitment must be much deeper - to let no species knowingly die; to take all reasonable action to protect every species and race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-commitment-must-be-much-deeper-to-let-no-species-knowingly-die-to/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Science is not marginal. Like art, it is a universal possession of humanity, and scientific knowledge has become a vital part of our species'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/science-is-not-marginal-like-art-it-is-a-universal-possession-of/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms. We're part of that. Our existence is dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-living-environment-is-the-biosphere-the-thin-layer-around-the/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The biological evolutionary perception of life and of human qualities is radically different from that of traditional religion, whether it's Southern Baptist or Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-biological-evolutionary-perception-of-life-and-of-human-qualities/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-should-preserve-every-scrap-of-biodiversity-as-priceless-while-we/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [In many environments, take away the ants and there would be partial collapses in many of the land ecosystems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/in-many-environments-take-away-the-ants-and-there-would-be-partial/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [If those committed to the quest fail, they will be forgiven. When lost, they will find another way. The moral imperative of humanism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/if-those-committed-to-the-quest-fail-they-will-be-forgiven-when-lost/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The extinctions ongoing worldwide promise to be at least as great as the mass extinction that occurred at the end of the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-extinctions-ongoing-worldwide-promise-to-be-at-least-as-great-as/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Most people are surprised when they hear my somber figures: we know of 2 million species of plants, animals and microorganisms, and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/most-people-are-surprised-when-they-hear-my-somber-figures-we-know-of/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Because the living environment is what really sustains us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/because-the-living-environment-is-what-really-sustains-us/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The variety of genes on the planet in viruses exceeds, or is likely to exceed, that in all of the rest of life combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-variety-of-genes-on-the-planet-in-viruses-exceeds-or-is-likely-to/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

[Explore all 253 E. O. Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

## More Burning quotes

> [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/)

[St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [The entire cosmos is one vast burning bush, permeated by the fire of the divine power and glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kallistos-ware/the-entire-cosmos-is-one-vast-burning-bush-permeated-by-the-fire-of/)

[Kallistos Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kallistos-ware/)

> [Two beautiful women crashing and burning for the sake of the Women's Championship!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ross/two-beautiful-women-crashing-and-burning-for-the-sake-of-the-women-s/)

[Jim Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ross/)

> [He lowered the window, and looked out at the rising sun. There was a ridge of ploughed land, with a plough upon it where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/he-lowered-the-window-and-looked-out-at-the-rising-sun-there-was-a/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Catholicity seized on man... and the mystics, transcending all, taught him to ascend on high with the wings of contemplation the Ladder of Jacob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-donoso-cortes/catholicity-seized-on-man-and-the-mystics-transcending-all-taught-him/)

Juan Donoso Cortes

> [Some fighters know when to stop on their own and go on to something else, and then some fighters have nothing to go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hagler/some-fighters-know-when-to-stop-on-their-own-and-go-on-to-something/)

[Marvin Hagler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hagler/)

> [Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-staring-too-long-into-the-burning-sun-and-the-relief-of/)

[Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/)

> [All philanthropy ... is only a savory fumigation burning at the mouth of a sewer. This incense offering makes the air more endurable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/all-philanthropy-is-only-a-savory-fumigation-burning-at-the-mouth-of/)

[Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/)

> [Time is a vindictive bandit to steal the beauty of our former selves. We are left with sagging, rippled flesh and burning gums with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael/time-is-a-vindictive-bandit-to-steal-the-beauty-of-our-former-selves/)

[Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael/)

> [One writes because one has a burning desire to objectify what it is indispensable to one's happiness to express.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/one-writes-because-one-has-a-burning-desire-to-objectify-what-it-is/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [Nearly all runners do their slow runs too fast, and their fast runs too slow." Ken Mierke says. "So they're just training their bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/nearly-all-runners-do-their-slow-runs-too-fast-and-their-fast-runs/)

[Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/)

> [Intense, burning desire is the motivational force that enables you to overcome any obstacle and achieve almost any goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/intense-burning-desire-is-the-motivational-force-that-enables-you-to/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [Will closed his eyes. He could not hear Jem go, not anymore; he did not want to know the moment when he left and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/will-closed-his-eyes-he-could-not-hear-jem-go-not-anymore-he-did-not/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

Browse all 1,668 Burning quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Destroying a tropical rainforest for profit is like burning all the paintings of the Louvre to cook dinner.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "E. O. Wilson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-profit-is-like-burning-all-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Burning"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-profit-is-like-burning-all-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/e-o-wilson-1348_burning_destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-pro_1813591.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/e-o-wilson-1348_burning_destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-pro_1813591.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/e-o-wilson-1348_burning_destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-pro_1813591.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Destroying a tropical rainforest for profit is like burning all the paintings of the Louvre to cook dinner.” — E. O. Wilson",
                "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": "E. O. Wilson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Destroying a tropical rainforest for profit...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-profit-is-like-burning-all-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/destroying-a-tropical-rainforest-for-profit-is-like-burning-all-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
