20th century Quote by Edgar Mitchell
“We're not on a sustainable path in civilization. We're on an exponential growth curve, on which we perhaps always have been, but it has turned up sharply at the beginning of the 20th century.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Unknown, likely personal collection
Civilization follows an exponential growth curve, sharply accelerating since the early 20th century, making current paths unsustainable.
In simple terms: Exponential growth threatens sustainability.
Key Takeaway
Shift to sustainable models.
Themes
environment
growth
sustainability
Mood
urgent
concerned
Type
activist
philosophical
When to use this quote
- urban planning
- energy policy
- corporate strategy
Key Concepts
systems theory
ecology
economics
Questions to Reflect On
- What can individuals do to reduce growth pressure?
- How can economies decouple growth from resource use?
A Different Perspective
Transition requires massive societal change.
![“The Big Bang has gone away, but as far as Super String, that is suspicious for me. It all starts out with the notion of Big Bang, which if it were true, starts out with incredibly high temperatures. So they think [we] need to get these high temperatures for this broken symmetry; all this broken…” quote by Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/182/edgar-mitchell-6104_bangs_the-big-bang-has-gone-away-but-as-far-as_132330.jpg)
