--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is those who have compassion for all…" description: "\"“It is those who have compassion for all life who will best safeguard the life of man. Those who become aroused only when man is endangered become arou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/844/edwin-way-teale-15465_compassion_it-is-those-who-have-compassion-for-all_30736.jpg" --- # It is those who have compassion for all life who will best… ![“It is those who have compassion for all life who will best safeguard the life of man. Those who become aroused only when man is endangered become aroused too late. We cannot make the world uninhabitable for other forms of life and have it habitable for ourselves. It is the conservationist who is…” quote by Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/844/edwin-way-teale-15465_compassion_it-is-those-who-have-compassion-for-all_30736.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/844/edwin-way-teale-15465_compassion_it-is-those-who-have-compassion-for-all_30736.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/844/edwin-way-teale-15465_compassion_it-is-those-who-have-compassion-for-all_30736.jpg) > ““It is those who have compassion for all life who will best safeguard the life of man. Those who become aroused only when man is endangered become aroused too late. We cannot make the world uninhabitable for other forms of life and have it habitable for ourselves. It is the conservationist who is concerned with the welfare of all the land and life of the country, who, in the end, will do most to maintain the world as a fit place for human existence.”” [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compassion for all life is essential to protect humanity; neglecting broader ecosystems leads to delayed, insufficient responses to environmental crises. **In simple terms:** Broad ecological compassion safeguards humanity. Key Takeaway Human survival depends on caring for all life. Themes environmental ethics interdependence conservation anthropocentrism sustainability Mood hopeful urgent Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - policy making - environmental education - community activism - corporate sustainability planning Key Concepts ecosystem health moral responsibility future security Practical Applications - guiding conservation strategies - shaping climate policy Questions to Reflect On - How does expanding moral concern beyond humans change environmental decisions? - What are the risks of reacting only when human threats appear? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Conservationist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservationist/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Human existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Of Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-of-man/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [The advantage of pure, and the disadvantage of impure air are experienced each time we breathe, and all who understand the causes of disease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-owen/the-advantage-of-pure-and-the-disadvantage-of-impure-air-are/) [Robert Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-owen/) > [I am a conservationist. It is in my DNA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-bacon/i-am-a-conservationist-it-is-in-my-dna/) [Louis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-bacon/) > [I have read many definitions of what is a conservationist, and written not a few myself, but I suspect that the best one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/i-have-read-many-definitions-of-what-is-a-conservationist-and-written/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [ A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke \[of the axe\] he is writing his signature on the face of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/a-conservationist-is-one-who-is-humbly-aware-that-with-each-stroke-of-2/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Nobody can legitimately claim to be a marine ecologist and conservationist while continuing to eat fish. It is the ultimate form of hypocrisy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/nobody-can-legitimately-claim-to-be-a-marine-ecologist-and/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [“My definition of Theology My proverb of theology is a doctrine study of overall foundation of biblical notions, transcendence, an scriptures relativist, researcher and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-jones/my-definition-of-theology-my-proverb-of-theology-is-a-doctrine-study/) [John Shelton Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-jones/) > [“A man could shoot thirty ducks if it pleased him, and then shoot thirty more the next day, and it was perfectly legal. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-bechtel/a-man-could-shoot-thirty-ducks-if-it-pleased-him-and-then-shoot/) Stefan Bechtel > [I have been, all my life, what is known as a conservationist. It seems clear beyond possibility of argument that any given generation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderick-haig-brown/i-have-been-all-my-life-what-is-known-as-a-conservationist-it-seems/) [Roderick Haig-Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roderick-haig-brown/) > [“If a conservationist has more stathmin, less risk-taking gene, and the pro-drilling advocate has less stathmin, more risk-taking gene, how can the two have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/if-a-conservationist-has-more-stathmin-less-risk-taking-gene-and-the/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [I am more of a conservationist, myself. And people have come to me and said, "Wow, you're an African-American conservationist!" And my response is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-ringo/i-am-more-of-a-conservationist-myself-and-people-have-come-to-me-and/) [Jerome Ringo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-ringo/) > [“I turned to find him grinning. “You need a shower, I need a shower, let’s save water by taking one together.” “When did you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micalea-smeltzer/i-turned-to-find-him-grinning-you-need-a-shower-i-need-a-shower-let-s/) [Micalea Smeltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micalea-smeltzer/) > [ A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke \[of the axe\] he is writing his signature on the face of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/a-conservationist-is-one-who-is-humbly-aware-that-with-each-stroke-of/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [“All we did was have facilitators and the jargon - talk, talk, talk. I went through that more than once. The facilitator, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-starbuck/all-we-did-was-have-facilitators-and-the-jargon-talk-talk-talk-i-went/) Susan Starbuck > [Today, I’m a conservationist because I believe that my species doesn’t have the right or option to determine the fate of other species, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-corwin/today-i-m-a-conservationist-because-i-believe-that-my-species-doesn-t/) [Jeff Corwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-corwin/) > [My focus personally has been to be a conservationist, which is to save species, protect wild lands, sometimes bring animals into assurance colonies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-goode/my-focus-personally-has-been-to-be-a-conservationist-which-is-to-save/) [Eric Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-goode/) ## More by Edwin Way Teale > [The seasons, like greater tides, ebb and flow across the continents. Spring advances up the United States at the average rate of about fifteen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/the-seasons-like-greater-tides-ebb-and-flow-across-the-continents/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [It is morally as bad not to care whether anything is true or not...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/it-is-morally-as-bad-not-to-care-whether-anything-is-true-or-not/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [Any fine morning, a power saw can fell a tree that took a thousand years to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/any-fine-morning-a-power-saw-can-fell-a-tree-that-took-a-thousand/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [To the lost man, to the pioneer penetrating a new country, to the naturalist who wishes to see the wild land at its wildest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/to-the-lost-man-to-the-pioneer-penetrating-a-new-country-to-the/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [Freedom from worries and surcease from strain are illusions that always inhabit the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/freedom-from-worries-and-surcease-from-strain-are-illusions-that/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [A man who never sees a bluebird only half lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/a-man-who-never-sees-a-bluebird-only-half-lives/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [If man can take care of man, nature can take care of the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/if-man-can-take-care-of-man-nature-can-take-care-of-the-rest/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [“Time is the river. We are the islands. Time washes around us and flows away and with it flow fragments of our lives. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/time-is-the-river-we-are-the-islands-time-washes-around-us-and-flows/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/for-man-autumn-is-a-time-of-harvest-of-gathering-together-for-nature/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals 'love' them. But those who respect their natures and wish to let them live normal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/those-who-wish-to-pet-and-baby-wild-animals-love-them-but-those-who/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [If I were to choose the sights, the sounds, the fragrances I most would want to see and hear and smell--among all the delights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/if-i-were-to-choose-the-sights-the-sounds-the-fragrances-i-most-would/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [Our minds, as well as our bodies, have need of the out-of-doors. Our spirits, too, need simple things, elemental things, the sun and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/our-minds-as-well-as-our-bodies-have-need-of-the-out-of-doors-our/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [I see, when I bend close, how each leaflet of a climbing rose is bordered with frost, the autumn counterpart of the dewdrops of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/i-see-when-i-bend-close-how-each-leaflet-of-a-climbing-rose-is/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [How strangely inaccurate it is to measure length of living by length of life! The space between your birth and death is often far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/how-strangely-inaccurate-it-is-to-measure-length-of-living-by-length/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [The difference between utility and utility plus beauty is the difference between telephone wires and the spider web.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/the-difference-between-utility-and-utility-plus-beauty-is-the/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) [Explore all 43 Edwin Way Teale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) ## More Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) Segun Magbagbeola > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) Talib al Habib > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is those who have compassion for all life who will best safeguard the life of man. 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