--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What an extraordinary time to be alive…" description: "\"What an extraordinary time to be alive. We're the first people on our planet to have real choice: we can continue killing each other, wiping out other ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/frances-moore-lapp-4271_alive_what-an-extraordinary-time-to-be-alive-w_506535.png" --- # What an extraordinary time to be alive. We're the first… ![“What an extraordinary time to be alive. We're the first people on our planet to have real choice: we can continue killing each other, wiping out other species, spoiling our nest. Yet on every continent a revolution in human dignity is emerging. It is re-knitting community and our ties to the…” quote by Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/frances-moore-lapp-4271_alive_what-an-extraordinary-time-to-be-alive-w_506535.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/frances-moore-lapp-4271_alive_what-an-extraordinary-time-to-be-alive-w_506535.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/frances-moore-lapp-4271_alive_what-an-extraordinary-time-to-be-alive-w_506535.png) > “What an extraordinary time to be alive. We're the first people on our planet to have real choice: we can continue killing each other, wiping out other species, spoiling our nest. Yet on every continent a revolution in human dignity is emerging. It is re-knitting community and our ties to the earth. So we do have a choice. We can choose death; or we can choose life.” [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humanity faces a pivotal choice between destruction and stewardship, with emerging movements restoring dignity and ecological bonds. **In simple terms:** We can choose to protect or destroy our planet. Key Takeaway Choose actions that sustain life. Themes environment ethics community choice Mood hopeful determined Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - policy advocacy - local conservation projects - education campaigns Key Concepts sustainability social movements ecological stewardship Questions to Reflect On - What personal habits can reduce ecological harm? - How can communities support each other in sustainable choices? A Different Perspective Economic pressures may hinder widespread adoption of sustainable practices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Biodiversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biodiversity/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Choose life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-life/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Human dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-dignity/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Knitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knitting/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Our planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-planet/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Ties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wiping out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiping-out/) ## Related quotes > [“If the choice is a life without dance or death, well then I choose DEATH! Now hand me my whiskey and tights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitman/if-the-choice-is-a-life-without-dance-or-death-well-then-i-choose/) Jason Whitman > [“Beryl, on death: “No, you should never choose death, but it chooses you. Sometimes you know it’s coming, like my mother, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-woollard/beryl-on-death-no-you-should-never-choose-death-but-it-chooses-you/) Charlotte Woollard > [When confronted with two alternatives, life and death, one is to choose death without hesitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/when-confronted-with-two-alternatives-life-and-death-one-is-to-choose/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [Bushido is realised in the presence of death. In the case of having to choose between life and death you should choose death. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/bushido-is-realised-in-the-presence-of-death-in-the-case-of-having-to/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [“And where, I ask you, can a man escape to, when he hasn’t enough madness left inside him? The truth is an endless death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/and-where-i-ask-you-can-a-man-escape-to-when-he-hasn-t-enough-madness/) [Louis-Ferdinand Céline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [This is the first generation to know that the choices we're making have ultimate consequences. It's a time when you either choose life or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/this-is-the-first-generation-to-know-that-the-choices-we-re-making/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [“Face death, but choose life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-abedi/face-death-but-choose-life/) C.J. Abedi > [To my mind, there are two things that, in life, you can do about death. Either you can choose to ignore it, in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/to-my-mind-there-are-two-things-that-in-life-you-can-do-about-death/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [And you wish to protect a beautiful princess, with whom you have fallen in love. But do you understand how dire the situation is?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-day-george/and-you-wish-to-protect-a-beautiful-princess-with-whom-you-have/) [Jessica Day George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-day-george/) > [“Perhaps death is all that waits for me across the great waters, but better to know death than to choose fear of the unknown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/perhaps-death-is-all-that-waits-for-me-across-the-great-waters-but/) [Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/) > [When it come to choosing between life and death, choose wisely. The wrong choice could create consequences for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-come-to-choosing-between-life-and-death-choose-wisely-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The habits of the heart that we foster in this space—our responses and reactions—will determine whether the Land Between results in spiritual life or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-manion/the-habits-of-the-heart-that-we-foster-in-this-space-our-responses/) [Jeff Manion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-manion/) > [“Your words have the power of life and death. Choose them wisely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-woodward/your-words-have-the-power-of-life-and-death-choose-them-wisely/) [Orrin Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-woodward/) > [“We curse out loud instead of loving out loud! Our words and thoughts produce life or death. We choose! God gave us the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-delgado/we-curse-out-loud-instead-of-loving-out-loud-our-words-and-thoughts/) [Iris Delgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-delgado/) > [This I choose to do. If there is a price, this I choose to pay. If it is my death, then I choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-i-choose-to-do-if-there-is-a-price-this-i-choose-to-pay-if-it-is/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Frances Moore Lappé > [Hunger is a people-made phenomenon, so the central issue is power: the power of those who make the decisions about what is grown and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hunger-is-a-people-made-phenomenon-so-the-central-issue-is-power-the/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Beauty exists irrespective of financial circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/beauty-exists-irrespective-of-financial-circumstances/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [What is different and exciting is how much we have learned. We learned we were right that we don't need the chemical model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/what-is-different-and-exciting-is-how-much-we-have-learned-we-learned/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [We hear, "Oh, we need to patent GMOs and develop new strains and new chemicals because Nature can't provide what we need." I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/we-hear-oh-we-need-to-patent-gmos-and-develop-new-strains-and-new/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [The good life may mean doing some things that do not feel comfortable. It may mean sitting long hours just with yourself as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/the-good-life-may-mean-doing-some-things-that-do-not-feel-comfortable/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [That's what happened when my own life crumbled. The people who came into my life bolstered me to take more risks, to be even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/that-s-what-happened-when-my-own-life-crumbled-the-people-who-came/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [If we cannot know what's possible, then we are free to do that which is pulling our hearts and that which is life serving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/if-we-cannot-know-what-s-possible-then-we-are-free-to-do-that-which/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [ I never like to use those terms \[like pessimistic\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/i-never-like-to-use-those-terms-like-pessimistic/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [My path has not been smooth. But the great thing about getting to be an elder is that you can look back and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/my-path-has-not-been-smooth-but-the-great-thing-about-getting-to-be/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Old models of farming with chemicals and credit mostly favored privileged men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/old-models-of-farming-with-chemicals-and-credit-mostly-favored/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Honest hope has an edge. It's messy. It requires that we let go of all pat answers, all preconceived formulas, all confidence that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/honest-hope-has-an-edge-it-s-messy-it-requires-that-we-let-go-of-all/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Because we are living in a culture increasingly dominated by fear where many feel blocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/because-we-are-living-in-a-culture-increasingly-dominated-by-fear/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [What we see today is a world movement represented by the World Social Forum, involving all sorts of interactions across cultures, not to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/what-we-see-today-is-a-world-movement-represented-by-the-world-social/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [The problem is that our whole tribe - if you will, the larger community of humanity itself - is on a death march ecologically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/the-problem-is-that-our-whole-tribe-if-you-will-the-larger-community/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [When we say we have "hit the limits," we are saying that nature is the problem, when in fact the limits we have hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/when-we-say-we-have-hit-the-limits-we-are-saying-that-nature-is-the/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) [Explore all 113 Frances Moore Lappé quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What an extraordinary time to be alive. We're the first people on our planet to have real choice: we can continue killing each other, wiping out other species, spoiling our nest. Yet on every continent a revolution in human dignity is emerging. It is re-knitting community and our ties to the earth. So we do have a choice. 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