--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it necessary to recall that the earth…" description: "\"“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The end of the world, this g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/gabriel-tarde-62528_end-of-the-world_is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth_1014.jpg" --- # Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite… ![“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The end of the world, this great terror of the Middle Ages, is destined to become a source of anguish again in another sense. It is no longer in time but in space that this…” quote by Gabriel Tarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/gabriel-tarde-62528_end-of-the-world_is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth_1014.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/gabriel-tarde-62528_end-of-the-world_is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth_1014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/766/gabriel-tarde-62528_end-of-the-world_is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth_1014.jpg) > ““Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The end of the world, this great terror of the Middle Ages, is destined to become a source of anguish again in another sense. It is no longer in time but in space that this terrestrial globe reveals itself as inextensible; and the deluge of civilized humanity already hurls itself at its limits, at its new Pillars of Hercules, these ones insurmountable. What are we going to do when soon we will no longer be able to count on external markets, Asian, African, to serve as a palliative or derivative for our discords, as outlets for our merchandise, for our instincts of cruelty, of pillage and of prey, for our criminality as well as for our overflowing birthrate? How will we manage to reestablish among ourselves a relative peace which has had as its condition for so long our conquering projection outside ourselves, far from ourselves?" -1902”” [Gabriel Tarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-tarde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human expansion strains planetary limits, forcing a shift from external conquest to internal harmony. **In simple terms:** Earth's finite resources demand new peace Key Takeaway Reorient societal focus inward Themes resource scarcity civilizational limits peacebuilding global interdependence Mood urgent cautious Type analytical warning When to use this quote - policy planning - environmental advocacy - community conflict resolution Key Concepts finite planet sustainable development Practical Applications - promote local economies - invest in renewable infrastructure Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance growth with planetary boundaries? - What internal changes replace external conquest? A Different Perspective Some argue technology will overcome limits, but this may ignore ecological thresholds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilized Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized-humanity-237482/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [End World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-world/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Infinite Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite-civilization-244232/) [Middle ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-ages/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Recall Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recall-earth-244231/) ## Related quotes > [To see you naked is to recall the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/to-see-you-naked-is-to-recall-the-earth/) [Federico Garcia Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/) > [It is man's vision of a world fit for rational, civilized humanity which leads him to dare and to suffer to build societies free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/it-is-man-s-vision-of-a-world-fit-for-rational-civilized-humanity/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [“Direct and easy communications—freedom of speech in all forms and its broadest sense—has become vital to the very survival of a civilized humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/direct-and-easy-communications-freedom-of-speech-in-all-forms-and-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The end of the World depends on us. True friendship is the end of the World, the beginning of our play together. The secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-end-of-the-world-depends-on-us-true-friendship-is-the-end-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The end of the world begins in the sea we love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/the-end-of-the-world-begins-in-the-sea-we-love/) [Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/) > [“Everything feels like the end of the world, and you can't reason with someone who can't see tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-howard/everything-feels-like-the-end-of-the-world-and-you-can-t-reason-with/) [Linda Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-howard/) > [“That’s the thing about the End of the World. It doesn’t send out Save the Date cards before it destroys everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-meyers/that-s-the-thing-about-the-end-of-the-world-it-doesn-t-send-out-save/) [Jessica Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-meyers/) > [“2)"Even though this planet is round, there are just too many spots where you can find yourself hanging on to the edge just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-naylor/2-even-though-this-planet-is-round-there-are-just-too-many-spots/) [Gloria Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-naylor/) > [The awkward moment when you predict the end of the world and nothing happens :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-awkward-moment-when-you-predict-the-end-of-the-world-and-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-the-end-of-the-world-be-inside-you-then-you-don-t-need-to-fear/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [The end of the world begins the moment you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-end-of-the-world-begins-the-moment-you-die/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [End-of-the-world stories tend to ring true. I've always been drawn to them, but as I wrote my own, I found surprising pleasure in creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/end-of-the-world-stories-tend-to-ring-true-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [The end of the world is on people's minds. We have the power to destroy or save ourselves, but the question is what do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/the-end-of-the-world-is-on-people-s-minds-we-have-the-power-to/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) ## More by Gabriel Tarde > [“A Universidade que temos perdeu a noção da confluência e da atenção de antigamente, nos seus anfiteatros hoje vazios a mais de metade. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/a-universidade-que-temos-perdeu-a-no-o-da-conflu-ncia-e-da-aten-o-de/) [Gabriel Tarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-tarde/) > [“The pursuit of the impossible through the useless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/the-pursuit-of-the-impossible-through-the-useless/) [Gabriel Tarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-tarde/) > [“A paixão pela atualidade progride com a sociabilidade”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/a-paix-o-pela-atualidade-progride-com-a-sociabilidade/) [Gabriel Tarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-tarde/) [Explore all 4 Gabriel Tarde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-tarde/) ## More End of the world quotes > [“Will this generation be able to turn things around and learn a valuable lesson from all of this? I hope so, but I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-b-powell/will-this-generation-be-able-to-turn-things-around-and-learn-a/) [Aaron B. Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-b-powell/) > [The end of the world is on people's minds. We have the power to destroy or save ourselves, but the question is what do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/the-end-of-the-world-is-on-people-s-minds-we-have-the-power-to/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [People always wonder when the world is going to end. I believe that the world will end when everyone stops loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-fickes/people-always-wonder-when-the-world-is-going-to-end-i-believe-that/) [Nichole Fickes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-fickes/) > [End-of-the-world stories tend to ring true. I've always been drawn to them, but as I wrote my own, I found surprising pleasure in creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/end-of-the-world-stories-tend-to-ring-true-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [The end of the world begins the moment you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-end-of-the-world-begins-the-moment-you-die/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [When I come home from work, if I just played a really good game and I'm on top of the world, I think changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-cousins/when-i-come-home-from-work-if-i-just-played-a-really-good-game-and-i/) [Kirk Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-cousins/) > [When I wrote 'The Good Body,' I turned 40 and suddenly had this stomach. It seemed like the end of the world. Because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/when-i-wrote-the-good-body-i-turned-40-and-suddenly-had-this-stomach/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [“Even my Buddhist friends have been feeling despair and when they go bad, you know the end is nigh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/even-my-buddhist-friends-have-been-feeling-despair-and-when-they-go/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-the-end-of-the-world-be-inside-you-then-you-don-t-need-to-fear/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [The planets survival has become so uncertain that any effort, any thought that presupposes an assured future amounts to a mad gamble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/the-planets-survival-has-become-so-uncertain-that-any-effort-any/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [Listen, we've drafted guys that wouldn't come in for workouts before. It's not the end of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-ainge/listen-we-ve-drafted-guys-that-wouldn-t-come-in-for-workouts-before/) [Danny Ainge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-ainge/) > [There was one part of my life where I would go out every night. Ha-ha, if I missed going out to the club, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-electra/there-was-one-part-of-my-life-where-i-would-go-out-every-night-ha-ha/) [Carmen Electra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-electra/) > [Oh my gosh, I'd give so much advice to a younger version of myself. I would say it really does get better as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/oh-my-gosh-i-d-give-so-much-advice-to-a-younger-version-of-myself-i/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [“Tell me: How do you know that you won't be killed by a falling meteor? How do you know that you shut off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fletcher-wortmann/tell-me-how-do-you-know-that-you-won-t-be-killed-by-a-falling-meteor/) [Fletcher Wortmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fletcher-wortmann/) [Browse all 976 End of the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The end of the world, this great terror of the Middle Ages, is destined to become a source of anguish again in another sense. It is no longer in time but in space that this terrestrial globe reveals itself as inextensible; and the deluge of civilized humanity already hurls itself at its limits, at its new Pillars of Hercules, these ones insurmountable. 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