--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I learned long ago that conservation has…" description: "\"“I learned long ago that conservation has no victories, that one must retain connections and remain involved with animals and places that have captured..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d3/george-schaller-40538_conservation_i-learned-long-ago-that-conservation-has_2937132.png" --- # I learned long ago that conservation has no victories… ![“I learned long ago that conservation has no victories, that one must retain connections and remain involved with animals and places that have captured the heart, to prevent their destruction. I am sometimes asked why, given a world that is more wounded and scarred, I do not simply give up…” quote by George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d3/george-schaller-40538_conservation_i-learned-long-ago-that-conservation-has_2937132.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d3/george-schaller-40538_conservation_i-learned-long-ago-that-conservation-has_2937132.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d3/george-schaller-40538_conservation_i-learned-long-ago-that-conservation-has_2937132.png) > ““I learned long ago that conservation has no victories, that one must retain connections and remain involved with animals and places that have captured the heart, to prevent their destruction. I am sometimes asked why, given a world that is more wounded and scarred, I do not simply give up, burdened by pessimism. But conservation is my life, I must retain hope”” [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conservation requires ongoing hope and personal connection to nature, despite the world's suffering; giving up is not an option for those devoted to protecting ecosystems. **In simple terms:** Hope and involvement keep conservation alive despite global challenges. Key Takeaway Stay engaged and nurture hope in conservation work. Themes environment hope commitment resilience Mood inspired determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - wildlife protection - community education - policy advocacy - personal motivation Key Concepts ecology psychology of activism Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your hope in conservation? - How can we translate hope into concrete action? A Different Perspective Hope alone may not overcome systemic environmental threats without structural change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation/) [Conservation Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation-life-4360330/) [Conservation Victories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation-victories-4360332/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Naturalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naturalist/) [Pessimism Conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism-conservation-4360331/) [Retain Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retain-hope-4360329/) ## Related quotes > [There are never victories in conservation. If you want to save a species or a habitat, it's a fight forevermore. You can never turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/there-are-never-victories-in-conservation-if-you-want-to-save-a/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [You can do the best science in the world but unless emotion is involved it's not really very relevant. Conservation is based on emotion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/you-can-do-the-best-science-in-the-world-but-unless-emotion-is/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [I don't mind if other people call me an atheist, but I call myself a naturalist. Atheism doesn't tell you much about what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/i-don-t-mind-if-other-people-call-me-an-atheist-but-i-call-myself-a/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [So, naturalists observe, a flea; Hath smaller fleas that on him prey; And these have smaller fleas to bite 'em, And so proceed ad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/so-naturalists-observe-a-flea-hath-smaller-fleas-that-on-him-prey-and/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [The classicist, and the naturalist who has much in common with him, refuse to see in the highest works of art anything but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/the-classicist-and-the-naturalist-who-has-much-in-common-with-him/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [I bill myself as a naturalist because if you say you're a naturalist, it gives people a conversation point to talk about what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/i-bill-myself-as-a-naturalist-because-if-you-say-you-re-a-naturalist/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [“We made love outdoors Without a roof, I like most, Without stove, to make love, assuming the weather be fair and balmy, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/we-made-love-outdoors-without-a-roof-i-like-most-without-stove-to/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [In their choice of lovers both the male and the female reveal their essential nature. The type of human being we prefer reveals the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/in-their-choice-of-lovers-both-the-male-and-the-female-reveal-their/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [...he who has seen the intimate beauty of nature cannot tear himself away from it again. He must become either a poet or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/he-who-has-seen-the-intimate-beauty-of-nature-cannot-tear-himself/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Nor has science sufficient humanity, so long as the naturalist overlooks the wonderful congruity which subsists between man and the world; of which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/nor-has-science-sufficient-humanity-so-long-as-the-naturalist/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Out of the choked Devonian waters emerged sight and sound and the music that rolls invisible through the composer's brain. They are there still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/out-of-the-choked-devonian-waters-emerged-sight-and-sound-and-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [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/) > [Nothing can be more improving to a young naturalist, than a journey in a distant country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/nothing-can-be-more-improving-to-a-young-naturalist-than-a-journey-in/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [The answers to our questions are everywhere; we just need to change the lens with which we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/the-answers-to-our-questions-are-everywhere-we-just-need-to-change/) [Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/) > [Savages have often been likened to children, and the comparison is not only correct but also highly instructive. Many naturalists consider that the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/savages-have-often-been-likened-to-children-and-the-comparison-is-not/) [John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/) ## More by George Schaller > [You can do the best science in the world but unless emotion is involved it's not really very relevant. Conservation is based on emotion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/you-can-do-the-best-science-in-the-world-but-unless-emotion-is/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [A large animal needs a large area. If you protect that area, you're also protecting thousands of other plants and animals. You're saving all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/a-large-animal-needs-a-large-area-if-you-protect-that-area-you-re/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [A ruin is not just something that happened long ago to someone else; its history is that of us all, the transience of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/a-ruin-is-not-just-something-that-happened-long-ago-to-someone-else/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [Humans are the one species the world could do very well without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/humans-are-the-one-species-the-world-could-do-very-well-without/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [There are never victories in conservation. If you want to save a species or a habitat, it's a fight forevermore. You can never turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/there-are-never-victories-in-conservation-if-you-want-to-save-a/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [“I find it very worrying that we don’t talk about nature anymore. We talk about natural resources as if everything had a price tag.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/i-find-it-very-worrying-that-we-don-t-talk-about-nature-anymore-we/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [For what are the whales being killed? For a few hundred jobs and products that are not needed, since there are cheap substitutes. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/for-what-are-the-whales-being-killed-for-a-few-hundred-jobs-and/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [Mountains and deserts, with their sparse life at the limit of existence, make one restless and disconsolate; one becomes an explorer in an intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/mountains-and-deserts-with-their-sparse-life-at-the-limit-of/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [To witness that calm rhythm of life revives our worn souls and recaptures a feeling of belonging to the natural world. No one can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/to-witness-that-calm-rhythm-of-life-revives-our-worn-souls-and/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) > [My interest in wildlife began early and I don't know how early because it's the only thing I've ever been interested in. I've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-schaller/my-interest-in-wildlife-began-early-and-i-don-t-know-how-early/) [George Schaller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) [Explore all 11 George Schaller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-schaller/) ## More Conservation quotes > [“In the United States law, federally designated wilderness is famously defined as 'an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-marris/in-the-united-states-law-federally-designated-wilderness-is-famously/) [Emma Marris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-marris/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Conservation and rural-life policies are really two sides of the same policy; and down at the bottom this policy rests upon the fundamental law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/conservation-and-rural-life-policies-are-really-two-sides-of-the-same/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Soft fantasy worlds have a much looser cause-and-effect relationship. Alchemists can turn lead into gold and nobody wonders about how it will impact the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/soft-fantasy-worlds-have-a-much-looser-cause-and-effect-relationship/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I am optimistic globally. So many scientists are working frantically on the reparation of our planet. Unfortunately there are countries who are still destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-irwin/i-am-optimistic-globally-so-many-scientists-are-working-frantically/) [Steve Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-irwin/) > [We must commit ourselves to an 'all of the above' energy approach, with a major focus on increasing domestic production and expanding alternatives fuels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-roskam/we-must-commit-ourselves-to-an-all-of-the-above-energy-approach-with/) [Peter Roskam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-roskam/) > [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/) [Amy Ridenour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ridenour/) > [Conservation is humanity caring for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-newhall/conservation-is-humanity-caring-for-the-future/) [Nancy Newhall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-newhall/) > [In our attempt to make conservation easy, we have made it trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/in-our-attempt-to-make-conservation-easy-we-have-made-it-trivial/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [When you defile the pleasant streams, And the wild bird's abiding place, You massacre a million dreams, And cast your spittle in God's face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-drinkwater/when-you-defile-the-pleasant-streams-and-the-wild-bird-s-abiding/) [John Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-drinkwater/) > [It's clear that it is in the best interest of business to be part of the conservation, along with governments and civil society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-clear-that-it-is-in-the-best-interest-of-business-to-be-part-of/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [To Jane Jacob’s three traditional urban values of civic space, human scale and diversity, the current environmental imperative adds two more: conservation and regionalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-calthorpe/to-jane-jacob-s-three-traditional-urban-values-of-civic-space-human/) [Peter Calthorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-calthorpe/) > [Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed; if we permit the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/something-will-have-gone-out-of-us-as-a-people-if-we-ever-let-the/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [There is no domestic issue more important to America in the long run than the conservation and proper use of our natural resources, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/there-is-no-domestic-issue-more-important-to-america-in-the-long-run/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-natural-resources-is-the-fundamental-problem/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) [Browse all 579 Conservation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I learned long ago that conservation has no victories, that one must retain connections and remain involved with animals and places that have captured the heart, to prevent their destruction. I am sometimes asked why, given a world that is more wounded and scarred, I do not simply give up, burdened by pessimism. 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