--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unless we practice conservation, those…" description: "\"Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gifford-pinchot-23012_conservation_unless-we-practice-conservation-those-wh_2750753.jpg" --- # Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us… ![“Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day” quote by Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gifford-pinchot-23012_conservation_unless-we-practice-conservation-those-wh_2750753.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gifford-pinchot-23012_conservation_unless-we-practice-conservation-those-wh_2750753.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gifford-pinchot-23012_conservation_unless-we-practice-conservation-those-wh_2750753.jpg) > “Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day” [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neglecting environmental stewardship will burden future generations with suffering and ecological collapse. **In simple terms:** Ignoring nature harms future people. Key Takeaway Practice conservation now. Themes environment responsibility future generations Mood concerned motivational Type call to action warning When to use this quote - urban planning - resource management - education programs Key Concepts sustainability intergenerational equity Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to conserve today? - How do you balance progress with sustainability? A Different Perspective Economic growth often conflicts with ecological limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation/) [Degradation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degradation/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Pay the price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-the-price/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperity/) ## Related quotes > [Whenever you see want or misery or degradation in this world about you, then be sure either industry has been wanting, or industry has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/whenever-you-see-want-or-misery-or-degradation-in-this-world-about/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [World-wide practice of Conservation and the fair and continued access by all nations to the resources they need are the two indispensable foundations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/world-wide-practice-of-conservation-and-the-fair-and-continued-access/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [Look, it's my misery that I have to paint this kind of painting, it's your misery that you have to love it, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/look-it-s-my-misery-that-i-have-to-paint-this-kind-of-painting-it-s/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [The practice of conservation must spring from a conviction of what is ethically and aesthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/the-practice-of-conservation-must-spring-from-a-conviction-of-what-is/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Environmental degradation, overpopulation, refugees, narcotics, terrorism, world crime movements, and organized crime are worldwide problems that don't stop at a nation's borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-christopher/environmental-degradation-overpopulation-refugees-narcotics-terrorism/) [Warren Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-christopher/) > [It's a terrible cruelty of predatory capitalism: both parents now have to work. A family has to have two incomes in order to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/it-s-a-terrible-cruelty-of-predatory-capitalism-both-parents-now-have/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [As a southerner born after the epic events of the civil rights movement, I've always wondered how on earth people of good will could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/as-a-southerner-born-after-the-epic-events-of-the-civil-rights/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [If the world suffers from mental deterioration or from moral degradation, then something goes wrong at the very root of civilization or culture. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/if-the-world-suffers-from-mental-deterioration-or-from-moral/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [If all boys could be made to know that with every breath of cigarette smoke they inhale imbecility and exhale manhood ... and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-maxim/if-all-boys-could-be-made-to-know-that-with-every-breath-of-cigarette/) Hudson Maxim > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [Poverty, for me, is synonymous with degradation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/poverty-for-me-is-synonymous-with-degradation/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [The global industrial economy is the engine for massive environmental degradation and massive human (and nonhuman) impoverishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/the-global-industrial-economy-is-the-engine-for-massive-environmental/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More by Gifford Pinchot > [Innovations never happen as planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/innovations-never-happen-as-planned/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [The purpose of conservation: The greatest good to the greatest number of people for the longest time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/the-purpose-of-conservation-the-greatest-good-to-the-greatest-number/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [I ran into the gigantic and gigantically wasteful lumbering of great Sequoias, many of whose trunks were so huge they had to be blown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/i-ran-into-the-gigantic-and-gigantically-wasteful-lumbering-of-great/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [I have been governor every now and then, but I am a forester all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/i-have-been-governor-every-now-and-then-but-i-am-a-forester-all-the/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [It is a greater thing to be a good citizen than to be a good Republican or a good Democrat,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/it-is-a-greater-thing-to-be-a-good-citizen-than-to-be-a-good/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [In the old world that is passing, in the new world that is coming, national efficiency has been and will be a controlling factor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/in-the-old-world-that-is-passing-in-the-new-world-that-is-coming/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [The goal of coaching is not in fixing what is broken, but in discovering new talents and new ways to use old talents that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/the-goal-of-coaching-is-not-in-fixing-what-is-broken-but-in/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [Innovation never happens as planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/innovation-never-happens-as-planned/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [Conservation means the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/conservation-means-the-wise-use-of-the-earth-and-its-resources-for/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [If you aren't getting flak, you aren't over the target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/if-you-aren-t-getting-flak-you-aren-t-over-the-target/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [World-wide practice of Conservation and the fair and continued access by all nations to the resources they need are the two indispensable foundations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/world-wide-practice-of-conservation-and-the-fair-and-continued-access/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [The American Colossus was fiercely intent on appropriating and exploiting the riches of all continents - grasping with both hands, reaping where he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/the-american-colossus-was-fiercely-intent-on-appropriating-and/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [Learning is the gradual replacement of fantasy with fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/learning-is-the-gradual-replacement-of-fantasy-with-fact/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [A vision is not a vision unless it says yes to some ideas and no to others, inspires people and is a reason to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/a-vision-is-not-a-vision-unless-it-says-yes-to-some-ideas-and-no-to/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [Without natural resources life itself is impossible. From birth to death, natural resources, transformed for human use, feed, clothe, shelter, and transport us. Upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/without-natural-resources-life-itself-is-impossible-from-birth-to/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) [Explore all 26 Gifford Pinchot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) ## 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 > [Conservation is humanity caring for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-newhall/conservation-is-humanity-caring-for-the-future/) 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 > [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": "Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gifford Pinchot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/unless-we-practice-conservation-those-who-come-after-us-will-have-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conservation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/unless-we-practice-conservation-those-who-come-after-us-will-have-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gifford-pinchot-23012_conservation_unless-we-practice-conservation-those-wh_2750753.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gifford-pinchot-23012_conservation_unless-we-practice-conservation-those-wh_2750753.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gifford-pinchot-23012_conservation_unless-we-practice-conservation-those-wh_2750753.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation…” — Gifford Pinchot", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gifford Pinchot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Unless we practice conservation, those who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/unless-we-practice-conservation-those-who-come-after-us-will-have-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/unless-we-practice-conservation-those-who-come-after-us-will-have-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```