--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important thing for our species…" description: "\"The most important thing for our species is, before it speaks, to listen to its environment. That has a higher priority in any species' survival. We ne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/994/gordon-hempton-18344_communication_the-most-important-thing-for-our-species_1020538.jpg" --- # The most important thing for our species is, before it… ![“The most important thing for our species is, before it speaks, to listen to its environment. That has a higher priority in any species' survival. We need to be listening to our environment - in other words, restoring the quiet - not just to our natural areas, but also to towns like Portland, Maine.” quote by Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/994/gordon-hempton-18344_communication_the-most-important-thing-for-our-species_1020538.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/994/gordon-hempton-18344_communication_the-most-important-thing-for-our-species_1020538.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/994/gordon-hempton-18344_communication_the-most-important-thing-for-our-species_1020538.jpg) > “The most important thing for our species is, before it speaks, to listen to its environment. That has a higher priority in any species' survival. We need to be listening to our environment - in other words, restoring the quiet - not just to our natural areas, but also to towns like Portland, Maine.” [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Listening to the natural soundscape is crucial for ecological health and human well‑being; restoring quiet benefits both wilderness and urban areas. **In simple terms:** Protect and restore natural sound environments. Key Takeaway Preserve acoustic habitats. Themes environment health soundscape Mood reflective concerned Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - wildlife conservation - city zoning - community health initiatives Key Concepts ecology acoustic ecology urban planning Questions to Reflect On - What steps can cities take to reduce noise? - How does sound affect mental health? A Different Perspective Noise pollution can be overlooked in policy decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-thing/) [Listen Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen-environment-2273051/) [Listening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Our environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-environment/) [Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Species Speaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-speaks-2273050/) [Species Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-survival-979537/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) ## Related quotes > [Humans are a great survivor species but our survival will be pretty grim if all of the plants and animals we depend on die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/humans-are-a-great-survivor-species-but-our-survival-will-be-pretty/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [We have heard the rationales offered by the nuclear superpowers. 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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/) ## More by Gordon Hempton > [Acoustic ecology is the study of information systems: the shared acoustic environment and how species send and receive messages in this shared acoustic environment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/acoustic-ecology-is-the-study-of-information-systems-the-shared/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [If you're listening to a symphony, you're getting all the information, including the audience around you, the delay from the sides of the concert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/if-you-re-listening-to-a-symphony-you-re-getting-all-the-information/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [The earth has continued to change, from rapid climatic changes that have caused the glaciers and the ice sheets to basically bulldoze the landscape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/the-earth-has-continued-to-change-from-rapid-climatic-changes-that/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [You can listen to a birdsong, and from the content of the birdsong, you will be able to determine whether or not the bird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/you-can-listen-to-a-birdsong-and-from-the-content-of-the-birdsong-you/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [You don't really need to engage your visual sense, because the natural wiring of the human psyche is to monitor the environment through sound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/you-don-t-really-need-to-engage-your-visual-sense-because-the-natural/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [Quiet is the element of discerning what is essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/quiet-is-the-element-of-discerning-what-is-essential/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [I believe that our distant nomadic ancestors came forward and survived because they could hear distant, faint birdsong as an acoustic navigational beacon, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/i-believe-that-our-distant-nomadic-ancestors-came-forward-and/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [How are we going to know what sounds are important before we've even heard those sounds? 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