--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that at some level, people…" description: "\"I think that at some level, people recognize that growing our economy is destroying us. It's destroying us as human beings, it's destroying our planet...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/grace-lee-boggs-7776_destroying_i-think-that-at-some-level-people-recogn_890298.png" --- # I think that at some level, people recognize that growing… ![“I think that at some level, people recognize that growing our economy is destroying us. It's destroying us as human beings, it's destroying our planet.” quote by Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/grace-lee-boggs-7776_destroying_i-think-that-at-some-level-people-recogn_890298.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/grace-lee-boggs-7776_destroying_i-think-that-at-some-level-people-recogn_890298.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e4/grace-lee-boggs-7776_destroying_i-think-that-at-some-level-people-recogn_890298.png) > “I think that at some level, people recognize that growing our economy is destroying us. It's destroying us as human beings, it's destroying our planet.” [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic growth often harms humanity and the planet, urging a shift toward sustainable, humane development. **In simple terms:** Growth can damage people and Earth. Key Takeaway Seek sustainable progress. Themes environment economics humanity Mood concerned determined Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - policy making - community planning - business strategy Key Concepts systems thinking ecology Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives to growth exist? - How can individuals influence systemic change? A Different Perspective Economic change is slow and contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Growing economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-economy/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Our planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-planet/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I think people are really looking for some way whereby we can grow our souls rather than our economy. I think that at some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-people-are-really-looking-for-some-way-whereby-we-can-grow/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [We've got to keep 6 billion people happy without destroying our planet. It's the biggest challenge we've ever faced...but we're taking it on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/we-ve-got-to-keep-6-billion-people-happy-without-destroying-our/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [Even if we are destroying this planet, we are playing our role perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/even-if-we-are-destroying-this-planet-we-are-playing-our-role/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [“Capitalism is destroying the planet. The two old tricks that dug it out of past crises--War and Shopping--simply will not work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/capitalism-is-destroying-the-planet-the-two-old-tricks-that-dug-it/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It's not an investment if its destroying the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/it-s-not-an-investment-if-its-destroying-the-planet/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [I can't imagine something being beautiful at this point in history if it's destroying the planet or causing children to get sick. How can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-can-t-imagine-something-being-beautiful-at-this-point-in-history-if/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [We speak often of 'destroying the planet' when what we mean is destroying its habitability for humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/we-speak-often-of-destroying-the-planet-when-what-we-mean-is/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [When you talk about dismantling the economy, destroying capitalism - these are things that are very scary to people who come from other countries,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-malliotakis/when-you-talk-about-dismantling-the-economy-destroying-capitalism/) [Nicole Malliotakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-malliotakis/) > [I can't really see how anybody could be particularly optimistic about the future in general because we are destroying the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/i-can-t-really-see-how-anybody-could-be-particularly-optimistic-about/) [Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/) > [There is nothing efficient about destroying the planet as we know it because vested interests want to keep us addicted to fossil fuels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-lewis/there-is-nothing-efficient-about-destroying-the-planet-as-we-know-it/) [Clive Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-lewis/) > [We're destroying the planet, and the planet rebels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/we-re-destroying-the-planet-and-the-planet-rebels/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Natural events have completely destroyed this planet on numerous occasions in the past, and just like them we are a natural event destroying this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/natural-events-have-completely-destroyed-this-planet-on-numerous/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [Humankind has suddenly entered into a brand new relationship with our planet. Unless we quickly and profoundly change the course of our civilization, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/humankind-has-suddenly-entered-into-a-brand-new-relationship-with-our/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [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/) > [People are aware that they cannot continue in the same old way but are immobilized because they cannot imagine an alternative. We need a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/people-are-aware-that-they-cannot-continue-in-the-same-old-way-but/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) ## More by Grace Lee Boggs > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [I think that rebellions arise out of anger, and they're very short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-that-rebellions-arise-out-of-anger-and-they-re-very-short/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [I think that education today is a form of child abuse. The natural tendency of children is to solve problems, but we try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-that-education-today-is-a-form-of-child-abuse-the-natural/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [I believe that we are at the point now, in the United States, where a movement is beginning to emerge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-believe-that-we-are-at-the-point-now-in-the-united-states-where-a/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [I think at the time, my radicalization was not through growing up Chinese, but through the role that the black people were playing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-at-the-time-my-radicalization-was-not-through-growing-up/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [We urgently need a paradigm shift in our concept of the purposes and practices of education. We need to leave behind the concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/we-urgently-need-a-paradigm-shift-in-our-concept-of-the-purposes-and/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [This capitalist society has not lasted forever; it's only a few hundred years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/this-capitalist-society-has-not-lasted-forever-it-s-only-a-few/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [Building community is to the collective as spiritual practice is to the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/building-community-is-to-the-collective-as-spiritual-practice-is-to/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [We need to do what I call visionary organizing. Recognize that in every crisis, people do not respond like a school of fish. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/we-need-to-do-what-i-call-visionary-organizing-recognize-that-in/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [I think we have to understand that the nation-state became powerful in the wake of the French Revolution, whereas the nation-state has become powerless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-we-have-to-understand-that-the-nation-state-became-powerful/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [People are aware that they cannot continue in the same old way but are immobilized because they cannot imagine an alternative. We need a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/people-are-aware-that-they-cannot-continue-in-the-same-old-way-but/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [A revolution that is based on the people exercising their creativity in the midst of devastation is one of the great historical contributions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/a-revolution-that-is-based-on-the-people-exercising-their-creativity/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [People in Detroit aren't just urban gardening. They're starting a new mode of education. They're trying to give children the education to be "solutionaries"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/people-in-detroit-aren-t-just-urban-gardening-they-re-starting-a-new/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [I think people are really looking for some way whereby we can grow our souls rather than our economy. I think that at some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/i-think-people-are-really-looking-for-some-way-whereby-we-can-grow/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [Being a victim of oppression in the United States is not enough to make you revolutionary, just as dropping out of your mother's womb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/being-a-victim-of-oppression-in-the-united-states-is-not-enough-to/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) [Explore all 87 Grace Lee Boggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) ## More Destroying quotes > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. 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I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [What Wall Street and credit card companies are doing is really not much different from what gangsters and loan sharks do who make predatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-wall-street-and-credit-card-companies-are-doing-is-really-not/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Work and leisure are complementary parts of the same living process and cannot be separated without destroying the joy of work and the bliss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/work-and-leisure-are-complementary-parts-of-the-same-living-process/) [E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/) > [If the civil magistrate be a Christian, a disciple or follower of the meek Lamb of God, he is bound to be far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/if-the-civil-magistrate-be-a-christian-a-disciple-or-follower-of-the/) [Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/) > [You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-h-boetcker/you-cannot-help-the-poor-by-destroying-the-rich/) [William J. H. Boetcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-h-boetcker/) > [Do not suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused. Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/do-not-suppose-that-abuses-are-eliminated-by-destroying-the-object/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The future is religion and commerce, aphrodisiac and Benzedrine, a mother of mysterious comfort and a mistress of familiar ravishments ever on the verge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-kennedy/the-future-is-religion-and-commerce-aphrodisiac-and-benzedrine-a/) [Eugene Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-kennedy/) > [Time is a corrosive fluid, dissolving motivation, destroying novelty, and leaching the joy from life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/time-is-a-corrosive-fluid-dissolving-motivation-destroying-novelty/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/religion-grants-its-adherents-malign-intoxicating-and-morally/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Even if we are destroying this planet, we are playing our role perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/even-if-we-are-destroying-this-planet-we-are-playing-our-role/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [Love creates an "us" without destroying the "me".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/love-creates-an-us-without-destroying-the-me/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan shave been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest,living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/chimpanzees-gorillas-orangutan-shave-been-living-for-hundreds-of/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil—soil consecrated in the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/people-of-the-philippines-i-have-returned-by-the-grace-of-almighty/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) Browse all 983 Destroying quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that at some level, people recognize that growing our economy is destroying us. 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