Crisis Quote by Hal Borland
“Time after time ... today's crisis shrinks to next week's footnote to a newly headline disaster.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Long Emergency, 1970
We tend to minimize current crises, seeing them as temporary footnotes before new disasters arise.
In simple terms: We downplay present problems.
Key Takeaway
Stay aware of ongoing issues.
Themes
shortsightedness
crisis fatigue
historical perspective
Mood
cautious
thoughtful
Type
observational
critical
When to use this quote
- policy making
- media consumption
- personal stress
Key Concepts
Environmentalism
social commentary
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance urgency with long‑term planning?
- What patterns repeat in crisis perception?
A Different Perspective
Immediate concerns can be ignored, leading to complacency.
![“[Footnote:] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length and breadth than two acres of ground." This brings up again the old question: Are the classics doomed? Our ancestors believed that four years of this sort of…” quote by Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1c1/will-cuppy-7569_acres_footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-wha_84284.jpg)
![“[The Christmas story] is as simple as was the Man himself and His teaching. SA simple as the Sermon on the Mount which still remains as the ultimate basis ... of the belief of free men of good will everywhere.” quote by Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/508/hal-borland-9706_bases_the-christmas-story-is-as-simple-as-was_292036.jpg)
