--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And so I ask you now, dear friend: was…" description: "\"“And so I ask you now, dear friend: was this world worth saving to begin with? Were we worth saving? This endeavor was launched with that great assumpt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/hugh-howey-841_dear-friend_and-so-i-ask-you-now-dear-friend-was-thi_826055.png" --- # And so I ask you now, dear friend: was this world worth… ![“And so I ask you now, dear friend: was this world worth saving to begin with? Were we worth saving? This endeavor was launched with that great assumption taken for granted. Now I ask myself for the first time. And while I view the cleansing of the world as our defining achievement, this business…” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/hugh-howey-841_dear-friend_and-so-i-ask-you-now-dear-friend-was-thi_826055.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/hugh-howey-841_dear-friend_and-so-i-ask-you-now-dear-friend-was-thi_826055.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/hugh-howey-841_dear-friend_and-so-i-ask-you-now-dear-friend-was-thi_826055.png) > ““And so I ask you now, dear friend: was this world worth saving to begin with? Were we worth saving? This endeavor was launched with that great assumption taken for granted. Now I ask myself for the first time. And while I view the cleansing of the world as our defining achievement, this business of saving humanity may have been our gravest mistake. The world may be better off without us. I have not the will to decide. I leave that to you. The final shift, my friend, is yours, for I have worked my last. I do not envy you the choice you will have to make. The pact we formed so long ago haunts me as never before. And I feel that what I’m about to do … that this is the easy way.”” [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humanity’s impact may be harmful; the narrator questions the right to decide humanity’s fate. **In simple terms:** We may be a burden on Earth. Key Takeaway Consider the ethics of survival. Themes ethics existentialism environmentalism Mood somber thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - climate policy - philosophical debate - future planning Key Concepts human impact moral responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do we have to the planet? - Is it right to let humanity end? A Different Perspective Assumes a single perspective on humanity’s value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dear friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dear-friend/) [Easy way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-way/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Pact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pact/) [Taken for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-for-granted/) ## Related quotes > [To be a great pilot you have to make a pact with the devil, but don't let him swallow you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-udet/to-be-a-great-pilot-you-have-to-make-a-pact-with-the-devil-but-don-t/) Ernst Udet > [You get something, but for that you make a pact with the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-pilatus/you-get-something-but-for-that-you-make-a-pact-with-the-devil/) [Rob Pilatus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-pilatus/) > [We'll make a pact to never speak that word again. Yes you are my friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/incubus/we-ll-make-a-pact-to-never-speak-that-word-again-yes-you-are-my-friend/) [Incubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/incubus/) > [“--Let us make a pact, she said. To madness at every juncture!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/let-us-make-a-pact-she-said-to-madness-at-every-juncture/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [Today we must make a pact with each other to end this reckless conduct with the people's government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/today-we-must-make-a-pact-with-each-other-to-end-this-reckless/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [All of you, wherever you are: in your spiny cities, or your one-bump towns. 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It's called denial, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/sometimes-though-you-make-a-pact-with-yourself-i-ll-pretend-there-s/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“And so I make a pact with the devil, or in this case, my mommy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristan-higgins/and-so-i-make-a-pact-with-the-devil-or-in-this-case-my-mommy/) [Kristan Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristan-higgins/) > [“It's not about saving humanity. It never has been." Mantrella, THE WAKING GOD TRILOGY”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-f-harris/it-s-not-about-saving-humanity-it-never-has-been-mantrella-the-waking/) Philip F. Harris > [An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/an-education-capable-of-saving-humanity-is-no-small-undertaking-it/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“he then talked earnestly about saving humanity while a blotch of the dessert hung from his lower lip.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/he-then-talked-earnestly-about-saving-humanity-while-a-blotch-of-the/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [We are often a people of quantity. But we forget that Allah also looks at quality. For example, a single good deed can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-yasmin-mogahed/we-are-often-a-people-of-quantity-but-we-forget-that-allah-also-looks/) Sister Yasmin Mogahed > [“Such was the Pact. Born behind bars, Mission had been allowed free while his mother had been sent outside to clean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/such-was-the-pact-born-behind-bars-mission-had-been-allowed-free/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I was afraid you might lock the door against me tonight.” “I will never lock my door to you, but I hope you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-woolf/i-was-afraid-you-might-lock-the-door-against-me-tonight-i-will-never/) Cynthia Woolf ## More by Hugh Howey > [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“The Loud came before the quiet. That was a Rule of the World, for the bangs and shouts need somewhere to echo, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-loud-came-before-the-quiet-that-was-a-rule-of-the-world-for-the/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“People from IT sent to replace those they’d killed. Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) [Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## More Dear friend quotes > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“The little things really do matter. We remember the quirky things about each other and it makes us smile, think back into the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lawshe/the-little-things-really-do-matter-we-remember-the-quirky-things/) [Cathy Lawshe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lawshe/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“We were putting into these gomers our fear of death, but who knew if they feared death? Perhaps they welcomed death like a dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-shem/we-were-putting-into-these-gomers-our-fear-of-death-but-who-knew-if/) [Samuel Shem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-shem/) > [I wanted to tell the story of Luong Ung, who's a dear friend of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-wanted-to-tell-the-story-of-luong-ung-who-s-a-dear-friend-of-mine/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [Duff McKagen's been a dear friend of mind for a long time, and he's a Seattlelite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/duff-mckagen-s-been-a-dear-friend-of-mind-for-a-long-time-and-he-s-a/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [“Because it is useless, and I tell them so at once. If you had confessed your fears to me sooner, I would have reassured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/because-it-is-useless-and-i-tell-them-so-at-once-if-you-had-confessed/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [It takes two people to ruin a perfectly good day. First a person who says something downright nasty about you, and second, a dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-two-people-to-ruin-a-perfectly-good-day-first-a-person-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am a pathetic and gushing Nick Hornby fan, and I wanted to be in High Fidelity, and I wanted to be in About…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-williams/i-am-a-pathetic-and-gushing-nick-hornby-fan-and-i-wanted-to-be-in/) [Olivia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-williams/) > [“I don’t want to get old. I have this very silly fear, dear friend, that one day I’ll be old, without ever having really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-sparks/i-don-t-want-to-get-old-i-have-this-very-silly-fear-dear-friend-that/) [Beatrice Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-sparks/) > [I am involved with so many charitable organizations. Lung Cancer because of my dad, Breast Cancer because as a woman and mother of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-robbins/i-am-involved-with-so-many-charitable-organizations-lung-cancer/) Lois Robbins > [Ah! My dear friend painting is to us what the music of Berlioz and Wagner was before us - a consolatory art for sore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/ah-my-dear-friend-painting-is-to-us-what-the-music-of-berlioz-and/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [“Dear friend now in the dusty clockless hours of the town when the streets lie black and steaming in the wake of the watertrucks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/dear-friend-now-in-the-dusty-clockless-hours-of-the-town-when-the/) [cormac mccarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Receive, dear friend, the truths I teach, So shalt thou live beyond the reach Of adverse Fortune's pow'r; Not always tempt the distant deep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/receive-dear-friend-the-truths-i-teach-so-shalt-thou-live-beyond-the/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“I understood her, trusted her, and loved her as a dear friend. None of that had changed, or could be changed by anything as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/i-understood-her-trusted-her-and-loved-her-as-a-dear-friend-none-of/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) [Browse all 471 Dear friend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dear-friend/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And so I ask you now, dear friend: was this world worth saving to begin with? Were we worth saving? This endeavor was launched with that great assumption taken for granted. Now I ask myself for the first time. And while I view the cleansing of the world as our defining achievement, this business of saving humanity may have been our gravest mistake. The world may be better off without us. I have not the will to decide. I leave that to you. The final shift, my friend, is yours, for I have worked my last. I do not envy you the choice you will have to make. 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