--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are the holding actions, the…" description: "\"There are the holding actions, the changing actions, and the vision of the future - what we want to see happen for the Earth. All are essential.\" — Joa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c94/joanna-macy-15005_action_there-are-the-holding-actions-the-changi_659722.jpg" --- # There are the holding actions, the changing actions, and… ![“There are the holding actions, the changing actions, and the vision of the future - what we want to see happen for the Earth. All are essential.” quote by Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c94/joanna-macy-15005_action_there-are-the-holding-actions-the-changi_659722.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c94/joanna-macy-15005_action_there-are-the-holding-actions-the-changi_659722.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c94/joanna-macy-15005_action_there-are-the-holding-actions-the-changi_659722.jpg) > “There are the holding actions, the changing actions, and the vision of the future - what we want to see happen for the Earth. All are essential.” [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human actions fall into three categories: maintaining, transforming, and envisioning a better future for Earth, all are vital. **In simple terms:** Three types of actions needed for Earth’s future. Key Takeaway Balance maintenance, transformation, and vision. Themes environment activism future balance Mood hopeful determined Type inspirational strategic When to use this quote - policy making - community projects - personal lifestyle changes Key Concepts sustainability systems thinking visionary planning Questions to Reflect On - Which action type do you prioritize? - How can you integrate all three in daily life? A Different Perspective Neglecting one type weakens overall impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Visions of the future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visions-of-the-future/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [Something bad happened on both Mars with its dried-up watercourses and Venus with its runaway greenhouse effect. Could something bad happen on Earth too?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/something-bad-happened-on-both-mars-with-its-dried-up-watercourses/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Tell me what your vision of the future and I will tell you what you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-polak/tell-me-what-your-vision-of-the-future-and-i-will-tell-you-what-you/) Fred Polak > [I personally feel very strongly that what it will take is not more disasters, it's that what it will take is a vision of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-lewis/i-personally-feel-very-strongly-that-what-it-will-take-is-not-more/) [Avi Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-lewis/) > [My vision of the future is no longer of people taking exams and proceeding from secondary school to University but of passing from one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/my-vision-of-the-future-is-no-longer-of-people-taking-exams-and/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The iPad is the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/the-ipad-is-the-clearest-expression-of-our-vision-of-the-future-of/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands a vision of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman-2/leadership-can-be-thought-of-as-a-capacity-to-define-oneself-to/) [Edwin H Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman-2/) > [The present is where we get lost - if we forget our past and have no vision of the future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayi-kwei-armah/the-present-is-where-we-get-lost-if-we-forget-our-past-and-have-no/) [Ayi Kwei Armah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayi-kwei-armah/) > [Technology is fine. . ., but that popular vision of the future, where you plug somebody in and leave them there and they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/technology-is-fine-but-that-popular-vision-of-the-future-where-you/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [We're also confident that gamers are going to love our vision of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hryb/we-re-also-confident-that-gamers-are-going-to-love-our-vision-of-the/) [Larry Hryb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hryb/) > [If you want a vision of the future, imagine Washington-back ed Google Glasses strapped onto vacant human faces - forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/if-you-want-a-vision-of-the-future-imagine-washington-back-ed-google/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [I have a Vision of the Future, chum. The workers flats in fields of soya beans tower up like silver pencils, score on score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-betjeman/i-have-a-vision-of-the-future-chum-the-workers-flats-in-fields-of/) [John Betjeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-betjeman/) > [We are working towards a shared vision of the future for health among all the world's people. A vision future in which we develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gro-harlem-brundtland/we-are-working-towards-a-shared-vision-of-the-future-for-health-among/) [Gro Harlem Brundtland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gro-harlem-brundtland/) > [When a man loses his vision of the future he dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/when-a-man-loses-his-vision-of-the-future-he-dies/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [The more attached we are to a vision of the future, the less present we are to what is actually trying to emerge here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-merry/the-more-attached-we-are-to-a-vision-of-the-future-the-less-present/) Peter Merry > [The ablest administrators do not merely draw logical conclusions from the array of facts of the past which their expert assistants bring to them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/the-ablest-administrators-do-not-merely-draw-logical-conclusions-from/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) ## More by Joanna Macy > [The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe... All is registered in the 'boundless heart' of the bodhisattva. Through our deepest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/the-heart-that-breaks-open-can-contain-the-whole-universe-all-is/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [When you look at what is happening to our world-and it is hard to look at what's happening to our water, our air, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/when-you-look-at-what-is-happening-to-our-world-and-it-is-hard-to/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [“In the first movement, our infancy as a species, we felt no separation from the natural world around us. Trees, rocks, and plants surrounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/in-the-first-movement-our-infancy-as-a-species-we-felt-no-separation/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [“Yet, even focusing on this present life, disciples often queried the Buddha as to who is responsible for the habits, sufferings, and pleasures we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/yet-even-focusing-on-this-present-life-disciples-often-queried-the/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [There's a song that wants to sing itself through us. We just got to be available. Maybe the song that is to be sung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/there-s-a-song-that-wants-to-sing-itself-through-us-we-just-got-to-be/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [Clothe yourself in your authority. You speak not only as yourself or for yourself. 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Anyone can develop these qualities in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/qualities-like-love-and-compassion-are-not-just-abstract-virtues-that/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [The most radical thing any of us can do at this time is to be fully present to what is happening in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/the-most-radical-thing-any-of-us-can-do-at-this-time-is-to-be-fully/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [This is a dark time, filled with suffering and uncertainty. Like living cells in a larger body, it is natural that we feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/this-is-a-dark-time-filled-with-suffering-and-uncertainty-like-living/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [Future generations, if there is a livable world for them, will look back at the epochal transition we are making to a life-sustaining society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/future-generations-if-there-is-a-livable-world-for-them-will-look/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [Because the relationship between self and world is reciprocal, it is not a matter of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/because-the-relationship-between-self-and-world-is-reciprocal-it-is/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [It’s walking the razor’s edge of the sacred moment where you don’t know, you can’t count on, and comfort yourself with any sure hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/it-s-walking-the-razor-s-edge-of-the-sacred-moment-where-you-don-t/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [It is my experience that the world itself has a role to play in our liberation. Its very pressures, pains, and risks can wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/it-is-my-experience-that-the-world-itself-has-a-role-to-play-in-our/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) [Explore all 44 Joanna Macy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. 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