--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Universe is a pretty big place... And…" description: "\"The Universe is a pretty big place... And the one thing I know about nature is it hates to waste anything. So I guess I'd say if it is just us, an awfu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/john-burroughs-1157_apples_the-universe-is-a-pretty-big-place-and-t_2810546.png" --- # The Universe is a pretty big place... And the one thing I… ![“The Universe is a pretty big place... And the one thing I know about nature is it hates to waste anything. So I guess I'd say if it is just us, an awful lot of space is going to waste. The earth is not alone, it is not like a single apple on a tree; there are many apples on the tree, and there are…” quote by John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/john-burroughs-1157_apples_the-universe-is-a-pretty-big-place-and-t_2810546.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/john-burroughs-1157_apples_the-universe-is-a-pretty-big-place-and-t_2810546.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/john-burroughs-1157_apples_the-universe-is-a-pretty-big-place-and-t_2810546.png) > “The Universe is a pretty big place... And the one thing I know about nature is it hates to waste anything. So I guess I'd say if it is just us, an awful lot of space is going to waste. The earth is not alone, it is not like a single apple on a tree; there are many apples on the tree, and there are many trees in the orchard.” [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nature avoids waste; everything serves a purpose, so space is utilized efficiently. **In simple terms:** Nature doesn’t waste; everything has a role. Key Takeaway Recognize purpose in surroundings. Themes efficiency interconnectedness purpose Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - environmental planning - resource management - urban design Key Concepts ecology systems theory Questions to Reflect On - How can we apply nature’s efficiency to human systems? - What waste do we ignore? A Different Perspective May overlook human agency in ecosystems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Not alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-alone/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Orchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchard/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-going-253274/) [Star gazing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star-gazing/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Waste Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-earth-2053332/) ## Related quotes > [Our heavily meat-centered culture is at the very heart of our waste of the earth's productivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/our-heavily-meat-centered-culture-is-at-the-very-heart-of-our-waste/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [“The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-green/the-greatest-waste-in-all-of-our-earth-which-cannot-be-recycled-or/) [David Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-green/) > [“The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. The greatest waste in all of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-legacy-we-leave-is-not-just-in-our-possessions-but-in-the-quality/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The summer has seized you, as when, last month in Amalfi, I saw lemons as large as your desk-side globe-that miniature map of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/the-summer-has-seized-you-as-when-last-month-in-amalfi-i-saw-lemons/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [“My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-sewell/my-troubles-are-all-over-and-i-am-at-home-and-often-before-i-am-quite/) [Anna Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-sewell/) > [Everybody's twelve years old in an apple orchard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-ray/everybody-s-twelve-years-old-in-an-apple-orchard/) [Rachael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-ray/) > [She had only to stand in the orchard, to put her hand on a little crab tree and look up at the apples, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/she-had-only-to-stand-in-the-orchard-to-put-her-hand-on-a-little-crab/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [You would not go into an apple orchard and eat the weeds so why would you go into your day and feast on worries?.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcbride/you-would-not-go-into-an-apple-orchard-and-eat-the-weeds-so-why-would/) [Pat McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcbride/) > [I don't know what rituals my kids will carry into adulthood, whether they'll grow up attached to homemade pizza on Friday nights, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-don-t-know-what-rituals-my-kids-will-carry-into-adulthood-whether/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [A man is old when he can pass an apple orchard and not remember the stomachache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/a-man-is-old-when-he-can-pass-an-apple-orchard-and-not-remember-the/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [There are aspects of being the first woman in space that I'm not going to enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/there-are-aspects-of-being-the-first-woman-in-space-that-i-m-not/) [Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/) > [That to me is a bunch of crap trying to shoot guys up into damned space. 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And so, that's why one of the things that groups like mine that work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/maybe-that-will-happen-with-other-countries-as-well-and-so-that-s-why/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [One can only learn his powers of action by action, and his powers of thought by thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/one-can-only-learn-his-powers-of-action-by-action-and-his-powers-of/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [I was born with a chronic anxiety about the weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-was-born-with-a-chronic-anxiety-about-the-weather/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [When the woodpecker is searching for food, or laying siege to some hidden grub, the sound of his hammer is dead or muffled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/when-the-woodpecker-is-searching-for-food-or-laying-siege-to-some/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [In what bold relief stand out the lives of all walkers of the snow! The snow is a great tell-tale, and blabs as effectually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-what-bold-relief-stand-out-the-lives-of-all-walkers-of-the-snow/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [In October, a maple tree before your window lights up your room like a great lamp. Even on cloudy days, its presence helps to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/in-october-a-maple-tree-before-your-window-lights-up-your-room-like-a/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [One can return to their place of birth, but one cannot go back to your youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/one-can-return-to-their-place-of-birth-but-one-cannot-go-back-to-your/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [I still find each day too short..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-still-find-each-day-too-short/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [What a severe yet master artist old Winter is... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/what-a-severe-yet-master-artist-old-winter-is-no-longer-the-canvas/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Following World War II, the U.S. was the architect of the UN system, and the world financial system, and the Human Rights Declaration, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/following-world-war-ii-the-u-s-was-the-architect-of-the-un-system-and/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [“Go to the sea or climb the mountain, and with the ruggedest and the savagest you will find likewise the fairest and the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/go-to-the-sea-or-climb-the-mountain-and-with-the-ruggedest-and-the/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) [Explore all 281 John Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) ## More Apples quotes > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-think-however-that-astaire-s-coordination-is-better-than-kelly-s/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/) [Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/) > [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [I'm not only a fan of Apple products, I have stock in the company. I think Steve Jobs has started one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-not-only-a-fan-of-apple-products-i-have-stock-in-the-company-i/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth - they always look polished afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-love-to-eat-an-apple-after-a-meal-just-to-cleanse-my-teeth-they/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [I have a friend who is a juggler. 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It just happens to miss Earth every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-dediu/like-a-satellite-in-orbit-apple-is-perpetually-falling-it-just/) [Horace Dediu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-dediu/) > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [Therein lies the rub of a place like Berkeley Bowl. 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Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The next time you're looking at a charity, don't ask about the rate of their overhead; ask about the scale of their dreams -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/the-next-time-you-re-looking-at-a-charity-don-t-ask-about-the-rate-of-2/) [Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/) [Browse all 1,262 Apples quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Universe is a pretty big place... And the one thing I know about nature is it hates to waste anything. So I guess I'd say if it is just us, an awful lot of space is going to waste. 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