--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The conservation movement is a breeding…" description: "\"The conservation movement is a breeding ground of Communists and other subversives. We intend to clean them out, even if it means rounding up every bir..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/john-n-mitchell-56519_bird_the-conservation-movement-is-a-breeding_2248955.png" --- # The conservation movement is a breeding ground of… ![“The conservation movement is a breeding ground of Communists and other subversives. We intend to clean them out, even if it means rounding up every bird watcher in the country.” quote by John N. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/john-n-mitchell-56519_bird_the-conservation-movement-is-a-breeding_2248955.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/john-n-mitchell-56519_bird_the-conservation-movement-is-a-breeding_2248955.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/john-n-mitchell-56519_bird_the-conservation-movement-is-a-breeding_2248955.png) > “The conservation movement is a breeding ground of Communists and other subversives. We intend to clean them out, even if it means rounding up every bird watcher in the country.” [John N. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political movements can be weaponized to target dissent under the guise of security. **In simple terms:** Movements can be misused. Key Takeaway Question motives behind security claims. Themes politics surveillance ideology Mood critical skeptical Type political warning When to use this quote - elections - activism - environmental policy Key Concepts authoritarianism civil liberties propaganda Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards protect activism? - How to differentiate genuine threats? A Different Perspective Overgeneralization may ignore genuine concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Bird Watcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird-watcher-217194/) [Breeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breeding/) [Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Communists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communists/) [Communists Subversives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communists-subversives-5128470/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation/) [Conservation Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation-movement-2290637/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Ground Communists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ground-communists-5128469/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Watchers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watchers/) ## Related quotes > [Writing is like a bird-watcher watching for birds: the stories are there: you just have to train yourself to look for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/writing-is-like-a-bird-watcher-watching-for-birds-the-stories-are/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [To the bird watcher, the suburbanite who derives joy from birds in his garden, the hunter, the fisherman or the explorer of wild regions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/to-the-bird-watcher-the-suburbanite-who-derives-joy-from-birds-in-his/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [The whole environment out there is a living, breathing almost conscious being that is saying something to us human beings. The forests can't act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-cohen/the-whole-environment-out-there-is-a-living-breathing-almost/) [Ian Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-cohen/) > [We have a very old conservation movement, particularly in the United States, which has focused on campaigns to protect endangered species: the spotted owl,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/we-have-a-very-old-conservation-movement-particularly-in-the-united/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [Most of us still believe in the intrinsic value of nature, but I think the first century of the environmental/conservation movement demonstrated pretty clearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/most-of-us-still-believe-in-the-intrinsic-value-of-nature-but-i-think/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [“Yes," Charlie was saying now, "I get up nice and early before the sun and do the little things that need doin' around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-o-connor/yes-charlie-was-saying-now-i-get-up-nice-and-early-before-the-sun-and/) [Edwin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-o-connor/) > [I have trained my eye over and over ever since I was a kid. I was a bird watcher when I was a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellsworth-kelly/i-have-trained-my-eye-over-and-over-ever-since-i-was-a-kid-i-was-a/) [Ellsworth Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellsworth-kelly/) > [I live in the country. I'm a bird-watcher, an oyster-raiser. You know, I'll do anything that - raise dogs for the blind as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/i-live-in-the-country-i-m-a-bird-watcher-an-oyster-raiser-you-know-i/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [My father was an obsessive bird-watcher. The genes of observation passed down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/my-father-was-an-obsessive-bird-watcher-the-genes-of-observation/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [“It wasn't that he expected to see the dead. All of the sources said that church watchers had to possess the second sight, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-wasn-t-that-he-expected-to-see-the-dead-all-of-the-sources-said/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Agents of disruption, subversion, sabotage and disinformation tunnelers and smugglers, listeners and forgers, trainers and recruiters and talent spotters and couriers and watchers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/agents-of-disruption-subversion-sabotage-and-disinformation-tunnelers/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [When government does, occasionally, work, it works in an elitist fashion. That is, government is most easily manipulated by people who have money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/when-government-does-occasionally-work-it-works-in-an-elitist-fashion/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Dialogue in fiction should be reserved for the culminating moments and regarded as the spray into which the great wave of narrative breaks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/dialogue-in-fiction-should-be-reserved-for-the-culminating-moments/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who will watch the watchers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/quis-custodiet-ipsos-custodes-who-will-watch-the-watchers/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [“It is necessary to have “watchers” at hand who will bear witness to the values of Tradition in ever more uncompromising and firm ways,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/it-is-necessary-to-have-watchers-at-hand-who-will-bear-witness-to-the/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) ## More by John N. Mitchell > [“The finest steel gets put through the hottest fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-n-mitchell/the-finest-steel-gets-put-through-the-hottest-fire/) [John N. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-mitchell/) > [Not much more can happen to you after you lose your reputation and your wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-n-mitchell/not-much-more-can-happen-to-you-after-you-lose-your-reputation-and/) [John N. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-mitchell/) > [Frustrated love has been the incentive for many great works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-n-mitchell/frustrated-love-has-been-the-incentive-for-many-great-works/) [John N. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-mitchell/) > [Let us be tried by our actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-n-mitchell/let-us-be-tried-by-our-actions/) [John N. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-mitchell/) > [In my mind, the re-election of Richard Nixon, compared with what was available on the other side, was so much more important that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-n-mitchell/in-my-mind-the-re-election-of-richard-nixon-compared-with-what-was/) [John N. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-mitchell/) [Explore all 6 John N. Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-mitchell/) ## More Bird quotes > [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/) [Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/) > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“He unfixes the metal notch and slips his hand around the body of the bird. Feels its heat, its small heart beating. He stares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-schuyler/he-unfixes-the-metal-notch-and-slips-his-hand-around-the-body-of-the/) [Nina Schuyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-schuyler/) > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Real like sucks the life out of losers. if you want to fuck with the eagles, you must learn how to fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-like-sucks-the-life-out-of-losers-if-you-want-to-fuck-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) [Browse all 4,802 Bird quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The conservation movement is a breeding ground of Communists and other subversives. 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