--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: proverb from the Sanskrit Vedic…" description: "\"“proverb from the Sanskrit Vedic Scriptures of around 1500 bce: “Upon this handful of soil our survival depends. Husband it and it will grow our food, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/judith-d-schwartz-9338_nature-of-man_proverb-from-the-sanskrit-vedic-scriptur_2550123.jpg" --- # proverb from the Sanskrit Vedic Scriptures of around 1500… ![“proverb from the Sanskrit Vedic Scriptures of around 1500 bce: “Upon this handful of soil our survival depends. Husband it and it will grow our food, our fuel and our shelter and surround us with beauty. Abuse it and soil will collapse and die, taking humanity with it.” quote by Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/judith-d-schwartz-9338_nature-of-man_proverb-from-the-sanskrit-vedic-scriptur_2550123.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/judith-d-schwartz-9338_nature-of-man_proverb-from-the-sanskrit-vedic-scriptur_2550123.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/judith-d-schwartz-9338_nature-of-man_proverb-from-the-sanskrit-vedic-scriptur_2550123.jpg) > ““proverb from the Sanskrit Vedic Scriptures of around 1500 bce: “Upon this handful of soil our survival depends. Husband it and it will grow our food, our fuel and our shelter and surround us with beauty. Abuse it and soil will collapse and die, taking humanity with it.”” [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human survival hinges on caring for soil; stewardship yields food, fuel, shelter, and beauty, while neglect leads to collapse and catastrophe. **In simple terms:** Treat soil well, reap life; mistreat it, lose everything. Key Takeaway Protect and nurture the earth. Themes environment sustainability stewardship Mood concerned hopeful Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - farming - urban gardening - climate policy - education - community projects Key Concepts Ecology interdependence resource management Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance modern development with soil stewardship? - What daily habits can reduce soil degradation? A Different Perspective Human needs also require technological and social solutions beyond soil health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse-soil-1512688/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Proverb Sanskrit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proverb-sanskrit-1512689/) [Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil/) [Soil Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil-survival-1512687/) [Vedic Scriptures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vedic-scriptures-1512690/) ## Related quotes > [“Organisms we can’t see are accorded the same respect as those that are big and flashy or promise to give a nice immediate kick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/organisms-we-can-t-see-are-accorded-the-same-respect-as-those-that/) [Judith D. 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Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Vegetables, which are the lowest in the scale of living things, are fed by roots, which, implanted in the native soil, select by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/vegetables-which-are-the-lowest-in-the-scale-of-living-things-are-fed/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) > [Spade! Thou art a tool of honor in my hands. I press thee, through a yielding soil, with pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/spade-thou-art-a-tool-of-honor-in-my-hands-i-press-thee-through-a/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Some people are like ants. Give them a warm day and a piece of ground and they start digging. There the similarity ends. Ants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/some-people-are-like-ants-give-them-a-warm-day-and-a-piece-of-ground/) [Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/) ## More by Judith D. Schwartz > [“grasslands, grazing mammals, and pack-hunting predators evolved together. So if domestic herbivores can be managed such that their behavior mimics that of their wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/grasslands-grazing-mammals-and-pack-hunting-predators-evolved/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“Steven Apfelbaum, a restoration ecologist in Wisconsin, says that every 1 percent increase in soil carbon holds an additional sixty thousand gallons of water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/steven-apfelbaum-a-restoration-ecologist-in-wisconsin-says-that-every/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“First you’ve got to change the ideology,” she says. “Until you can show people that they’re losing profits, you can’t get them to change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/first-you-ve-got-to-change-the-ideology-she-says-until-you-can-show/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“According to Christine Jones, soils hold more carbon than the atmosphere and all the world’s plant life combined—and can hold it longer, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/according-to-christine-jones-soils-hold-more-carbon-than-the/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“from a soil microorganism point of view, a crop monoculture is akin to junk food: “If there’s just wheat or any one thing, it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/from-a-soil-microorganism-point-of-view-a-crop-monoculture-is-akin-to/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“Organisms we can’t see are accorded the same respect as those that are big and flashy or promise to give a nice immediate kick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/organisms-we-can-t-see-are-accorded-the-same-respect-as-those-that/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“One farmer I met, Gene Goven of Turtle Lake, North Dakota, put it more succinctly: “You build soil where the roots go—down!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/one-farmer-i-met-gene-goven-of-turtle-lake-north-dakota-put-it-more/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“Every field that’s turned into a parking lot or industrial park means more water siphoned off into gutters and culverts and less water in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/every-field-that-s-turned-into-a-parking-lot-or-industrial-park-means/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“the problem isn’t the amount of carbon per se—the quantity of carbon on earth is constant—but where that carbon is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/the-problem-isn-t-the-amount-of-carbon-per-se-the-quantity-of-carbon/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“understand that the greatest danger to wildlife was not poaching but habitat destruction—the same thing that ultimately threatened humans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/understand-that-the-greatest-danger-to-wildlife-was-not-poaching-but/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“Slaps in the face like this provide opportunities for change. A drought definitely gets people thinking about how they can manage resources better. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/slaps-in-the-face-like-this-provide-opportunities-for-change-a/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“the planet’s current vegetative cover captures around 3000 EJ of the sun’s energy. This photosynthetic capacity would appear to be sufficient to feed only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/the-planet-s-current-vegetative-cover-captures-around-3000-ej-of-the/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“The use of chemical fertilizers and other treatments has increased worldwide as large tracts of agricultural land are turned over to commodity mono-crops. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/the-use-of-chemical-fertilizers-and-other-treatments-has-increased/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“Consider that farmers are sued when genetically manipulated seeds they don’t even want sprout on their soil. (The pretext: This is “patent infringement” and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/consider-that-farmers-are-sued-when-genetically-manipulated-seeds/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [“The concept of the biotic pump, if correct, brings a new urgency to the need to conserve forests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/the-concept-of-the-biotic-pump-if-correct-brings-a-new-urgency-to-the/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) [Explore all 73 Judith D. Schwartz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) ## More Nature of man quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. 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