Saving Wilderness Quote by Kevin Fedarko
““But what made Litton’s ideas even stranger—and so at odds with prevailing sentiment—was the depth of his rage. Without quite realizing it, he was emerging as a ferocious and rather prescient expositor of a white-hot, no-surrender brand of environmental purism: the unyielding, unapologetic (and, his critics would later charge, unreasonable) defense of wilderness. “People often tell me not to be extreme,” he would repeatedly declare. “ ‘Be reasonable!’ they say. But I’ve never felt it did any good to be reasonable about anything in conservation, because what you give away will never come back—ever. When it comes to saving wilderness, we cannot be extreme enough.” In””
About This Quote
Source Article: The New York Times, “The Radical Environmentalist”, 2015
Advocates extreme, uncompromising conservation, arguing reason is ineffective when wilderness is at stake.
In simple terms: Extreme protection of wilderness is necessary.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize uncompromising conservation.
Themes
environmentalism
activism
conservation
ethics
Mood
passionate
defiant
Type
activist
philosophical
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- activist campaigns
- land management
- public education
Key Concepts
preservationism
radicalism
environmental philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- Is compromise ever viable in conservation?
- How to balance urgency with public support?
A Different Perspective
Extreme positions can alienate moderate allies.
