--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That is the onslaught. It has been going…" description: "\"That is the onslaught. It has been going on a long time, I argue, but in the 20th century humans have certainly perfected it, extending domination to e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/kirkpatrick-sale-34363_20th-century_that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going_662061.png" --- # That is the onslaught. It has been going on a long time, I… ![“That is the onslaught. It has been going on a long time, I argue, but in the 20th century humans have certainly perfected it, extending domination to every single corner of the earth and our Homo sapiens population to more than 6 billion - until no place is untouched by despoliation.” quote by Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/kirkpatrick-sale-34363_20th-century_that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going_662061.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/kirkpatrick-sale-34363_20th-century_that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going_662061.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/kirkpatrick-sale-34363_20th-century_that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going_662061.png) > “That is the onslaught. It has been going on a long time, I argue, but in the 20th century humans have certainly perfected it, extending domination to every single corner of the earth and our Homo sapiens population to more than 6 billion - until no place is untouched by despoliation.” [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human activity now reaches every corner of Earth, causing widespread ecological damage and resource depletion. **In simple terms:** Humans dominate and damage the planet. Key Takeaway Recognize and reduce our ecological impact. Themes environment domination exploitation consequences Mood concerned urgent Type cautionary reflective When to use this quote - policy making - urban planning - personal consumption - education campaigns Key Concepts sustainability anthropocene resource depletion Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance development with stewardship? - What actions can individuals take to protect untouched places? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize progress and ignore positive environmental efforts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Domination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domination/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Homo sapiens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homo-sapiens/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Sapiens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sapiens/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Homo sapiens is only man, in the fullest sense of the word, when his grammar contains no question marks, only exclamation marks, commas, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/homo-sapiens-is-only-man-in-the-fullest-sense-of-the-word-when-his/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [Homo sapiens does its best to forget the fact, but it is an animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-does-its-best-to-forget-the-fact-but-it-is-an-animal/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [But the truth is that Homo sapiens is a sensual species. I think all species are, to one degree or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/but-the-truth-is-that-homo-sapiens-is-a-sensual-species-i-think-all/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [“Homo sapiens drove to extinction about half of the planet’s big beasts long before humans invented the wheel, writing or iron tools.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-drove-to-extinction-about-half-of-the-planet-s-big/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [When the first humans reached Australia about 45,000 years ago, they quickly drove to extinction 90% of its large animals. This was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/when-the-first-humans-reached-australia-about-45-000-years-ago-they/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“To understand the rise of Christianity or the French Revolution, it is not enough to comprehend the interaction of genes, hormones and organisms. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/to-understand-the-rise-of-christianity-or-the-french-revolution-it-is/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [We are probably one of the last generations of Homo sapiens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/we-are-probably-one-of-the-last-generations-of-homo-sapiens/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens was still an insignificant animal minding its own business in a corner of Africa. In the following millennia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/seventy-thousand-years-ago-homo-sapiens-was-still-an-insignificant/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [The origin of Homo sapiens, as a tiny twig on an improbable branch of a contingent limb on a fortunate tree, lies well below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-origin-of-homo-sapiens-as-a-tiny-twig-on-an-improbable-branch-of/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [ Homo sapiens \[are\] a tiny twig on an improbable branch of a contingent limb on a fortunate tree. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/homo-sapiens-are-a-tiny-twig-on-an-improbable-branch-of-a-contingent/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [“Humans nowadays completely dominate the planet not because the individual human is far smarter and more nimble-fingered than the individual chimp or wolf, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/humans-nowadays-completely-dominate-the-planet-not-because-the/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“You do not even think of your own past as quite real; you dress it up, you gild it or blacken it, censor it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/you-do-not-even-think-of-your-own-past-as-quite-real-you-dress-it-up/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“The anthropologists got it wrong when they named our species Homo sapiens ('wise man'). In any case it's an arrogant and bigheaded thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-anthropologists-got-it-wrong-when-they-named-our-species-homo/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The extinction of Homo Sapiens would mean survival for millions, if not billions, of Earth-dwelling species. Phasing out the human race will solve every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/the-extinction-of-homo-sapiens-would-mean-survival-for-millions-if/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [“It does not take much to provide the objective biological needs of Homo sapiens. After those needs are met, more money can be spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/it-does-not-take-much-to-provide-the-objective-biological-needs-of/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## More by Kirkpatrick Sale > [I want to leave my country without leaving my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/i-want-to-leave-my-country-without-leaving-my-home/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [The virtue of small government is that the mistakes are small as well...If you want to leave a nation you think is corrupt, inefficient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/the-virtue-of-small-government-is-that-the-mistakes-are-small-as-well/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [When I speak of knowledge of nature, I do not mean industrial science, which argues that nature is inert and can be understood only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/when-i-speak-of-knowledge-of-nature-i-do-not-mean-industrial-science/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [It's from love and knowledge of nature that any sensible understanding must come. Technology is essentially antagonistic to nature - that in fact is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/it-s-from-love-and-knowledge-of-nature-that-any-sensible/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [And it was only when we invented the spear and began roaming the planet that technologies got complex and central to human survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/and-it-was-only-when-we-invented-the-spear-and-began-roaming-the/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [That is certainly the point: when the human species was born, on the African savanna, life was pretty good; we could live in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/that-is-certainly-the-point-when-the-human-species-was-born-on-the/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [Economic and social misery increases in direct proportion to the size and power of the central government of a nation or state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/economic-and-social-misery-increases-in-direct-proportion-to-the-size/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [So the technology that does the least alteration of nature, the least harm to other species and systems, and provides the greatest intimacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/so-the-technology-that-does-the-least-alteration-of-nature-the-least/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [My analysis, especially of the computer revolution, always comes back to capitalism. It's that economic system that has led to Western civilization's willingness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/my-analysis-especially-of-the-computer-revolution-always-comes-back/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [“It was the task of industrial society to destroy all of that. All that "community" implies -- self-sufficiency, mutual aid, morality in the marketplace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/it-was-the-task-of-industrial-society-to-destroy-all-of-that-all-that/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [I'm convinced that the catastrophes of the next two decades will be so vast as to bring about a world where life, if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/i-m-convinced-that-the-catastrophes-of-the-next-two-decades-will-be/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [Everyone is shy - it is the inborn modesty that makes us able to live in harmony with other creatures and our fellows. Achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/everyone-is-shy-it-is-the-inborn-modesty-that-makes-us-able-to-live/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) > [Governments, existing primarily to protect and enhance capitalism, maintain their power through the use of technologies that control the populace - by bread or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/governments-existing-primarily-to-protect-and-enhance-capitalism/) [Kirkpatrick Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) [Explore all 14 Kirkpatrick Sale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/) ## More 20th century quotes > [I think the inhabitants of the past are fighting hard to keep the rents they acquired in the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/i-think-the-inhabitants-of-the-past-are-fighting-hard-to-keep-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free. We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I've studied the lives of the 20th century's great businessmen and concluded self-confidence was instrumental in all their success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/i-ve-studied-the-lives-of-the-20th-century-s-great-businessmen-and/) [Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-great-wars-of-the-20th-century-made-it-into-the-worst-century-ever/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/) [David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/) > [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) Browse all 672 20th century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That is the onslaught. It has been going on a long time, I argue, but in the 20th century humans have certainly perfected it, extending domination to every single corner of the earth and our Homo sapiens population to more than 6 billion - until no place is untouched by despoliation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kirkpatrick Sale" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going-on-a-long-time-i-argue-but-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "20th century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going-on-a-long-time-i-argue-but-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/kirkpatrick-sale-34363_20th-century_that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going_662061.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/kirkpatrick-sale-34363_20th-century_that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going_662061.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/kirkpatrick-sale-34363_20th-century_that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going_662061.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That is the onslaught. It has been going on a long time, I argue, but in the 20th century humans have…” — Kirkpatrick Sale", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kirkpatrick Sale", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirkpatrick-sale/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That is the onslaught. It has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going-on-a-long-time-i-argue-but-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirkpatrick-sale/that-is-the-onslaught-it-has-been-going-on-a-long-time-i-argue-but-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```