--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No civilization has survived the ongoing…" description: "\"No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours.\" — Lester R. Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/lester-r-brown-14706_civilization_no-civilization-has-survived-the-ongoing_1572389.png" --- # No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of… ![“No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours.” quote by Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/lester-r-brown-14706_civilization_no-civilization-has-survived-the-ongoing_1572389.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/lester-r-brown-14706_civilization_no-civilization-has-survived-the-ongoing_1572389.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfe/lester-r-brown-14706_civilization_no-civilization-has-survived-the-ongoing_1572389.png) > “No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours.” [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human societies collapse when they destroy essential ecosystems; our future depends on preserving them. **In simple terms:** Destroying ecosystems leads to collapse. Key Takeaway Protect natural systems. Themes environment sustainability civilization Mood urgent concerned Type warning philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - policy making - community activism Key Concepts ecology resource management climate change Questions to Reflect On - How can societies value ecosystems? - What policies best protect natural support? A Different Perspective Economic pressures often prioritize short‑term gains over ecosystem health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Survived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-survived-3009044/) [Consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumption/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Destruction Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction-natural-2209085/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Ongoing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ongoing/) [Ongoing Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ongoing-destruction-588846/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Support systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support-systems/) [Survived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survived/) ## Related quotes > [Very urgent measures need to be taken, and without much delay, in dealing with the ongoing destruction of the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/very-urgent-measures-need-to-be-taken-and-without-much-delay-in/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“The West is a civilization that has survived all the prophecies of its collapse with a singular stratagem. Just as the bourgeoisie had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-invisible-committee/the-west-is-a-civilization-that-has-survived-all-the-prophecies-of/) [The Invisible Committee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-invisible-committee/) > [“No civilization has survived forever. All move toward dissolution, one after the other, like waves of the sea falling upon the shore. None, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/no-civilization-has-survived-forever-all-move-toward-dissolution-one/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“Sometimes, a society can see its end approaching from afar and still not be able to adapt, like the Maya; at other times, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/sometimes-a-society-can-see-its-end-approaching-from-afar-and-still/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [Today, more than ever, we need political leaders who can see the big picture, who understand the relationship between the economy and its environmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/today-more-than-ever-we-need-political-leaders-who-can-see-the-big/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-one-process-now-going-on-that-will-take-millions-of-years-to/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [“All I can think about is that boy’s skull, bashed in, the way his head was caved in and how it wasn’t like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skull-bashed-in-the-way-his-head/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [This other war, the war upon destruction of natural assets is one that will never be finished. Our weakness in this vast war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-bromfield/this-other-war-the-war-upon-destruction-of-natural-assets-is-one-that/) [Louis Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-bromfield/) > [Parents fear the destruction of natural affection in their children. What is this natural principle so liable to decay? Habit is a second nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/parents-fear-the-destruction-of-natural-affection-in-their-children/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [The destruction of the natural beauty, the ecosystems, and the majesty of mountains affect us in ways we're not even aware of. Every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-reuben/the-destruction-of-the-natural-beauty-the-ecosystems-and-the-majesty/) [Gloria Reuben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-reuben/) > [The worst thing that will probably happen-in fact is already well underway-is not energy depletion, economic collapse, conventional war, or the expansion of totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-worst-thing-that-will-probably-happen-in-fact-is-already-well/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [We can build an economy that does not destroy its natural support systems, a global community where the basic needs of all the Earth's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/we-can-build-an-economy-that-does-not-destroy-its-natural-support/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Our early 21st century civilization is in trouble. We need not go beyond the world food economy to see this. Over the last few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/our-early-21st-century-civilization-is-in-trouble-we-need-not-go/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [I have an amazing wife, Tia, and an amazing son, Cree, and I'm a family man first and they keep me grounded. They're my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-have-an-amazing-wife-tia-and-an-amazing-son-cree-and-i-m-a-family/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [Fundamentally transforming the foundations of the economy is the biggest contribution we can make towards building a sustainable future. The current economic crisis may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-porritt/fundamentally-transforming-the-foundations-of-the-economy-is-the/) [Jonathon Porritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-porritt/) ## More by Lester R. Brown > [The challenge is either to build an economy that is sustainable or to stay with our unsustainable economy until it declines. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/the-challenge-is-either-to-build-an-economy-that-is-sustainable-or-to/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [A sustainable economy represents nothing less than a higher social order one as concerned with future generations as with our own, and more focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/a-sustainable-economy-represents-nothing-less-than-a-higher-social/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [We are witnessing the beginning of one of the great tragedies of history. The United States, in a misguided effort to reduce its oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/we-are-witnessing-the-beginning-of-one-of-the-great-tragedies-of/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [The problem with water, though, is that the shortfalls don't show up until the very end. You can go on pumping unsustainably until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/the-problem-with-water-though-is-that-the-shortfalls-don-t-show-up/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [In Mexico City, Tehran, Kolkata, Bangkok, Shanghai, and hundreds of other cities, the air is no longer safe to breathe. In some cities, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/in-mexico-city-tehran-kolkata-bangkok-shanghai-and-hundreds-of-other/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [We can build an economy that does not destroy its natural support systems, a global community where the basic needs of all the Earth's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/we-can-build-an-economy-that-does-not-destroy-its-natural-support/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [The throwaway economy that has been evolving over the last half-century is an aberration, now itself headed for the junk heap of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/the-throwaway-economy-that-has-been-evolving-over-the-last-half/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Among the environmental trends undermining our future are shrinking forests, expanding deserts, falling water tables, collapsing fisheries, disappearing species, and rising temperatures. The temperature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/among-the-environmental-trends-undermining-our-future-are-shrinking/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [One way or another, the choice will be made by our generation, but it will affect life on earth for all generations to come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/one-way-or-another-the-choice-will-be-made-by-our-generation-but-it/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Our numbers expand, but Earth's natural systems do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/our-numbers-expand-but-earth-s-natural-systems-do-not/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Yet, most of the readily accessible reserves of oil formed over hundreds of millions of years will be consumed within a single generation, spanning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/yet-most-of-the-readily-accessible-reserves-of-oil-formed-over/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Our early 21st century civilization is in trouble. We need not go beyond the world food economy to see this. Over the last few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/our-early-21st-century-civilization-is-in-trouble-we-need-not-go/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Children whose developing lungs are particularly vulnerable suffer the most from air pollution. For children, breathing the air in cities with the worst pollution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/children-whose-developing-lungs-are-particularly-vulnerable-suffer/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [The 20th century was the time when the world turned to use of fossil fuels and the 21st century will be the century of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/the-20th-century-was-the-time-when-the-world-turned-to-use-of-fossil/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [The foundation is being laid for the emergence of both wind and solar cells as cornerstones of the new energy economy. World wind generating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/the-foundation-is-being-laid-for-the-emergence-of-both-wind-and-solar/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) [Explore all 45 Lester R. Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. 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