--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is your personal carrying capacity…" description: "\"What is your personal carrying capacity for grief, rage, despair? We are living in a period of mass extinction. The numbers stand at 200 species a day...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lierre-keith-18643_capacity_what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity_784245.jpg" --- # What is your personal carrying capacity for grief, rage… ![“What is your personal carrying capacity for grief, rage, despair? We are living in a period of mass extinction. The numbers stand at 200 species a day. That's 73,000 a year. This culture is oblivious to their passing, feels entitled to their every last niche, and there is no roll call on the…” quote by Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lierre-keith-18643_capacity_what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity_784245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lierre-keith-18643_capacity_what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity_784245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lierre-keith-18643_capacity_what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity_784245.jpg) > “What is your personal carrying capacity for grief, rage, despair? We are living in a period of mass extinction. The numbers stand at 200 species a day. That's 73,000 a year. This culture is oblivious to their passing, feels entitled to their every last niche, and there is no roll call on the nightly news.” [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human grief capacity is limited; ecological loss is massive and ignored, demanding personal and collective responsibility. **In simple terms:** Grief is limited; we ignore huge species loss. Key Takeaway Acknowledge limits and act for the planet. Themes environment grief responsibility Mood concerned urgent Type activist reflective When to use this quote - activism - mental health coping - education - policy advocacy Key Concepts ecology psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How much personal sorrow can you bear before acting? - What steps can you take to honor lost species? A Different Perspective Balancing personal grief with global crises can feel overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Mass extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-extinction/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Niche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/niche/) [Rage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rage/) ## Related quotes > [“The country's various habitats are believed to contain close to 200 species of mammals and over 600 species of birds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonely-planet/the-country-s-various-habitats-are-believed-to-contain-close-to-200/) Lonely Planet > [There is one living organism, called a tardigrade, that has survived the five great mass extinctions on Earth, and it can survive in vacuums…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alycia-debnam-carey-2/there-is-one-living-organism-called-a-tardigrade-that-has-survived/) [Alycia Debnam Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alycia-debnam-carey-2/) > [In the history of the world, all five mass extinctions have been accompanied by massive climate change, so we are facing an incredibly serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/in-the-history-of-the-world-all-five-mass-extinctions-have-been/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [“There was a time in the ancient world - a very long time - in which the central cultural problem must have seemed an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/there-was-a-time-in-the-ancient-world-a-very-long-time-in-which-the/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [Our planet is currently undergoing a mass extinction of species called the Anthropocene - the Age of Man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-psihoyos/our-planet-is-currently-undergoing-a-mass-extinction-of-species/) [Louie Psihoyos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-psihoyos/) > [The early Triassic was a period when the planet was recovering from the worst mass extinction it had ever known - that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-early-triassic-was-a-period-when-the-planet-was-recovering-from/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“The epitaph for humanity does not yet have to include the tragic indictment of having engineered the sixth major mass extinction in earth history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brannen/the-epitaph-for-humanity-does-not-yet-have-to-include-the-tragic/) [Peter Brannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brannen/) > [We are killing life on Earth, we're in the sixth mass extinction event and it's possible that human beings will go extinct. We're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/we-are-killing-life-on-earth-we-re-in-the-sixth-mass-extinction-event/) [Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/) > [“During a mass extinction, vast swathes of the tree are cut short, as if attacked by crazed, axe-wielding madmen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kolbert/during-a-mass-extinction-vast-swathes-of-the-tree-are-cut-short-as-if/) [Elizabeth Kolbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kolbert/) > [If we are to save humanity and the planet from the worst mass extinction of all time, worse even than that at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lynas/if-we-are-to-save-humanity-and-the-planet-from-the-worst-mass/) [Mark Lynas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lynas/) > [We torture and kill two billion sentient living beings every week. 10,000 entire species are wiped out every year because of the actions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wollen/we-torture-and-kill-two-billion-sentient-living-beings-every-week-10/) [Philip Wollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wollen/) > [“So we now know the formula for extinction. Something happens to increase global temperatures five to six degrees, which triggers a melting of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/so-we-now-know-the-formula-for-extinction-something-happens-to/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [ “It’s\] pretty clear that times of high carbon dioxide—and especially times when carbon dioxide levels rapidly rose—coincided with the mass extinctions,” writes University of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brannen/it-s-pretty-clear-that-times-of-high-carbon-dioxide-and-especially/) [Peter Brannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brannen/) > [The extinctions ongoing worldwide promise to be at least as great as the mass extinction that occurred at the end of the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-extinctions-ongoing-worldwide-promise-to-be-at-least-as-great-as/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [We find ourselves heading fully into an era of mass extinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/severn-cullis-suzuki/we-find-ourselves-heading-fully-into-an-era-of-mass-extinction/) [Severn Cullis-Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/severn-cullis-suzuki/) ## More by Lierre Keith > [What’s looming in the shadows of our ignorance and denial is a critique of civilization itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/what-s-looming-in-the-shadows-of-our-ignorance-and-denial-is-a/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [Grains are essentially sugar with enough opioids to make them addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/grains-are-essentially-sugar-with-enough-opioids-to-make-them/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [One group of people that get a lot of PTSD are soldiers who have been in combat. You know who gets more PTSD, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/one-group-of-people-that-get-a-lot-of-ptsd-are-soldiers-who-have-been/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“There is a name for the tsunami wave of extermination: the Holocene extinction event. There's no asteroid this time, only human behavior, behavior that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/there-is-a-name-for-the-tsunami-wave-of-extermination-the-holocene/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“The necessity of political struggle especially means confronting and contradicting those on the left who say that resistance is futile. Such people have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/the-necessity-of-political-struggle-especially-means-confronting-and/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“There is no place left for the buffalo to roam. There’s only corn, wheat, and soy. About the only animals that escaped the biotic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/there-is-no-place-left-for-the-buffalo-to-roam-there-s-only-corn/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“Life is literally a process of one creature eating another, whether it’s bacteria breaking down plants or animals, plants strangling each other, animals going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/life-is-literally-a-process-of-one-creature-eating-another-whether-it/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“John Locke, called the Father of Liberalism, made the argument that the individual instead of the community was the foundation of society. He believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/john-locke-called-the-father-of-liberalism-made-the-argument-that-the/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“Masculinity is simply a conglomeration of the personality traits necessary for the patriarchal soldier-rapist: physically strong, emotionally cauterized, rational, domineering, cruel. All of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/masculinity-is-simply-a-conglomeration-of-the-personality-traits/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [People sometimes say that we will know feminism has done its job when half the CEOs are women. That’s not feminism; to quote Catharine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/people-sometimes-say-that-we-will-know-feminism-has-done-its-job-when/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [For those of us who can't be active on the front lines - and this will be most of us - our job is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/for-those-of-us-who-can-t-be-active-on-the-front-lines-and-this-will/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [It’s time to put away our fairytales, all of them, and assume our responsibilities, the adult responsibilities that begin with adult knowledge. Our planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/it-s-time-to-put-away-our-fairytales-all-of-them-and-assume-our/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [Men: Stand in solidarity with women. Women, if you were born female, you were born on a battlefield. You will be punished for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/men-stand-in-solidarity-with-women-women-if-you-were-born-female-you/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [Meanwhile, every eighteen seconds a man beats a woman, every three minutes a man rapes a woman, and every day two men will murder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/meanwhile-every-eighteen-seconds-a-man-beats-a-woman-every-three/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) > [“This was not an easy book to write. For many of you, it won’t be an easy book to read. I know. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/this-was-not-an-easy-book-to-write-for-many-of-you-it-won-t-be-an/) [Lierre Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) [Explore all 34 Lierre Keith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/) ## More Capacity quotes > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I was only operating at about 80% of my capacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lomu/i-was-only-operating-at-about-80-of-my-capacity/) [Jonah Lomu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lomu/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [For years mental health professionals taught people that they could be psychologically healthy without social support, that “unless you love yourself, no one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-d-perry/for-years-mental-health-professionals-taught-people-that-they-could/) [Bruce D. Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-d-perry/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [“Teach honesty by all means - you do know what it is, don't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/teach-honesty-by-all-means-you-do-know-what-it-is-don-t-you/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [he cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/he-cult-of-productivity-has-its-place-but-worshipping-at-its-altar/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bravery-is-the-capacity-to-perform-properly-even-when-scared-half-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 3,320 Capacity quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is your personal carrying capacity for grief, rage, despair? We are living in a period of mass extinction. The numbers stand at 200 species a day. That's 73,000 a year. This culture is oblivious to their passing, feels entitled to their every last niche, and there is no roll call on the nightly news.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lierre Keith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity-for-grief-rage-despair-we-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Capacity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity-for-grief-rage-despair-we-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lierre-keith-18643_capacity_what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity_784245.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lierre-keith-18643_capacity_what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity_784245.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/lierre-keith-18643_capacity_what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity_784245.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is your personal carrying capacity for grief, rage, despair? We are living in a period of mass…” — Lierre Keith", "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": "Lierre Keith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lierre-keith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What is your personal carrying capacity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity-for-grief-rage-despair-we-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lierre-keith/what-is-your-personal-carrying-capacity-for-grief-rage-despair-we-are/#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 } } ] } ```