--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we are to succeed in the great task…" description: "\"“If we are to succeed in the great task before us we must adopt a humbler attitude towards the elementary things of life than that which is implied in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f5/lord-northbourne-73929_land_if-we-are-to-succeed-in-the-great-task-b_2858420.jpg" --- # If we are to succeed in the great task before us we must… ![“If we are to succeed in the great task before us we must adopt a humbler attitude towards the elementary things of life than that which is implied in our frequent boasting about our so-called 'Conquest of Nature.' We have put ourselves on a pinnacle in the pride of an imagined conquest. But we…” quote by LORD NORTHBOURNE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f5/lord-northbourne-73929_land_if-we-are-to-succeed-in-the-great-task-b_2858420.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f5/lord-northbourne-73929_land_if-we-are-to-succeed-in-the-great-task-b_2858420.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f5/lord-northbourne-73929_land_if-we-are-to-succeed-in-the-great-task-b_2858420.jpg) > ““If we are to succeed in the great task before us we must adopt a humbler attitude towards the elementary things of life than that which is implied in our frequent boasting about our so-called 'Conquest of Nature.' We have put ourselves on a pinnacle in the pride of an imagined conquest. But we cannot separate ourselves from nature if we would... There can be no quarrel between ourselves and nature any more than there can be a quarrel between a man's head and his feet. If such a quarrel is invented, it is the man who suffers, including both his head and his feet... We have come to regard nature as something primitive, terrible, and squalid. If she is so, it is we who have made her so.”” [LORD NORTHBOURNE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-northbourne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humility toward everyday nature is essential; pride separates us from the natural world and causes suffering **In simple terms:** Respect simple nature, avoid pride Key Takeaway Live modestly, honor nature Themes humility environment pride Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal health - urban planning - education - policy making Key Concepts Ecology philosophy human-nature relationship Questions to Reflect On - How does pride affect our treatment of the environment? - What practices foster respect for everyday nature? A Different Perspective Human nature often resists humility, leading to exploitation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conquest Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest-nature-1955027/) [Humbler Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humbler-attitude-3843329/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Quarrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-quarrel-3843328/) [Quarrel Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quarrel-nature-3843327/) [Regard Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard-nature-2395254/) ## Related quotes > [The higher we get educated and higher we are placed, the softer should be our approach and humbler should be our attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/the-higher-we-get-educated-and-higher-we-are-placed-the-softer-should/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [I think that, on the whole, risk-taking entrepreneurial characters regard nature as a sort of background that we can use for our own advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-think-that-on-the-whole-risk-taking-entrepreneurial-characters/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Man's conquest of Nature turns out, in the moment of its consummation, to be Nature's conquest of Man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/man-s-conquest-of-nature-turns-out-in-the-moment-of-its-consummation/) [C. 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