--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No society has ever yet been able to…" description: "\"No society has ever yet been able to handle the temptations of technology to mastery, to waste, to exuberance, to exploration and exploitation. We have..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/margaret-mead-982_able_no-society-has-ever-yet-been-able-to-han_843667.jpg" --- # No society has ever yet been able to handle the… ![“No society has ever yet been able to handle the temptations of technology to mastery, to waste, to exuberance, to exploration and exploitation. We have to learn to cherish this earth and cherish it as something that's fragile, that's only one, it's all we have. We have to use our scientific…” quote by Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/margaret-mead-982_able_no-society-has-ever-yet-been-able-to-han_843667.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/margaret-mead-982_able_no-society-has-ever-yet-been-able-to-han_843667.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/margaret-mead-982_able_no-society-has-ever-yet-been-able-to-han_843667.jpg) > “No society has ever yet been able to handle the temptations of technology to mastery, to waste, to exuberance, to exploration and exploitation. We have to learn to cherish this earth and cherish it as something that's fragile, that's only one, it's all we have. We have to use our scientific knowledge to correct the dangers that have come from science and technology.” [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humanity must recognize technology's double‑edged nature, protecting Earth while correcting scientific risks. **In simple terms:** Protect Earth while managing tech risks. Key Takeaway Balance innovation with stewardship. Themes environment technology stewardship ethics Mood concerned hopeful Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - policy making - education - community activism - corporate responsibility Key Concepts sustainability risk management ecology Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure scientific advances serve planetary health? - What safeguards are needed for emerging technologies? A Different Perspective Tech progress can outpace ethical safeguards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Cherish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cherish/) [Cherish Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cherish-earth-669514/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Earth Cherish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-cherish-669513/) [Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) [Exploration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploration/) [Exploration Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploration-exploitation-669515/) [Exuberance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exuberance/) [Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle/) [Mastery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mastery/) [Science and technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-and-technology/) [Science technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-technology/) [Scientific knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-knowledge/) [Stewardship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stewardship/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Temptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptation/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) ## Related quotes > [There are so many benefits to be derived from space exploration and exploitation; why not take what seems to me the only chance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-so-many-benefits-to-be-derived-from-space-exploration-and/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [The more of Heaven we cherish, the less of Earth we covet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/the-more-of-heaven-we-cherish-the-less-of-earth-we-covet/) [David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/) > [“The doctrine of the Incarnation is itself an invitation to all believers to love the earth, cherish it, find the divine in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/the-doctrine-of-the-incarnation-is-itself-an-invitation-to-all/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-in-a-society-exquisitely-dependent-on-science-and-technology/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The age of innocent faith in science and technology may be over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-commoner/the-age-of-innocent-faith-in-science-and-technology-may-be-over/) [Barry Commoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-commoner/) > [Science and technology are what we can do; morality is what we agree we should or should not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/science-and-technology-are-what-we-can-do-morality-is-what-we-agree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There can be very little of present-day science and technology that is not dependent on complex numbers in one way or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-devlin/there-can-be-very-little-of-present-day-science-and-technology-that/) [Keith Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-devlin/) > [The unprecedented development of science and technology... so rapid that it is said that 90 per cent of the scientists which this country has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-platt/the-unprecedented-development-of-science-and-technology-so-rapid-that/) [Robert Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-platt/) > [There has come about a general public awareness that America is not automatically, and effortlessly, and unquestionably the leader of the world in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-condon/there-has-come-about-a-general-public-awareness-that-america-is-not/) [Edward Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-condon/) > [“For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-kahn/for-a-list-of-all-the-ways-technology-has-failed-to-improve-the/) [Alice Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-kahn/) > [The intelligent use of science and technology are the tools with which to achieve a new direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/the-intelligent-use-of-science-and-technology-are-the-tools-with/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Anybody can use science and technology without fundamentally altering his own frame of mind which governs how they are used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/anybody-can-use-science-and-technology-without-fundamentally-altering/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Wisdom demands a new orientation of science and technology toward the organic, the gentle, the elegant and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-demands-a-new-orientation-of-science-and-technology-toward-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/today-more-than-ever-before-science-holds-the-key-to-our-survival-as/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Science and technology have been embarrassed by two world wars, many smaller ones, and the spread of weapons that could destroy humanity. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/science-and-technology-have-been-embarrassed-by-two-world-wars-many/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) ## More by Margaret Mead > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/if-one-cannot-state-a-matter-clearly-enough-so-that-even-an/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I learned the value of hard work by working hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/i-learned-the-value-of-hard-work-by-working-hard/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/children-must-be-taught-how-to-think-not-what-to-think/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Women are scolded both for being mothers and for not being mothers, for wanting to eat their cake and have it too, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/women-are-scolded-both-for-being-mothers-and-for-not-being-mothers/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [we came to realize that a civilization which rode roughshod over the way of life of other peoples was incorporating evil in its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-came-to-realize-that-a-civilization-which-rode-roughshod-over-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [WE MUST DEVISE A SYSTEM IN WHICH PEACE IS MORE REWARDING THAN WAR.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-must-devise-a-system-in-which-peace-is-more-rewarding-than-war/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Through a grandmother's voice and hands the end of life is known at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/through-a-grandmother-s-voice-and-hands-the-end-of-life-is-known-at/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [today's children are the first generation to grow up in a world that has the power to destroy itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/today-s-children-are-the-first-generation-to-grow-up-in-a-world-that/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-are-now-at-a-point-where-we-must-educate-our-children-in-what-no/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Humanity . . . lies in man's capacity to question the known and imagine the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/humanity-lies-in-man-s-capacity-to-question-the-known-and-imagine-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/fathers-are-biological-necessities-but-social-accidents/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and not be held responsible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/one-of-the-most-dangerous-things-that-can-happen-to-a-child-is-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [We end up with the contradictory picture of a society that appears to throw its doors wide open to women, but translates her every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-end-up-with-the-contradictory-picture-of-a-society-that-appears-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) [Explore all 314 Margaret Mead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. 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