---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How we are using up our home, how we are…"
description: "\"How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when I was a child. It's more evident now.\" — M..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/maya-lin-8428_children_how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are_1718835.jpg"
---

#  How we are using up our home, how we are living and…

![“How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when I was a child. It's more evident now.” quote by Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/maya-lin-8428_children_how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are_1718835.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/maya-lin-8428_children_how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are_1718835.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/maya-lin-8428_children_how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are_1718835.jpg)

> “How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when I was a child. It's more evident now.”

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker warns of escalating environmental degradation observed since childhood.

**In simple terms:** Planet is deteriorating rapidly.

Key Takeaway

Act now to protect Earth.

Themes

environment urgency generational change

Mood

concerned determined

Type

activist inspirational

When to use this quote

- policy advocacy
- education
- community projects

Key Concepts

climate change pollution sustainability

Questions to Reflect On

- What actions can you take today?
- How can you influence others?

A Different Perspective

Progress may be slow despite awareness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/)

## Related quotes

> [The truth is, natural organisms have managed to do everything we want to do without guzzling fossil fuels, polluting the planet or mortgaging the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/the-truth-is-natural-organisms-have-managed-to-do-everything-we-want/)

[Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/)

> [The giant industries that are polluting our planet as well as violating human rights worldwide are the ones nearest and dearest to the hearts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/the-giant-industries-that-are-polluting-our-planet-as-well-as/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [I think we have to do something about the environment and how we are polluting the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-think-we-have-to-do-something-about-the-environment-and-how-we-are/)

[Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/)

> ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [It is evident, indeed, that such a doctrine, taken by itself in a literal manner, had no future. The world, in continuing to exist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-renan/it-is-evident-indeed-that-such-a-doctrine-taken-by-itself-in-a/)

[Ernest Renan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-renan/)

> [ Quentin \[Taranino\] will say, "We've got it, but we're gonna do it one more time. Why?" And then, the entire cast and crew chimes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walton-goggins/quentin-taranino-will-say-we-ve-got-it-but-we-re-gonna-do-it-one-more/)

[Walton Goggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walton-goggins/)

> [A focus on people's health and well-being must be the core of family planning research and policy. This may seem self-evident, but the realities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-simmons/a-focus-on-people-s-health-and-well-being-must-be-the-core-of-family/)

[Ruth Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-simmons/)

> [Popular thought appeals to crowds, gatherings and tribes, who use it as a way to guide the herd. It is very evident in protests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/popular-thought-appeals-to-crowds-gatherings-and-tribes-who-use-it-as/)

[Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/)

> [The effect of the discovery of printing was evident in the savage religious wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Application of power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-innis/the-effect-of-the-discovery-of-printing-was-evident-in-the-savage/)

[Harold Innis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-innis/)

> [Class - or the economic status of individuals - is evident in all societies, some very well stratified by a rigid caste system determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/class-or-the-economic-status-of-individuals-is-evident-in-all/)

[F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/)

> [A pregnant woman and her spouse dream of three babies--the perfect four-month-old who rewards them with smiles and musical cooing,the impaired baby, who changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-berry-brazelton/a-pregnant-woman-and-her-spouse-dream-of-three-babies-the-perfect/)

[T. Berry Brazelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-berry-brazelton/)

> [It is evident that the right of acquiring and possessing property, and having it protected, is one of the natural, inherent, and unalienable rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-paterson/it-is-evident-that-the-right-of-acquiring-and-possessing-property-and/)

[William Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-paterson/)

> [When one considers our nation's educational foundations - Harvard, Yale, Princeton and most of our respected institutions were originally Christian - it becomes evident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-falwell/when-one-considers-our-nation-s-educational-foundations-harvard-yale/)

[Jonathan Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-falwell/)

> [A second characteristic of the process which for me is the good life, is that it involves an increasingly tendency to live fully in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/a-second-characteristic-of-the-process-which-for-me-is-the-good-life/)

[Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/)

> [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/)

T.I

## More by Maya Lin

> [Our lives are given meaning by our actions-accomplishments made while we are "here" that extend beyond our own time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/our-lives-are-given-meaning-by-our-actions-accomplishments-made-while/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [If you don't remember history accurately, how can you learn?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/if-you-don-t-remember-history-accurately-how-can-you-learn/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [My parents are both college professors, and it made me want to question authority, standards and traditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/my-parents-are-both-college-professors-and-it-made-me-want-to/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [I had very few friends. We always ate dinner with our parents. We didn't want to go out. American adolescence was a lot wilder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-had-very-few-friends-we-always-ate-dinner-with-our-parents-we-didn/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [Math, it's a puzzle to me. I love figuring out puzzles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/math-it-s-a-puzzle-to-me-i-love-figuring-out-puzzles/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [I cannot force a design; I do not see this process as being under my conscious control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-cannot-force-a-design-i-do-not-see-this-process-as-being-under-my/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [OK, it was black, it was below grade, I was female, Asian American, young, too young to have served. Yet I think none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/ok-it-was-black-it-was-below-grade-i-was-female-asian-american-young/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [If we can't face death, we'll never overcome it. You have to look it straight in the eye. Then you can turn around and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/if-we-can-t-face-death-we-ll-never-overcome-it-you-have-to-look-it/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [I can't shout out, "Do this." I don't want to be prescriptive. I want to give you facts, and that's the way I've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-can-t-shout-out-do-this-i-don-t-want-to-be-prescriptive-i-want-to/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [Competitions are what you do as a good exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/competitions-are-what-you-do-as-a-good-exercise/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [You really can't function as a celebrity. Entertainers are celebrities. I'm an architect. I'm an artist. I make things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/you-really-can-t-function-as-a-celebrity-entertainers-are-celebrities/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [Some of your teachers are actually closer in age to you than you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/some-of-your-teachers-are-actually-closer-in-age-to-you-than-you-think/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [I think I needed to really move past my first public work as memorialist, and be equally balanced. It's a bit unusual, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-think-i-needed-to-really-move-past-my-first-public-work-as/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [I didn't have anyone to play with so I made up my own world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-didn-t-have-anyone-to-play-with-so-i-made-up-my-own-world/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [To me, the American Dream is being able to follow your own personal calling. To be able to do what you want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/to-me-the-american-dream-is-being-able-to-follow-your-own-personal/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

[Explore all 81 Maya Lin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

## More Children 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/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when I was a child. It's more evident now.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Maya Lin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are-living-and-polluting-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are-living-and-polluting-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/maya-lin-8428_children_how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are_1718835.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/maya-lin-8428_children_how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are_1718835.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/maya-lin-8428_children_how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are_1718835.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when…” — Maya Lin",
                "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": "Maya Lin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How we are using up our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are-living-and-polluting-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/how-we-are-using-up-our-home-how-we-are-living-and-polluting-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
