--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there is one thing BP's 'watery improv…" description: "\"If there is one thing BP's 'watery improv act' made clear, it is that, as a culture, we have become far too willing to gamble with things that are prec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/naomi-klein-1072_culture_if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv_449306.png" --- # If there is one thing BP's 'watery improv act' made clear… ![“If there is one thing BP's 'watery improv act' made clear, it is that, as a culture, we have become far too willing to gamble with things that are precious and irreplaceable, and to do so without a back-up plan, without an exit strategy.” quote by Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/naomi-klein-1072_culture_if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv_449306.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/naomi-klein-1072_culture_if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv_449306.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/naomi-klein-1072_culture_if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv_449306.png) > “If there is one thing BP's 'watery improv act' made clear, it is that, as a culture, we have become far too willing to gamble with things that are precious and irreplaceable, and to do so without a back-up plan, without an exit strategy.” [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that society risks reckless exploitation of valuable resources without contingency plans, highlighting unsustainable risk‑taking. **In simple terms:** We gamble with precious things without backups. Key Takeaway Plan for risks and protect valuable assets. Themes environment risk policy Mood cautionary critical Type warning analytical When to use this quote - industrial projects - climate policy - financial investments Key Concepts sustainability resource management Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can you implement? - How do you assess true value before risking? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can lead to catastrophic loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Exit Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exit-strategy/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) ## Related quotes > [Democrats, the mainstream media, Hollywood elites are so out of touch when it comes to keeping you, the American people, safe from radical Islamic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/democrats-the-mainstream-media-hollywood-elites-are-so-out-of-touch/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [“The fish might well have disappeared already, but Brody wasn't willing to gamble lives on the possibility: the odds might be good, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-fish-might-well-have-disappeared-already-but-brody-wasn-t-willing/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [We are playing Russian roulette with features of the planet’s atmosphere that will profoundly impact generations to come. How long are we willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-playing-russian-roulette-with-features-of-the-planet-s/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [“It would be won by a woman willing to gamble with an entire island full of people to get what she needed to save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/it-would-be-won-by-a-woman-willing-to-gamble-with-an-entire-island/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“Maybe that’s the difference between criminals and good people—what they have to lose and how desperately they’re willing to gamble with it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-higginson/maybe-that-s-the-difference-between-criminals-and-good-people-what/) [Rachel Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-higginson/) > [One shouldn't gamble with what is irreplaceable and precious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/one-shouldn-t-gamble-with-what-is-irreplaceable-and-precious/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [“The doctrine of "exit strategy" fundamentally misunderstands the nature of war and, more generally, the nature of historical action. for the knowledge of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-wieseltier/the-doctrine-of-exit-strategy-fundamentally-misunderstands-the-nature/) [Leon Wieseltier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-wieseltier/) > [If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hughes/if-we-are-going-to-commit-american-troops-we-must-be-certain-they/) [Karen Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hughes/) > [Death is my exit strategy. I'll be doing significant customer service only as long as I live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-newmark/death-is-my-exit-strategy-i-ll-be-doing-significant-customer-service/) [Craig Newmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-newmark/) > [It is irresponsible for this Congress to not investigate the President's lack of an exit strategy, and the fraud, waste, and abuse of U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-carnahan/it-is-irresponsible-for-this-congress-to-not-investigate-the/) [Russ Carnahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-carnahan/) > [Actions speak louder than words...silence speaks volumes...and just being busy with life...well, that's just a clever exit strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/actions-speak-louder-than-words-silence-speaks-volumes-and-just-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you're a Democrat and 'The New York Times' is calling for your head, you know it's time for an exit strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/if-you-re-a-democrat-and-the-new-york-times-is-calling-for-your-head/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I am committed to doing customer service for Craigslist for the rest of my life. The exit strategy is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-newmark/i-am-committed-to-doing-customer-service-for-craigslist-for-the-rest/) [Craig Newmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-newmark/) > [The entrance strategy is actually more important than the exit strategy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lampert/the-entrance-strategy-is-actually-more-important-than-the-exit/) [Edward Lampert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lampert/) > [Pentagon records show that at least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. Army have deserted since the Iraq war began. Hey, at least somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/pentagon-records-show-that-at-least-8-000-members-of-the-all/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) ## More by Naomi Klein > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [As I explored Trump's inextricable relationship with his commercial brand, and its implications for the future of politics, I began to see why so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/as-i-explored-trump-s-inextricable-relationship-with-his-commercial/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Fury is an entirely appropriate response to a system that sends young people to kill other young people in a war that never should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/fury-is-an-entirely-appropriate-response-to-a-system-that-sends-young/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Since the 1980s, we've been living in this era, really, of corporate rule, based on this idea that the role of government is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/since-the-1980s-we-ve-been-living-in-this-era-really-of-corporate/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [We live in a society that is powered by fossil fuels, but for the meantime, we're in it. Maybe there's, like, five people living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/we-live-in-a-society-that-is-powered-by-fossil-fuels-but-for-the/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [I can tell you Donald Trump's products may not be made in America, but Donald Trump was made in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-can-tell-you-donald-trump-s-products-may-not-be-made-in-america-but/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Africa is poor because its investors and its creditors are unspeakably rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/africa-is-poor-because-its-investors-and-its-creditors-are/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [“It is a civilizational wake-up call. A powerful message—spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts, and extinctions—telling us that we need an entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-is-a-civilizational-wake-up-call-a-powerful-message-spoken-in-the/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [“You have been negotiating all my life.” So said Canadian college student Anjali Appadurai, as she stared down the assembled government negotiators at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/you-have-been-negotiating-all-my-life-so-said-canadian-college/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [There's a property in Panama where Trump has collected somewhere around $30 million just from selling his name to this property - it's somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/there-s-a-property-in-panama-where-trump-has-collected-somewhere/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [When I went to Australia, I had this feeling, like, 'Wow, this is really a different country.' I think that feeling of genuine foreignness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/when-i-went-to-australia-i-had-this-feeling-like-wow-this-is-really-a/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [I think there has been this really bad habit of environmentalists being insufferably smug, where they are sort of saying, 'This is the issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/i-think-there-has-been-this-really-bad-habit-of-environmentalists/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [GLHR... has used Greenpeace-style media antics to draw more public attention to the plight of sweatshop workers than the multimillion - dollar international trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/glhr-has-used-greenpeace-style-media-antics-to-draw-more-public/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) [Explore all 291 Naomi Klein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) ## More Culture 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/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/) [Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/) > [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there is one thing BP's 'watery improv act' made clear, it is that, as a culture, we have become far too willing to gamble with things that are precious and irreplaceable, and to do so without a back-up plan, without an exit strategy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Naomi Klein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv-act-made-clear-it-is-that-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Culture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv-act-made-clear-it-is-that-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/naomi-klein-1072_culture_if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv_449306.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/naomi-klein-1072_culture_if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv_449306.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/993/naomi-klein-1072_culture_if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv_449306.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there is one thing BP's 'watery improv act' made clear, it is that, as a culture, we have become far too…” — Naomi Klein", "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": "Naomi Klein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there is one thing BP's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv-act-made-clear-it-is-that-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/if-there-is-one-thing-bp-s-watery-improv-act-made-clear-it-is-that-as/#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 } } ] } ```