---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Land began to be seen as something to be…"
description: "\"Land began to be seen as something to be owned privately and exploited for private interests, and never was entirely reconciled with the old ideas that..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/neil-abercrombie-40141_common_land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be_2664249.jpg"
---

#  Land began to be seen as something to be owned privately…

![“Land began to be seen as something to be owned privately and exploited for private interests, and never was entirely reconciled with the old ideas that land should be utilized in common for the good of all.” quote by Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/neil-abercrombie-40141_common_land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be_2664249.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/neil-abercrombie-40141_common_land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be_2664249.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/neil-abercrombie-40141_common_land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be_2664249.jpg)

> “Land began to be seen as something to be owned privately and exploited for private interests, and never was entirely reconciled with the old ideas that land should be utilized in common for the good of all.”

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

## About This Quote

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

Privatization of land conflicted with communal stewardship ideals, creating tension between profit and shared benefit.

**In simple terms:** Land ownership vs. common use.

Key Takeaway

Balance private rights with communal responsibility.

Themes

property economics environment social justice

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

analytical policy

When to use this quote

- urban planning
- agricultural policy
- community land trusts
- environmental activism

Key Concepts

commons tragedy of the commons public good

Questions to Reflect On

- How can policy ensure equitable land use?
- What safeguards protect common resources?

A Different Perspective

Privatization can still marginalize vulnerable groups.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Land Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-began-2452935/) [Land Utilized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-utilized-2452936/) [Private Interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-interests-394039/) [Privately Exploited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privately-exploited-2452937/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/)

## Related quotes

> [Western concepts of ownership and privatization came in and clashed with that. So land began to be exchanged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/western-concepts-of-ownership-and-privatization-came-in-and-clashed/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [“The public good must come before private interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-public-good-must-come-before-private-interests/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [If the Government gets into business on any large scale, we soon find that the beneficiaries attempt to play a large part in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/if-the-government-gets-into-business-on-any-large-scale-we-soon-find/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [Anybody who cares about the functioning of democracy should be concerned about the blurring of lines between public and private interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-stille/anybody-who-cares-about-the-functioning-of-democracy-should-be/)

[Alexander Stille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-stille/)

> [The public good is promoted best by people pursuing their own private interests. This bothers some people because they're more concerned with motives than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/the-public-good-is-promoted-best-by-people-pursuing-their-own-private/)

[Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/)

> [Our entire political system is financed by wealthy private interests buying politicians and making sure the rules are written in their favor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/our-entire-political-system-is-financed-by-wealthy-private-interests/)

[Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/)

> [Each pursues his private interest and only his private interest; and thereby serves the private interests of all, the general interest, without willing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/each-pursues-his-private-interest-and-only-his-private-interest-and/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the public is merely a number of individuals, the idea that 'the public interest'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-public-since-the-public-is/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [I'm still going to do television. I'm just not going to do morning television. I would like to do some things that satisfy interests,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-gumbel/i-m-still-going-to-do-television-i-m-just-not-going-to-do-morning/)

[Bryant Gumbel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-gumbel/)

> [The prison industrial complex is perhaps, at least domestically, the most striking example of us putting profit before people. It all stems from one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/the-prison-industrial-complex-is-perhaps-at-least-domestically-the/)

[Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/)

> [When liberty is mentioned, we must always be careful to observe whether it is not really the assertion of private interests which is thereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/when-liberty-is-mentioned-we-must-always-be-careful-to-observe/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [It's not controversial to say that private donors come with private interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslyn-lewis/it-s-not-controversial-to-say-that-private-donors-come-with-private/)

[Leslyn Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslyn-lewis/)

> [No public interest is anything other or nobler than a massed accumulation of private interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/no-public-interest-is-anything-other-or-nobler-than-a-massed/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [How can there ever possibly be a conflict between my private interests and the public good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/how-can-there-ever-possibly-be-a-conflict-between-my-private/)

[Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/)

> [I don't use my money to gain political influence for my private interests, which is what many rich people do, and what, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/i-don-t-use-my-money-to-gain-political-influence-for-my-private/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

## More by Neil Abercrombie

> [So there's always been this clash between what is the public good - that which belongs to all of us in common - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/so-there-s-always-been-this-clash-between-what-is-the-public-good/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [I remember saying to the chairman after serving the first year, 'Why are we doing this? Why don't the Hawaiians have control?' 'Well, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/i-remember-saying-to-the-chairman-after-serving-the-first-year-why/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [Western concepts of ownership and privatization came in and clashed with that. So land began to be exchanged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/western-concepts-of-ownership-and-privatization-came-in-and-clashed/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [You're talking serious money already in the bank, and millions of dollars coming in every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/you-re-talking-serious-money-already-in-the-bank-and-millions-of/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [There are several states where you can get married. But I think I can say without fear of contradiction, 'Paradise awaits.' We'll be happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/there-are-several-states-where-you-can-get-married-but-i-think-i-can/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [A good portion of the airport is on ceded lands, and lease money was paid for that. So the state's collecting lease money because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/a-good-portion-of-the-airport-is-on-ceded-lands-and-lease-money-was/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [When there wasn't any money involved, for all intents and purposes, nobody gave a damn. But now the land, supposedly worthless, is seen for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/when-there-wasn-t-any-money-involved-for-all-intents-and-purposes/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [Land in Hawaii is money. What I'm talking about here is ceded land - land that belonged to the kingdom and was ceded to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/land-in-hawaii-is-money-what-i-m-talking-about-here-is-ceded-land/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [So as soon as the land was worth something and there was money in the bank, all of a sudden everybody got interested in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/so-as-soon-as-the-land-was-worth-something-and-there-was-money-in-the/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

> [There was a queen that was overthrown here. So I was affected by all of that and felt profoundly grateful for the opportunity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/there-was-a-queen-that-was-overthrown-here-so-i-was-affected-by-all/)

[Neil Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

[Explore all 11 Neil Abercrombie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/)

## More Common quotes

> [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/)

[Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/)

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [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/)

> [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/)

[Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/)

[Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

[Browse all 7,866 Common quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Land began to be seen as something to be owned privately and exploited for private interests, and never was entirely reconciled with the old ideas that land should be utilized in common for the good of all.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil Abercrombie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be-owned-privately-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Common"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be-owned-privately-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/neil-abercrombie-40141_common_land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be_2664249.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/neil-abercrombie-40141_common_land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be_2664249.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad5/neil-abercrombie-40141_common_land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be_2664249.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Land began to be seen as something to be owned privately and exploited for private interests, and never was…” — Neil Abercrombie",
                "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": "Neil Abercrombie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-abercrombie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Land began to be seen as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be-owned-privately-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-abercrombie/land-began-to-be-seen-as-something-to-be-owned-privately-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
