--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are the only species on this planet…" description: "\"We are the only species on this planet without full employment.\" — Paul Hawken" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/paul-hawken-3831_employment_we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-w_409024.png" --- # We are the only species on this planet without full… ![“We are the only species on this planet without full employment.” quote by Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/paul-hawken-3831_employment_we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-w_409024.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/paul-hawken-3831_employment_we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-w_409024.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/paul-hawken-3831_employment_we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-w_409024.png) > “We are the only species on this planet without full employment.” [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humanity lacks universal full‑time jobs, indicating systemic economic imbalance. **In simple terms:** No one has full employment. Key Takeaway Address systemic job scarcity. Themes economics labor markets inequality Mood reflective concerned Type economic sociological When to use this quote - policy design - education reform - social safety nets - corporate responsibility Key Concepts universal basic income job automation gig economy Questions to Reflect On - What policies could create stable work? - Is full employment a viable goal? A Different Perspective Full employment may be unrealistic due to automation and market forces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Employment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employment/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Meaningful work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful-work/) [Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planet/) ## Related quotes > [We are the only species on the planet without full employment. Brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-the-planet-without-full-employment/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [To survive as a species on this planet, we're going to have to see ourselves as Earthlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/to-survive-as-a-species-on-this-planet-we-re-going-to-have-to-see/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [“We are the only species on the planet without full employment. Brilliant. We have an economy that tells us that it is cheaper to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-dean-moore/we-are-the-only-species-on-the-planet-without-full-employment-2/) Kathleen Dean Moore > [We have the capacity to create a remarkably different economy: one that can restore ecosystems and protect the environment while bringing forth innovation, prosperity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-have-the-capacity-to-create-a-remarkably-different-economy-one/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [I'd rather fail at something important than succeed at something trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/i-d-rather-fail-at-something-important-than-succeed-at-something/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Find a happy person, and you will find a project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/find-a-happy-person-and-you-will-find-a-project/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [“meaningful work and meaningful relationships were and still are my primary goals and everything I did was for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/meaningful-work-and-meaningful-relationships-were-and-still-are-my/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [As a technologist, I see the trends, and I see that automation inevitably is going to mean fewer and fewer jobs. And if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-a-technologist-i-see-the-trends-and-i-see-that-automation/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The folks who go after grand challenges are impatient. They're pissed off. They're sick and tired, but in a passionate way. They're driven by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/the-folks-who-go-after-grand-challenges-are-impatient-they-re-pissed/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [The meaningful work and the meaningful relationships are, to me, comparable rewards. I think being on a mission to do something great is great,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/the-meaningful-work-and-the-meaningful-relationships-are-to-me/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [As a young boy growing up in Rohtak, India, I had no idea what my life's work would be. But my parents instilled in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punit-renjen/as-a-young-boy-growing-up-in-rohtak-india-i-had-no-idea-what-my-life/) [Punit Renjen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punit-renjen/) > [“You just have to forget whatever you were taught about “meaningful work” and start noticing whatever has meaning to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sher/you-just-have-to-forget-whatever-you-were-taught-about-meaningful/) [Barbara Sher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sher/) > [In the end, what matters most is that the people you work with share your values, so I've wanted people who value the meaningful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/in-the-end-what-matters-most-is-that-the-people-you-work-with-share/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [To work effectively you need uninterrupted blocks of time in which you can complete meaningful work... I've found that a minimum of 90 minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-pavlina/to-work-effectively-you-need-uninterrupted-blocks-of-time-in-which/) [Steve Pavlina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-pavlina/) > [We had pathetically simple dreams: to do meaningful work that we could be proud of, to be together, and to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/we-had-pathetically-simple-dreams-to-do-meaningful-work-that-we-could/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) ## More by Paul Hawken > [Information from destructive activities going back a hundred years right up until today is being incorporated into the system. And as that happens the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/information-from-destructive-activities-going-back-a-hundred-years/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [When the planes still swoop down and aerial spray a field in order to kill a predator insect with pesticides, we are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/when-the-planes-still-swoop-down-and-aerial-spray-a-field-in-order-to/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [The great thing about the dilemma we're in is that we get to re-imagine every single thing we do...There isn't a single thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/the-great-thing-about-the-dilemma-we-re-in-is-that-we-get-to-re/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Luck is earned. Luck is working so hard at your craft, service or enterprise that sooner or later you get a break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/luck-is-earned-luck-is-working-so-hard-at-your-craft-service-or/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Healing the wounds of the earth and its people does not require saintliness or a political party, only gumption and persistence. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/healing-the-wounds-of-the-earth-and-its-people-does-not-require/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [When cattle ranchers clear rain forests to raise beef to sell to fast-food chains that make hamburgers to sell to Americans, who have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/when-cattle-ranchers-clear-rain-forests-to-raise-beef-to-sell-to-fast/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We subsidize the disposal of waste in all its myriad forms — from landfills, to Superfund cleanups, to deep-well injection, to storage of nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-subsidize-the-disposal-of-waste-in-all-its-myriad-forms-from/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity's willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/inspiration-is-not-garnered-from-the-litanies-of-what-may-befall-us/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [If you look at the science that describes what is happening on earth today and aren't pessimistic, you don’t have the correct data. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/if-you-look-at-the-science-that-describes-what-is-happening-on-earth/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [All is connected ... no one thing can change by itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/all-is-connected-no-one-thing-can-change-by-itself/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We can no longer prosper by increasing human productivity. The more we try to do, the more poverty we will create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-can-no-longer-prosper-by-increasing-human-productivity-the-more-we/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Throughout the industrial era, economists considered manufactured capital - money, factories, etc. - the principal factor in industrial production, and perceived natural capital as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/throughout-the-industrial-era-economists-considered-manufactured/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [his planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/his-planet-came-with-a-set-of-instructions-but-we-seem-to-have/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Sustainability, ensuring the future of life on Earth, is an infinite game, the endless expression of generosity on behalf of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/sustainability-ensuring-the-future-of-life-on-earth-is-an-infinite/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Sustainability is an economic state where the demands placed upon the environment by people and commerce can be met without reducing the capacity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/sustainability-is-an-economic-state-where-the-demands-placed-upon-the/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) [Explore all 121 Paul Hawken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## More Employment quotes > [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Time wasted can never be compensated”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/time-wasted-can-never-be-compensated/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“There is no interaction without God with interaction with men”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/there-is-no-interaction-without-god-with-interaction-with-men/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“It's no accident that in a bureaucracy getting fired is called 'termination,' as in ontological erasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-no-accident-that-in-a-bureaucracy-getting-fired-is-called/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“Work is a vehicle with which man chases some fleeting destination called a full tummy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/work-is-a-vehicle-with-which-man-chases-some-fleeting-destination/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Your calling multiplies you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/your-calling-multiplies-you/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Employment is an employee’s kissing of an employer’s ass. A salary is the employer’s pretense to be cleaning his ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/employment-is-an-employee-s-kissing-of-an-employer-s-ass-a-salary-is/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“...the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-pleasantness-of-an-employment-does-not-always-evince-its-propriety/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Time is the source of all things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/time-is-the-source-of-all-things/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [In a world where lifelong employment in the same job is a thing of the past, creativity is not a luxury. It is essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/in-a-world-where-lifelong-employment-in-the-same-job-is-a-thing-of/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“Time is a running factor; once it goes, it cannot be reclaimed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/time-is-a-running-factor-once-it-goes-it-cannot-be-reclaimed/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Money is created from time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/money-is-created-from-time/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [As the president of Kosovo, I am more concerned about the current situation with the employment standing at around 70 % of the population,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibrahim-rugova/as-the-president-of-kosovo-i-am-more-concerned-about-the-current/) [Ibrahim Rugova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibrahim-rugova/) [Browse all 1,829 Employment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are the only species on this planet without full employment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Hawken" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-without-full-employment/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Employment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-without-full-employment/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/paul-hawken-3831_employment_we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-w_409024.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/paul-hawken-3831_employment_we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-w_409024.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b10/paul-hawken-3831_employment_we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-w_409024.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are the only species on this planet without full employment.” — Paul Hawken", "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": "Paul Hawken", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are the only species on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-without-full-employment/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-are-the-only-species-on-this-planet-without-full-employment/#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 } } ] } ```