Accomplish Quote by Paul R. Ehrlich
“I'm sort of optimistic about what we could do, but I'm very pessimistic about what we will do. I can't tell you that Al Gore's 10-year plan is impossible. I'm old enough to remember the Second World War - if we had a World War II-type mobilization, we might accomplish Gore's plan. In 1940 we were making tens of thousands of automobiles, and in 1941 we were making tens of thousands of airplanes. We mobilized as a nation. If we get that kind of mobilization as a nation or globally, then we could solve a lot of these problems.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Climate Policy, 2005
Optimism about potential solutions contrasts with pessimism about actual political will; large‑scale mobilization could achieve climate goals.
In simple terms: Hopeful about tech, doubtful about politics.
Key Takeaway
Mobilize society like wartime.
Themes
optimism
pessimism
climate action
Mood
concerned
hopeful
Type
political
environmental
When to use this quote
- government policy
- public campaigns
- industrial scaling
Key Concepts
mobilization
political will
Questions to Reflect On
- Can societies rally for climate as they did in war?
- What barriers prevent large‑scale action?
A Different Perspective
Requires political consensus, not just technology.
![“Snowpiercer has both [optimistic and pessimistic]. It was essentially optimistic. The most pessimistic was my part, because of his knowledge. He knows how it started. The status quo, he knows, has to be maintained, otherwise there is no chance. He knows that this revolution is completely…” quote by John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/de9/john-hurt-1669_chance_snowpiercer-has-both-optimistic-and-pess_2798438.jpg)
![“In ten years [i.e., 1980] all important animal life in the sea will be extinct. Large areas of coastline will have to be evacuated because of the stench of dead fish.” quote by Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/552/paul-r-ehrlich-13046_animal_in-ten-years-i-e-1980-all-important-anim_180543.jpg)
![“[The Community's] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)
