--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My position is this. If we can't protect…" description: "\"My position is this. If we can't protect sanctuaries, if we can't save the whales, the sharks, the fish, our oceans will die.\" — Paul Watson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/paul-watson-1855_dies_my-position-is-this-if-we-can-t-protect_1363322.jpg" --- # My position is this. If we can't protect sanctuaries, if… ![“My position is this. If we can't protect sanctuaries, if we can't save the whales, the sharks, the fish, our oceans will die.” quote by Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/paul-watson-1855_dies_my-position-is-this-if-we-can-t-protect_1363322.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/paul-watson-1855_dies_my-position-is-this-if-we-can-t-protect_1363322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/paul-watson-1855_dies_my-position-is-this-if-we-can-t-protect_1363322.jpg) > “My position is this. If we can't protect sanctuaries, if we can't save the whales, the sharks, the fish, our oceans will die.” [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If we fail to protect marine sanctuaries, the entire ocean ecosystem will collapse. **In simple terms:** Protect marine life or lose oceans. Key Takeaway Prioritize marine conservation. Themes environment conservation marine life Mood urgent concerned Type activist environmental When to use this quote - policy advocacy - community education - activism Key Concepts ecology sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance development and marine health? - What actions can individuals take? A Different Perspective Economic interests may resist protection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Sanctuaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctuaries/) [Sanctuary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctuary/) [Sharks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sharks/) [Whales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whales/) ## Related quotes > [Unless we stop the degradation of our oceans, marine ecological systems will begin collapsing and when enough of them fail, the oceans will die.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/unless-we-stop-the-degradation-of-our-oceans-marine-ecological/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [If we wipe out the fish, the oceans are going to die. If the oceans die, we die. We can't live on this planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/if-we-wipe-out-the-fish-the-oceans-are-going-to-die-if-the-oceans-die/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [WE CAN NOT LIVE ON THIS PLANET WITH DEAD OCEANS. IF OUR OCEANS DIE, WE DIE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-can-not-live-on-this-planet-with-dead-oceans-if-our-oceans-die-we/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Don’t sanctuaries become prisons, and vice versa, foremost in the mind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/don-t-sanctuaries-become-prisons-and-vice-versa-foremost-in-the-mind/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Sanctuaries are magical places - dare I say holy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-patrick-goudreau/sanctuaries-are-magical-places-dare-i-say-holy/) [Colleen Patrick-Goudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-patrick-goudreau/) > [We go to sanctuaries to remember the things we hold most dear, the things we cherish and love. And then-the great challenge-we return home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cronon/we-go-to-sanctuaries-to-remember-the-things-we-hold-most-dear-the/) [William Cronon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cronon/) > [I love zoo sanctuaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-travis/i-love-zoo-sanctuaries/) [Nancy Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-travis/) > [Ah, why Should we, in the world's riper years, neglect God's ancient sanctuaries, and adore Only among the crowd and under roofs That our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-bryant/ah-why-should-we-in-the-world-s-riper-years-neglect-god-s-ancient/) [William C. Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-bryant/) > [It is an utter shame to spend millions on the sanctuaries while millions are dying of hunger! Institutional religion must go to Hell even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/it-is-an-utter-shame-to-spend-millions-on-the-sanctuaries-while/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [If we keep on destroying fish, there won't be any left. If the oceans die, we all die. It's as simple as that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/if-we-keep-on-destroying-fish-there-won-t-be-any-left-if-the-oceans/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [“You can't save the whales by eating whales, but paradoxically, you can help save rare, domesticated foods by eating them. They're kept alive by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/you-can-t-save-the-whales-by-eating-whales-but-paradoxically-you-can/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/save-the-trees-save-the-bees-save-the-whales-save-those-snails/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [We wanna save the whales, we'll watch them feed. Buzz around them in boats, 'til they won't breed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dead-kennedys/we-wanna-save-the-whales-we-ll-watch-them-feed-buzz-around-them-in/) [Dead Kennedys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dead-kennedys/) > [I never believed that U2 wanted to save the whales. I don't believe that The Beastie Boys are ready to lay it down for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-never-believed-that-u2-wanted-to-save-the-whales-i-don-t-believe/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [Save the Whales - Collect the whole set!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/save-the-whales-collect-the-whole-set/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Paul Watson > [Social change comes through people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/social-change-comes-through-people/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Sea Shepherd is to terrorism what Groucho was to Marxism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/sea-shepherd-is-to-terrorism-what-groucho-was-to-marxism/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [You don't get anywhere unless you've had a little bit of a complicated life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/you-don-t-get-anywhere-unless-you-ve-had-a-little-bit-of-a/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Here's the thing: Nobody gets extradited for a crime where nobody's been hurt, where no property's been damaged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/here-s-the-thing-nobody-gets-extradited-for-a-crime-where-nobody-s/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [The shark is the apex predator in the sea. Sharks have molded evolution for 450 million years. All fish species that are prey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/the-shark-is-the-apex-predator-in-the-sea-sharks-have-molded/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [We are literally eating the oceans alive and there are simply not enough fish to continue to feed an ever expanding population of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-are-literally-eating-the-oceans-alive-and-there-are-simply-not/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I want to stay in the ocean. I'm not going to be able to do that from some holding cell in Japan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-want-to-stay-in-the-ocean-i-m-not-going-to-be-able-to-do-that-from/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [It is true that many of the Sea Shepherd crewmembers are inexperienced, but the fact is that these volunteers bring a passion to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/it-is-true-that-many-of-the-sea-shepherd-crewmembers-are/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [We have intelligent species on our planet that we are not even trying to communicate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-have-intelligent-species-on-our-planet-that-we-are-not-even-trying/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I don't think you really have to retire from what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-don-t-think-you-really-have-to-retire-from-what-you-do/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [If you want to know where you would have stood on slavery before the Civil War, don’t look at where you stand on slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/if-you-want-to-know-where-you-would-have-stood-on-slavery-before-the/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [People sometimes feel frustrated about what's going on in our oceans and environment, and 'Whale Wars' shows that ordinary people can take action and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/people-sometimes-feel-frustrated-about-what-s-going-on-in-our-oceans/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [The only language that the Japanese whaling industry understands is economics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/the-only-language-that-the-japanese-whaling-industry-understands-is/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I'm not pessimistic about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-m-not-pessimistic-about-anything/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I don't eat fish because there is no such thing as sustainable fishing in the world right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-don-t-eat-fish-because-there-is-no-such-thing-as-sustainable/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) [Explore all 203 Paul Watson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) ## More Dies quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Don't even think for a moment that you are not going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/don-t-even-think-for-a-moment-that-you-are-not-going-to-die/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/) [Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [“When he stops giving you butterflies, Love dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-blanchard/when-he-stops-giving-you-butterflies-love-dies/) Michelle Blanchard > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [My father thrives on fear. You know that prayer If I should die before I wake? I had sheets that said that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-thrives-on-fear-you-know-that-prayer-if-i-should-die-before/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [If you’re going to die on screen, you’ve got to be strong and in good health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/if-you-re-going-to-die-on-screen-you-ve-got-to-be-strong-and-in-good/) [Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/) Browse all 7,484 Dies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My position is this. 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