--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can't save the forest, plant a…" description: "\"“If you can't save the forest, plant a tree. - Mr. Morrison, Humane Society volunteer”\" — Peg Kehret" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/peg-kehret-31541_forest_if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tre_1838760.png" --- # If you can't save the forest, plant a tree. - Mr… ![“If you can't save the forest, plant a tree. - Mr. Morrison, Humane Society volunteer” quote by Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/peg-kehret-31541_forest_if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tre_1838760.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/peg-kehret-31541_forest_if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tre_1838760.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/peg-kehret-31541_forest_if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tre_1838760.png) > ““If you can't save the forest, plant a tree. - Mr. Morrison, Humane Society volunteer”” [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If protecting the whole forest is impossible, individual actions like planting a tree still matter. **In simple terms:** Plant trees when you can't save the forest. Key Takeaway Take small environmental actions. Themes environment action hope individualism Mood determined optimistic Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - community gardening - urban reforestation - school projects - personal carbon offset Key Concepts conservation agency ecosystem Questions to Reflect On - What small act can you do today? - How does personal effort affect larger change? A Different Perspective Impact is limited if systemic change is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forest/) [Plant a tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant-a-tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [Save the elephants, and then you save the forest - and then you save yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shand/save-the-elephants-and-then-you-save-the-forest-and-then-you-save/) [Mark Shand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shand/) > [The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliud-kipchoge/the-best-time-to-plant-a-tree-was-25-years-ago-the-second-best-time/) [Eliud Kipchoge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliud-kipchoge/) > [“Place" On the last day of the world I would want to plant a tree what for not the fruit the tree that bears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-merwin-2/place-on-the-last-day-of-the-world-i-would-want-to-plant-a-tree-what/) [W.S. Merwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-merwin-2/) > [On the last day of the world I would want to plant a tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-merwin/on-the-last-day-of-the-world-i-would-want-to-plant-a-tree/) [W. S. Merwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-merwin/) > [“wonderful bit of Chinese wisdom that asks, “When is the best time to plant a tree?”  The answer is “20 years ago, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-s-boynton/wonderful-bit-of-chinese-wisdom-that-asks-when-is-the-best-time-to/) Paul S. Boynton > [And remember, even when you can't sing, you can always plant a tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-archuleta/and-remember-even-when-you-can-t-sing-you-can-always-plant-a-tree/) [David Archuleta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-archuleta/) > [“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-r-covey/the-best-time-to-plant-a-tree-is-twenty-years-ago-the-second-best/) [Stephen M.R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-r-covey/) > [Girls, do not scrub and cook and scour until you have no time left to plant a tree, or vine or flower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/girls-do-not-scrub-and-cook-and-scour-until-you-have-no-time-left-to/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [“… the best time to plant a tree is always twenty years ago. If, for some reason, you did not plant it then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-acosta/the-best-time-to-plant-a-tree-is-always-twenty-years-ago-if-for-some/) Carlos Acosta > [Everybody should plant a tree on any happy occasion or birthday and celebrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayaji-shinde/everybody-should-plant-a-tree-on-any-happy-occasion-or-birthday-and/) [Sayaji Shinde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayaji-shinde/) > [What do we plant when we plant a tree? A thousand things that we daily see, We plant the spire that out-towers the crag,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-abbey/what-do-we-plant-when-we-plant-a-tree-a-thousand-things-that-we-daily/) [Henry Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-abbey/) > [If I knew that the world ends tomorrow, I, even today, plant a tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/if-i-knew-that-the-world-ends-tomorrow-i-even-today-plant-a-tree/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The est time to plant a tree was 20 years ago…the second best time is now..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-est-time-to-plant-a-tree-was-20-years-ago-the-second-best-time-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's the way I do things when I want to celebrate, I always plant a tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/that-s-the-way-i-do-things-when-i-want-to-celebrate-i-always-plant-a/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [Anybody can dig a hole and plant a tree. But make sure it survives. You have to nurture it, you have to water it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/anybody-can-dig-a-hole-and-plant-a-tree-but-make-sure-it-survives-you/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) ## More by Peg Kehret > [Guests are people who come to your home to see you whine at the table, bark loudly, jump on women wearing pantyhose, and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/guests-are-people-who-come-to-your-home-to-see-you-whine-at-the-table/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [I wasn't inspired so much by a person as by reading many good books. I loved to write and I wondered if I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/i-wasn-t-inspired-so-much-by-a-person-as-by-reading-many-good-books-i/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“...now that I had finally confronted him, he had lost his power over me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/now-that-i-had-finally-confronted-him-he-had-lost-his-power-over-me/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“Don't let resentment and bitterness rob you of happiness. - Mr. Morrison, Humane Society volunteer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/don-t-let-resentment-and-bitterness-rob-you-of-happiness-mr-morrison/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“Worse of all, I had to live with a terrible secret. I told lies to keep people from finding out what I'd done and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/worse-of-all-i-had-to-live-with-a-terrible-secret-i-told-lies-to-keep/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“This minute is passing. And it will never come again. Never in all the world. When it is gone, it is gone. No power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/this-minute-is-passing-and-it-will-never-come-again-never-in-all-the/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [I had longed to come home but now that I was there, it wasn't much fun. Home wasn't the same if I couldn't sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/i-had-longed-to-come-home-but-now-that-i-was-there-it-wasn-t-much-fun/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [I could not write my books without the library's help. Even with the ease of Internet research, I find books to be indispensable when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/i-could-not-write-my-books-without-the-library-s-help-even-with-the/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [Fear that comes from personal experience is far more real than fear based on someone else's ordeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/fear-that-comes-from-personal-experience-is-far-more-real-than-fear/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“It was the best grilled cheese sandwich I'd ever had—golden brown with a buttery taste, and the cheese all melted and gooey and oozing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/it-was-the-best-grilled-cheese-sandwich-i-d-ever-had-golden-brown/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“See how her expression changes when she looks at you? It's the love light shining from within...Lucky we are when we're seen through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/see-how-her-expression-changes-when-she-looks-at-you-it-s-the-love/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“I've yet to meet a deceitful dog. The truth is, I like most animals better than I like most people. - Mr. Morrison, Humane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/i-ve-yet-to-meet-a-deceitful-dog-the-truth-is-i-like-most-animals/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“Don't waste your life on if-onlys. - Mr. Morrison, Humane Society volunteer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/don-t-waste-your-life-on-if-onlys-mr-morrison-humane-society-volunteer/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“Act like a criminal and that's how you'll be treated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/act-like-a-criminal-and-that-s-how-you-ll-be-treated/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) > [“When they lock the door, climb out the window. – Mr. Morrison, volunteer at the Humane Society”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/when-they-lock-the-door-climb-out-the-window-mr-morrison-volunteer-at/) [Peg Kehret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) [Explore all 16 Peg Kehret quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/) ## More Forest quotes > [“A sense of desolation settled within me: a cold, slimy stone lodged under my lungs. There was nothing happy about the woods, I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-davidson/a-sense-of-desolation-settled-within-me-a-cold-slimy-stone-lodged/) [Craig Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-davidson/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [Yes, Brazil, like the whole world, stands to lose a lot in a climate-altered world. But it's also one of the major forces determining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/yes-brazil-like-the-whole-world-stands-to-lose-a-lot-in-a-climate/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [The Shiv Sena says that when it comes to power, they will declare Aarey as a forest. How will they declare it a forest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-thackeray/the-shiv-sena-says-that-when-it-comes-to-power-they-will-declare/) [Raj Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-thackeray/) > [We did a 'Vanity Fair' spread for 'The Hunger Games,' and we were on set, and I saw a little head pop up from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-ludwig/we-did-a-vanity-fair-spread-for-the-hunger-games-and-we-were-on-set/) [Alexander Ludwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-ludwig/) > [Darkness, air, water, and sky will come together... and shake the forest to its roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/darkness-air-water-and-sky-will-come-together-and-shake-the-forest-to/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [“The branches do not support the root. But the root supports the branches.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-branches-do-not-support-the-root-but-the-root-supports-the/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“… I can only wish to remember the good times and forget the things I refuse to remember. They are nothing but heartache.” -Sophia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-may-b-bandiola/i-can-only-wish-to-remember-the-good-times-and-forget-the-things-i/) [Teresa May B. Bandiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-may-b-bandiola/) > [Normally, you want the river when the water is low and not when it's flooded. For example, there are parts of the Amazon where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-wade/normally-you-want-the-river-when-the-water-is-low-and-not-when-it-s/) [Jeremy Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-wade/) > [“It's your fault, Eeyore. You've never been to see any of us. You just stay here in this one corner of the Forest waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne-2/it-s-your-fault-eeyore-you-ve-never-been-to-see-any-of-us-you-just/) [A.A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne-2/) > [Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutan shave been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest,living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/chimpanzees-gorillas-orangutan-shave-been-living-for-hundreds-of/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“transfixed by the forest flying behind us. Every tree passed is another memory coming back to haunt me, like that night Dylan, Tyson, Joey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-b-nelson/transfixed-by-the-forest-flying-behind-us-every-tree-passed-is/) K.B. Nelson > [Look, as an institutionalist who recognizes the power of incrementalism in the slow but steady march to equality, I'm used to seeing the forest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/look-as-an-institutionalist-who-recognizes-the-power-of/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [A hidden spark of the dream sleeps In the forest and waits In the celestial spheres of the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/a-hidden-spark-of-the-dream-sleeps-in-the-forest-and-waits-in-the/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/from-my-perspective-i-absolutely-believe-in-a-greater-spiritual-power/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) [Browse all 598 Forest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you can't save the forest, plant a tree. - Mr. Morrison, Humane Society volunteer”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peg Kehret" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tree-mr-morrison-humane-society/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tree-mr-morrison-humane-society/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/peg-kehret-31541_forest_if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tre_1838760.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/peg-kehret-31541_forest_if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tre_1838760.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/peg-kehret-31541_forest_if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tre_1838760.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can't save the forest, plant a tree. - Mr. Morrison, Humane Society volunteer” — Peg Kehret", "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": "Peg Kehret", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-kehret/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you can't save the forest,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tree-mr-morrison-humane-society/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-kehret/if-you-can-t-save-the-forest-plant-a-tree-mr-morrison-humane-society/#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 } } ] } ```