--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The writer Richard Manning has argued…" description: "\"“The writer Richard Manning has argued that 'the most destructive force in the American West is its commanding views, because they foster the illusion ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/phillip-connors-76065_conservation_the-writer-richard-manning-has-argued-th_3046683.jpg" --- # The writer Richard Manning has argued that 'the most… ![“The writer Richard Manning has argued that 'the most destructive force in the American West is its commanding views, because they foster the illusion that we command.” quote by Phillip Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/phillip-connors-76065_conservation_the-writer-richard-manning-has-argued-th_3046683.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/phillip-connors-76065_conservation_the-writer-richard-manning-has-argued-th_3046683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/phillip-connors-76065_conservation_the-writer-richard-manning-has-argued-th_3046683.jpg) > ““The writer Richard Manning has argued that 'the most destructive force in the American West is its commanding views, because they foster the illusion that we command.”” [Phillip Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-connors/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The West’s commanding vistas create a false sense of dominance, leading to destructive attitudes toward nature. **In simple terms:** Scenic views foster illusion of control. Key Takeaway Recognize illusion of dominance. Themes environment illusion hubris Mood thoughtful critical Type environmental analytical When to use this quote - urban planning - tourism - land use policy Key Concepts geography environmental ethics Questions to Reflect On - How does landscape shape behavior? - Can awe promote responsibility? A Different Perspective Beauty can also inspire stewardship, not just domination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commanding Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commanding-views-5048303/) [Conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation/) [Destructive Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive-force-297559/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Fire-season](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire-season-64496/) [Manning Argued](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manning-argued-5048305/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Richard Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/richard-manning-5048306/) [West Commanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-commanding-5048304/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I want to lengthen, not shorten, my attention span, and most of the material splendors of the twenty-first century bully me in the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-connors/i-want-to-lengthen-not-shorten-my-attention-span-and-most-of-the/) [Phillip Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-connors/) > [“Ultimately, I found my instincts mirrored in a line from Thoreau: 'My needle...always settles between west and south-southwest. The future lies that way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-connors/ultimately-i-found-my-instincts-mirrored-in-a-line-from-thoreau-my/) [Phillip Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-connors/) > [Cleverness without wisdom: the most destructive force on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/cleverness-without-wisdom-the-most-destructive-force-on-earth/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [Psychiatry is probably the single most destructive force that has affected American Society within the last fifty years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/psychiatry-is-probably-the-single-most-destructive-force-that-has/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [What you don't do can be a destructive force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/what-you-don-t-do-can-be-a-destructive-force/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [“Both the teardrop and the tempest are made of water, making it the most yielding and most destructive force on Earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-paul/both-the-teardrop-and-the-tempest-are-made-of-water-making-it-the/) [Fiona Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-paul/) > [I believe the desire for instant gratification is the most destructive force in the world today. 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Regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/you-know-what-the-most-destructive-force-in-the-universe-is-regret/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [“A blanket could be used as an inherently destructive force, if you can just get past the brick stage. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-blanket-could-be-used-as-an-inherently-destructive-force-if-you-can/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [There emanates from superlatives a destructive force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/there-emanates-from-superlatives-a-destructive-force/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [Where is the indignation about the fact that the US and USSR have thirty thousand pounds of destructive force for every human being in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/where-is-the-indignation-about-the-fact-that-the-us-and-ussr-have/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) ## More by Phillip Connors > [“Ultimately, I found my instincts mirrored in a line from Thoreau: 'My needle...always settles between west and south-southwest. 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