---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What're you going to do\", he said…"
description: "\"“What're you going to do\", he said, \"pollinate it to death?”\" — Ransom Riggs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/ransom-riggs-1816_death_what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinat_324444.png"
---

#  What're you going to do", he said, "pollinate it to death?

![“What're you going to do&quot;, he said, &quot;pollinate it to death?” quote by Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/ransom-riggs-1816_death_what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinat_324444.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/ransom-riggs-1816_death_what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinat_324444.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/ransom-riggs-1816_death_what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinat_324444.png)

> ““What're you going to do", he said, "pollinate it to death?””

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He warns that excessive meddling can destroy what one intends to nurture.

**In simple terms:** Too much interference kills.

Key Takeaway

Balance involvement with restraint.

Themes

responsibility intervention consequences

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

advisory philosophical

When to use this quote

- environmental activism
- personal relationships
- creative projects

Key Concepts

ethics overreach

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you know when to step back?
- What signs indicate overinvolvement?

A Different Perspective

Excessive control can stifle growth and cause harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/)

## Related quotes

> [Pollinate the world with the pure love of Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-russell-ballard/pollinate-the-world-with-the-pure-love-of-christ/)

[M. Russell Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-russell-ballard/)

> [If bad things are going to be said about me, I have to bear that. If I don't understand that it's part of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-banderas/if-bad-things-are-going-to-be-said-about-me-i-have-to-bear-that-if-i/)

[Antonio Banderas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-banderas/)

> [“I'm going out,” I said. I loved the way that sounded. It was just like what the heroes say in war movies right before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-grant/i-m-going-out-i-said-i-loved-the-way-that-sounded-it-was-just-like/)

[Vicki Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-grant/)

> [“But, Ed! Say! Are you going to let him get away with it?" "Am I going to let him get away with it!" said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/but-ed-say-are-you-going-to-let-him-get-away-with-it-am-i-going-to/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [So the HP guy comes up to me (at the Melbourne conference) and he says, 'If you say nasty things like that to vendors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-de-raadt/so-the-hp-guy-comes-up-to-me-at-the-melbourne-conference-and-he-says/)

[Theo de Raadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-de-raadt/)

> [You're not going," he said as soon as she'd finished. "If I have to tie you up and sit on you until this insane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-re-not-going-he-said-as-soon-as-she-d-finished-if-i-have-to-tie-2/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not one of those people who walks away and says, "That's a lot better than I thought it was going to be." I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-munn/i-m-not-one-of-those-people-who-walks-away-and-says-that-s-a-lot/)

[Olivia Munn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-munn/)

> [I’m going to go," he said. "All right." He didn’t move. Then: "I don’t want to." "Do it anyway." He chuckled. "You’re a hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-howard/i-m-going-to-go-he-said-all-right-he-didn-t-move-then-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Linda Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-howard/)

> [I'm going, she said. I love you but you're crazy, you're doomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-m-going-she-said-i-love-you-but-you-re-crazy-you-re-doomed/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [ Phil \[Wood\] said to me in the car going back, he said, "Look man, you better know why you're playing this music. Because I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/phil-wood-said-to-me-in-the-car-going-back-he-said-look-man-you/)

[Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/)

> [“…We know in advance what’s going to be said, and so we forget to listen….”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-webster/we-know-in-advance-what-s-going-to-be-said-and-so-we-forget-to-listen/)

[John Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-webster/)

> [There's always going to be something said that hurts you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/there-s-always-going-to-be-something-said-that-hurts-you/)

[Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/)

> [“What did I tell you? Something's happening!' cried Sam. '"The war's going well," said Shagrat; but Gorbag he wasn't so sure. And he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/what-did-i-tell-you-something-s-happening-cried-sam-the-war-s-going/)

[J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/)

> [“I knew I didn't have much of a chance of getting away from that swarm of fae piranha, but it was an infinitely larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-knew-i-didn-t-have-much-of-a-chance-of-getting-away-from-that-swarm/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [“Do you know what he told me after lying under a cliff for thirty six hours with two inches of his femur sticking out?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/do-you-know-what-he-told-me-after-lying-under-a-cliff-for-thirty-six/)

[Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/)

## More by Ransom Riggs

> [“Maybe I could use a little metal on the inside, I thought. If I'd kept my heart better armored, where would I be now?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/maybe-i-could-use-a-little-metal-on-the-inside-i-thought-if-i-d-kept/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“To have endured horrors, to have seen the worst of humanity and have your life made unrecognizable by it, to come out of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/to-have-endured-horrors-to-have-seen-the-worst-of-humanity-and-have/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“When it comes to big things in life, there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/when-it-comes-to-big-things-in-life-there-are-no-accidents-everything/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“Hugh and Fiona stood off to one side, their hands linked and foreheads touching, saying goodbye in their own quiet way. Finally, we'd all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/hugh-and-fiona-stood-off-to-one-side-their-hands-linked-and-foreheads/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [I grew up feeling like a weirdo like many kids do. But I was lucky to find my own home for peculiar children. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-grew-up-feeling-like-a-weirdo-like-many-kids-do-but-i-was-lucky-to/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“Then I was face to face with it. Tongues fanned from its gaping, bladed mouth. Its eyes were black and weeping more black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/then-i-was-face-to-face-with-it-tongues-fanned-from-its-gaping-bladed/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“It's not about destiny but i do think there's balance in the world and forces we don't understand intervene to tip the scales the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/it-s-not-about-destiny-but-i-do-think-there-s-balance-in-the-world/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“Oh, thank heavens! Someone remembered the bath mat," Enoch deadpanned. "We are saved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/oh-thank-heavens-someone-remembered-the-bath-mat-enoch-deadpanned-we/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“You tread a precariously thin line between being charmingly headstrong and insufferably pigheaded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/you-tread-a-precariously-thin-line-between-being-charmingly/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“I did love her, of course, but mostly because loving your mom is mandatory, not because she was someone I think I'd like very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-did-love-her-of-course-but-mostly-because-loving-your-mom-is/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“ ‘You don’t strike me as a quitter.’ ‘Then you don’t know me very well,’ I replied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/you-don-t-strike-me-as-a-quitter-then-you-don-t-know-me-very-well-i/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“I came to enjoy communicating by hand. There was something sweet about holding a tangible thing that had been touched and marked upon by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-came-to-enjoy-communicating-by-hand-there-was-something-sweet-about/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“Bombs are falling and we're reading stories, I thought. I have entered the realm of the insane. -Jacob”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/bombs-are-falling-and-we-re-reading-stories-i-thought-i-have-entered/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“Yo no sabía como llamar a aquello que sucedía entre nosotros, pero me gustaba. Me proporcionaba una sensación estúpida, frágil y agradable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/yo-no-sab-a-como-llamar-a-aquello-que-suced-a-entre-nosotros-pero-me/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“I think they worried that my grandfather would infect me with some incurable dreaminess from which I’d never recover – that these fantasies were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-think-they-worried-that-my-grandfather-would-infect-me-with-some/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

[Explore all 201 Ransom Riggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [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 do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

J. Anthony Torino

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“What're you going to do\", he said, \"pollinate it to death?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ransom Riggs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinate-it-to-death/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinate-it-to-death/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/ransom-riggs-1816_death_what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinat_324444.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/ransom-riggs-1816_death_what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinat_324444.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/ransom-riggs-1816_death_what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinat_324444.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What're you going to do\", he said, \"pollinate it to death?” — Ransom Riggs",
                "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": "Ransom Riggs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“What're you going to do\", he...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinate-it-to-death/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/what-re-you-going-to-do-he-said-pollinate-it-to-death/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
