--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mankind is nothing more than a parasitic…" description: "\"“Mankind is nothing more than a parasitic tick gorging himself on temporary plenty while the seas are low and the climate is clement. But the present a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/richard-fortey-24595_environment_mankind-is-nothing-more-than-a-parasitic_668728.png" --- # Mankind is nothing more than a parasitic tick gorging… ![“Mankind is nothing more than a parasitic tick gorging himself on temporary plenty while the seas are low and the climate is clement. But the present arrangement of land and sea will change, and with it our brief supremacy.” quote by Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/richard-fortey-24595_environment_mankind-is-nothing-more-than-a-parasitic_668728.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/richard-fortey-24595_environment_mankind-is-nothing-more-than-a-parasitic_668728.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/richard-fortey-24595_environment_mankind-is-nothing-more-than-a-parasitic_668728.png) > ““Mankind is nothing more than a parasitic tick gorging himself on temporary plenty while the seas are low and the climate is clement. But the present arrangement of land and sea will change, and with it our brief supremacy.”” [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human dominance is temporary; ecological limits will force a shift in power. **In simple terms:** Humans are short‑term rulers of Earth. Key Takeaway Respect ecological limits. Themes environment humans impermanence Mood concerned reflective Type philosophical environmental When to use this quote - policy making - education - resource management - long‑term planning Key Concepts Ecology anthropocentrism climate change Questions to Reflect On - How can societies prepare for ecological change? - What responsibilities do we have to future generations? A Different Perspective Predicting exact timeline is uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Land and sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-and-sea/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Mankind Parasitic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind-parasitic-5313412/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Sea change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-change/) [Seas Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seas-low-5313413/) [Tick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tick/) ## Related quotes > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/) [Franklin D. 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In the absence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/without-death-there-is-little-innovation-extinction-death-of-a/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“But, for now, I retreated back down the little hidden staircase into the familiar world of the basement of the Natural History Museum, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/but-for-now-i-retreated-back-down-the-little-hidden-staircase-into/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [The great proliferation of museums in the nineteenth century was a product of the marriage of the exhibition as a way of awakening intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/the-great-proliferation-of-museums-in-the-nineteenth-century-was-a/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“Whether we find it appealing or not is another question, but personally I like being fourth cousin to a mushroom and having a bonobo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/whether-we-find-it-appealing-or-not-is-another-question-but/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“There is no final truth in palaeontology. 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Since any visitor can go to a film like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/i-wonder-if-we-are-seeing-a-return-to-the-object-in-the-science-based/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [A life accumulates a collection: of people, work and perplexities. We are all our own curators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/a-life-accumulates-a-collection-of-people-work-and-perplexities-we/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“When I meet some of my commuting acquaintances on the 6.21 home to Henley-on-Thames they occasionally enquire what I have done that day. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/when-i-meet-some-of-my-commuting-acquaintances-on-the-6-21-home-to/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“Trilobites survived for a total of three hundred million years, almost the whole duration of the Palaeozoic era: who are we johnny-come-latelies to label…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/trilobites-survived-for-a-total-of-three-hundred-million-years-almost/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“There might be symphonies of perfume, Mozarts of musk. Novelists might construct nasal narratives, versifiers sonnets of scent. 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As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/in-the-spirit-building-there-are-thousands-upon-thousands-of-jars/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“I recall the words of Charles Darwin in his Autobiography. ‘I rejoice that I have avoided controversies, and this I owe to Charles Lyell,\*…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/i-recall-the-words-of-charles-darwin-in-his-autobiography-i-rejoice/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) [Explore all 24 Richard Fortey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) ## More Environment quotes > [I feel like the future is unwritten. 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I think most folks feel this to be true. 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