--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America seemed a virgin land waiting for…" description: "\"America seemed a virgin land waiting for civilization. But Europe had made the wilderness it found; America was not a virgin, she was a widow.\" — Ronal..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/ronald-wright-25212_america_america-seemed-a-virgin-land-waiting-for_1553333.png" --- # America seemed a virgin land waiting for civilization. But… ![“America seemed a virgin land waiting for civilization. But Europe had made the wilderness it found; America was not a virgin, she was a widow.” quote by Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/ronald-wright-25212_america_america-seemed-a-virgin-land-waiting-for_1553333.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/ronald-wright-25212_america_america-seemed-a-virgin-land-waiting-for_1553333.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/363/ronald-wright-25212_america_america-seemed-a-virgin-land-waiting-for_1553333.png) > “America seemed a virgin land waiting for civilization. But Europe had made the wilderness it found; America was not a virgin, she was a widow.” [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that America was never untouched; European settlement turned a thriving ecosystem into a grieving, altered landscape. **In simple terms:** America was altered, not untouched, by colonization. Key Takeaway Acknowledge the impact of colonization on ecosystems. Themes colonialism environment history myth Mood thoughtful somber Type historical analysis environmental commentary When to use this quote - environmental policy - education - heritage preservation Key Concepts ecological disruption cultural loss Questions to Reflect On - What does calling America a 'widow' suggest? - How can we reconcile progress with loss? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex histories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Virgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-virgin-5810871/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Virgin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgin-land-5810874/) [Virgin Widow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgin-widow-5810872/) [Virgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virgins/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Waiting Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-civilization-5810873/) [Widows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/widows/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/) [Wilderness America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness-america-274002/) ## Related quotes > [Post-Christian man is not the same as Pre-Christian man. He is as far removed as virgin is from widow: there is nothing in common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/post-christian-man-is-not-the-same-as-pre-christian-man-he-is-as-far/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I come more and more to the conclusion that wilderness, in America or anywhere else, is the only thing left that is worth saving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/i-come-more-and-more-to-the-conclusion-that-wilderness-in-america-or/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Without enough wilderness America will change. Democracy, with its myriad personalities and increasing sophistication, must be fibred and vitalized by regular contact with outdoor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/without-enough-wilderness-america-will-change-democracy-with-its/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Mrs. Jennings was a widow, with an ample jointure. She had only two daughters, both of whom she had lived to see respectably married,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/mrs-jennings-was-a-widow-with-an-ample-jointure-she-had-only-two/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“People will rather pass by the weak, the lame, the beggars, the orphans, the tormented, the widows and take their large offerings to church,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/people-will-rather-pass-by-the-weak-the-lame-the-beggars-the-orphans/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Not only do we have the handsomest voice cast out there, along with the very lovely Black Widow, we also have an incredible voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeph-loeb/not-only-do-we-have-the-handsomest-voice-cast-out-there-along-with/) [Jeph Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeph-loeb/) > [Contrary to the macho culture of Mexico, both my grandmothers were very brave young widows. I was always very close to these hard-working, intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/contrary-to-the-macho-culture-of-mexico-both-my-grandmothers-were/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [Martin, at my age, eroticism is reduced to enjoying caramel custard and looking at widows' necks.' - Senor Sempere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/martin-at-my-age-eroticism-is-reduced-to-enjoying-caramel-custard-and/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [The Death of the contemporary forms of social order ought to gladden rather than trouble the soul. Yet what is frightening is that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/the-death-of-the-contemporary-forms-of-social-order-ought-to-gladden/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [When the purpose of the appointment to ,cohabit with the widow bas been attained in accordance with the law, those two shall behave towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/when-the-purpose-of-the-appointment-to-cohabit-with-the-widow-bas/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [“assure you that there were many widows in Israel in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-saffrin/assure-you-that-there-were-many-widows-in-israel-in/) [Bob Saffrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-saffrin/) > [Rich widows are the only second-hand goods that sell at prime cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/rich-widows-are-the-only-second-hand-goods-that-sell-at-prime-cost/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) ## More by Ronald Wright > [“Civilization is an experiment, a very recent way of life in the human career, and it has a habit of walking into what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/civilization-is-an-experiment-a-very-recent-way-of-life-in-the-human/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [“The islanders, they write: carried out for us the experiment of permitting unrestricted population growth, profligate use of resources, destruction of the environment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/the-islanders-they-write-carried-out-for-us-the-experiment-of/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [Societies that do not eat people are fascinated by those that do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/societies-that-do-not-eat-people-are-fascinated-by-those-that-do/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [“Hope, like greed, fuels the engine of capitalism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/hope-like-greed-fuels-the-engine-of-capitalism/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [Like most problems with technology, pollution is a problem of scale. 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The more elusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/in-times-of-war-or-crisis-power-is-easily-stolen-from-the-many-by-the/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [Each time history repeats itself, the price goes up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/each-time-history-repeats-itself-the-price-goes-up/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [Like all creatures, humans have made their way in the world by trial and error. Unlike other creatures we have a presence so colossal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/like-all-creatures-humans-have-made-their-way-in-the-world-by-trial/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [ “Soon after man shows up in new lands, the big game starts to go missing. \[…\] A bad smell of extinction follows Home sapiens… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/soon-after-man-shows-up-in-new-lands-the-big-game-starts-to-go/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [“Even today, some opt for the comforts of mystification, preferring to believe that the wonders of the ancient world were built by Atlanteans, gods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/even-today-some-opt-for-the-comforts-of-mystification-preferring-to/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [“Our practical faith in progress has ramified and hardened into an ideology -- a secular religion which, like the religions that progress has challenged,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/our-practical-faith-in-progress-has-ramified-and-hardened-into-an/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [“Though we became experimental creatures of our own devising, it’s important to bear in mind that we had no inkling of this process, let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/though-we-became-experimental-creatures-of-our-own-devising-it-s/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) > [“The perfection of hunting spelled the end of hunting as a way of life. Easy meat meant more babies. More babies meant more hunters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-wright/the-perfection-of-hunting-spelled-the-end-of-hunting-as-a-way-of-life/) [Ronald Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) [Explore all 21 Ronald Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-wright/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ 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/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. 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