--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We do not have thousands of years to…" description: "\"We do not have thousands of years to unlearn the wrong patters that were established over thousands of years. The exponential speed-up of these cumulat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd3/rosemary-radford-ruether-39569_destruction_we-do-not-have-thousands-of-years-to-unl_487833.jpg" --- # We do not have thousands of years to unlearn the wrong… ![“We do not have thousands of years to unlearn the wrong patters that were established over thousands of years. The exponential speed-up of these cumulative patterns of destruction means we have to both learn new patterns and put them into practice on a global scale within the next generation.” quote by Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd3/rosemary-radford-ruether-39569_destruction_we-do-not-have-thousands-of-years-to-unl_487833.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd3/rosemary-radford-ruether-39569_destruction_we-do-not-have-thousands-of-years-to-unl_487833.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd3/rosemary-radford-ruether-39569_destruction_we-do-not-have-thousands-of-years-to-unl_487833.jpg) > “We do not have thousands of years to unlearn the wrong patters that were established over thousands of years. The exponential speed-up of these cumulative patterns of destruction means we have to both learn new patterns and put them into practice on a global scale within the next generation.” [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human societies must replace outdated destructive habits with sustainable ones quickly, because the accelerating damage leaves little time for gradual change. **In simple terms:** Old harmful habits must be replaced fast. Key Takeaway Adopt sustainable practices now. Themes environment culture change urgency Mood concerned determined Type call to action analytical When to use this quote - policy reform - education curricula - community projects - business models Key Concepts systems thinking intergenerational justice behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - How can we motivate collective action across generations? - What incentives best support new sustainable habits? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted habits is socially and politically difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Next generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-generation/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) ## Related quotes > [“Crucial decisions are made, today as thousands of years ago, in terms of the intuitive guesses and preferences of a few men in positions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/crucial-decisions-are-made-today-as-thousands-of-years-ago-in-terms/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [Ancient Egyptian culture was so enduring. It went on for thousands of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gates/ancient-egyptian-culture-was-so-enduring-it-went-on-for-thousands-of/) [Josh Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gates/) > [Nobody knows through how many thousands of years fighting men have made a place for themselves while the weak and peaceable have gone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/nobody-knows-through-how-many-thousands-of-years-fighting-men-have/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [Migration isn't a one-directional process; it's a colossal process that has been happening in all directions for thousands of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/migration-isn-t-a-one-directional-process-it-s-a-colossal-process/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Let's not forget that for thousands of years the institution of marriage has been between a man and a woman. Until quite recently, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/let-s-not-forget-that-for-thousands-of-years-the-institution-of/) [Dallin H. 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Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [For thousands of years, humans have used the art of storytelling to motivate and persuade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/for-thousands-of-years-humans-have-used-the-art-of-storytelling-to/) [Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/) > [Our heritage as actors goes back thousands of years, and we have to feel as comfortable in the clothes, and the language of Sophocles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-adler/our-heritage-as-actors-goes-back-thousands-of-years-and-we-have-to/) [Stella Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-adler/) > [You might think that after thousands of years of coming up too soon and getting frozen, the crocus family would have had a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/you-might-think-that-after-thousands-of-years-of-coming-up-too-soon/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [Beliefs and values that have held sway for thousands of years will be questioned as never before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-p-christ/beliefs-and-values-that-have-held-sway-for-thousands-of-years-will-be/) [Carol P. Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-p-christ/) > [Yoga has been done for thousands of years and if people keep doing it, it must mean it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-bellerin/yoga-has-been-done-for-thousands-of-years-and-if-people-keep-doing-it/) [Hector Bellerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-bellerin/) > [“p 18 - Hundreds of thousands of years ago our ancestors of the dim and distant past faced the same problems which we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/p-18-hundreds-of-thousands-of-years-ago-our-ancestors-of-the-dim-and/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) ## More by Rosemary Radford Ruether > [In every generation women have to be taught their place one more time. The subordination of women is never accomplished for once and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/in-every-generation-women-have-to-be-taught-their-place-one-more-time/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [“These three creation stories were shaped in the patriarchal, slave-holding world of early urban civilization in the eastern Mediterranean of the second and first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/these-three-creation-stories-were-shaped-in-the-patriarchal-slave/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [The Big Lie makes those who toil appear to be idle, while those who speak into dictaphones appear to be the hard workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/the-big-lie-makes-those-who-toil-appear-to-be-idle-while-those-who/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [God is not a 'being' removed from creation, ruling it from outside in the manner of a patriarchal ruler; God is the source of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/god-is-not-a-being-removed-from-creation-ruling-it-from-outside-in/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [The critical principle of feminist theology is the promotion of the full humanity of women. Whatever denies, diminishes, or distorts the full humanity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/the-critical-principle-of-feminist-theology-is-the-promotion-of-the/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [Women must see that there can be no liberation for them and no solution to the ecological crisis within a society whose fundamental model…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/women-must-see-that-there-can-be-no-liberation-for-them-and-no/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [“Domination of women has provided a key link, both socially and symbolically, to the domination of earth, hence the tendency in patriarchal cultures to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/domination-of-women-has-provided-a-key-link-both-socially-and/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [In his latest book Marc Ellis asks the defining question for Jewish life today: 'Can injustice, represented by Jewish domination of Jerusalem, be at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/in-his-latest-book-marc-ellis-asks-the-defining-question-for-jewish/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [The liberating encounter with God/ess is always an encounter with our authentic selves resurrected from underneath the alienated self. It is not experienced against,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/the-liberating-encounter-with-god-ess-is-always-an-encounter-with-our/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) > [An effort to declare the ban on contraception ‘infallible’ would have the immediate effect of focusing Catholic dissent on the doctrine of infallibility itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/an-effort-to-declare-the-ban-on-contraception-infallible-would-have/) [Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) [Explore all 11 Rosemary Radford Ruether quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/) ## More Destruction quotes > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hundreds of millions of human beings on our planet increasingly suffer from unemployment, poverty, hunger, and the destruction of their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-kung/hundreds-of-millions-of-human-beings-on-our-planet-increasingly/) [Hans Kung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-kung/) > [Away with you, water, destruction of wine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catullus/away-with-you-water-destruction-of-wine/) [Catullus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catullus/) > [Some voluntary castaways there will always be, whom no fostering kindness and no parental care can preserve from self-destruction; but if any are lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/some-voluntary-castaways-there-will-always-be-whom-no-fostering/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is there some lesson on how to be friends? I think what it means is that central to living a life that is good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/is-there-some-lesson-on-how-to-be-friends-i-think-what-it-means-is/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“We're on the eve of destruction. Men have lost all sense of honor. Power has become their faith instead of faith being their power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atiq-rahimi/we-re-on-the-eve-of-destruction-men-have-lost-all-sense-of-honor/) Atiq Rahimi [Browse all 3,161 Destruction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We do not have thousands of years to unlearn the wrong patters that were established over thousands of years. 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