--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From the right to know and the duty to…" description: "\"From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act.\" — Sandra Steingraber" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/sandra-steingraber-26626_duty_from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-i_1736422.jpg" --- # From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the… ![“From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act.” quote by Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/sandra-steingraber-26626_duty_from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-i_1736422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/sandra-steingraber-26626_duty_from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-i_1736422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/sandra-steingraber-26626_duty_from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-i_1736422.jpg) > “From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act.” [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognizing knowledge and curiosity creates a moral duty to take action. **In simple terms:** Knowing and asking creates responsibility to act. Key Takeaway Turn awareness into action. Themes environment responsibility activism Mood concerned determined Type call to action ethical When to use this quote - community organizing - policy advocacy - personal lifestyle changes Key Concepts ethics civic duty empowerment Questions to Reflect On - How can you move from awareness to concrete steps? - What obstacles might prevent you from acting? A Different Perspective Action may be limited by systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [The judge's duty is to inquire about the time, as well as the facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/the-judge-s-duty-is-to-inquire-about-the-time-as-well-as-the-facts/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [It's your duty to fly the airplane. If you get killed in it, you don't know anything about it anyway. Duty is paramount. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/it-s-your-duty-to-fly-the-airplane-if-you-get-killed-in-it-you-don-t/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [“They are of course aware of a higher calling, because they are sworn to defend this country and to fight its battles. And when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-luttrell-patrick-robinson/they-are-of-course-aware-of-a-higher-calling-because-they-are-sworn/) Marcus Luttrell, Patrick Robinson > [You will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/you-will-always-find-those-who-think-they-know-what-is-your-duty-2/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [We all know our duty better than we discharge it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/we-all-know-our-duty-better-than-we-discharge-it/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) > [Not only do we have a right to know, we have a duty to know what our Government is doing in our name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/not-only-do-we-have-a-right-to-know-we-have-a-duty-to-know-what-our-2/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [“you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bryans/you-will-always-find-those-who-think-they-know-what-is-your-duty/) [Bruce Bryans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bryans/) > [Our time is fixed, and all our days are number'd; How long, how short, we know not:—this we know, Duty requires we calmly wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-blair/our-time-is-fixed-and-all-our-days-are-number-d-how-long-how-short-we/) [Robert Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-blair/) > [Let him who gropes painfully in darkness or uncertain light, and prays vehemently that the dawn may ripen into day, lay this precept well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/let-him-who-gropes-painfully-in-darkness-or-uncertain-light-and-prays/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/those-who-have-the-privilege-to-know-have-the-duty-to-act/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I know General Grant better than any other person in the country can know him. It was my duty to study him, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-m-stanton/i-know-general-grant-better-than-any-other-person-in-the-country-can/) [Edwin M. Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-m-stanton/) > [I know of only one duty, and that is to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-know-of-only-one-duty-and-that-is-to-love/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [There is nothing in the universe that I fear, but that I shall not know all my duty, or shall fail to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lyon/there-is-nothing-in-the-universe-that-i-fear-but-that-i-shall-not/) Mary Lyon > [“They always seemed to know everything, but now there is only me, and it seems I know nothing, not even my duty. How can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/they-always-seemed-to-know-everything-but-now-there-is-only-me-and-it/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [You know me. It's my duty to please that booty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-l-jackson/you-know-me-it-s-my-duty-to-please-that-booty/) [Samuel L. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-l-jackson/) ## More by Sandra Steingraber > [In the world outside this glass room, songbirds are feeding and resting in the trees. Some will take off tonight and not land until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/in-the-world-outside-this-glass-room-songbirds-are-feeding-and/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [We can change our thinking. Rather than viewing the chemical adulteration of our environment and our bodies as the inevitable practice of convenience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/we-can-change-our-thinking-rather-than-viewing-the-chemical/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [I have come to believe that extracting natural gas from shale using the newish technique called hydrofracking is the environmental issue of our time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/i-have-come-to-believe-that-extracting-natural-gas-from-shale-using/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [I have always been a big advocate of tap water-not because I think it harmless but because the idea of purchasing water extracted from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/i-have-always-been-a-big-advocate-of-tap-water-not-because-i-think-it/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Here in the United States, a study of nearly 700 women in California showed an increased risk of fetal death among babies whose mothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/here-in-the-united-states-a-study-of-nearly-700-women-in-california/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Drink a bottle of French water and then step into the shower for ten minutes and you've just received the exposure equivalent of drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/drink-a-bottle-of-french-water-and-then-step-into-the-shower-for-ten/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [The study of how substances alter gene expression is part of the field of epigenetics. Some chemical exposures appear to turn on and turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/the-study-of-how-substances-alter-gene-expression-is-part-of-the/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [“Prenatal care means taking care of water, fish, and glaciers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/prenatal-care-means-taking-care-of-water-fish-and-glaciers/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [By 1990, the EPA had tallied up 32,645 sites of past chemical waste dumping in need of cleanup. Some of these are actual waste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/by-1990-the-epa-had-tallied-up-32-645-sites-of-past-chemical-waste/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Industrialized countries have disproportionately more cancers than countries with little or no industry (after adjusting for age and population size). One half of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/industrialized-countries-have-disproportionately-more-cancers-than/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [We are all musicians in a great human orchestra, and it is now time to play the Save the World Symphony. You are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/we-are-all-musicians-in-a-great-human-orchestra-and-it-is-now-time-to/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [“birth defects, as well as congenital heart problems, were elevated in communities served by a drinking water reservoir that had been contaminated with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/birth-defects-as-well-as-congenital-heart-problems-were-elevated-in/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Besides, the sense of safety offered by bottled water is a mirage. It turns out that breathing, not drinking, constitutes our main route of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/besides-the-sense-of-safety-offered-by-bottled-water-is-a-mirage-it/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [Between the late 1950s and the late 1980s, more than 750 million tons of chemical wastes were discarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/between-the-late-1950s-and-the-late-1980s-more-than-750-million-tons/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) > [The scientific analysis that is supposed to provide our Governor the facts and information he needs to make a crucial decision was crafted with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/the-scientific-analysis-that-is-supposed-to-provide-our-governor-the/) [Sandra Steingraber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) [Explore all 21 Sandra Steingraber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/) ## More Duty quotes > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/few-political-debates-have-been-as-divisive-as-the-european-one-i/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Is that what they teach you at the convent? That the gods demand the hearts from our bodies?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/is-that-what-they-teach-you-at-the-convent-that-the-gods-demand-the/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [The less we show our love to a woman, Or please her less, and neglect our duty, The more we trap and ruin her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/the-less-we-show-our-love-to-a-woman-or-please-her-less-and-neglect/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“You have a right to be sad, and a duty to move on. Only wins who wipes the tears, gather strength and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/you-have-a-right-to-be-sad-and-a-duty-to-move-on-only-wins-who-wipes/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Regardless of how you feel about war and peace those serving military are doing a duty for the rest of us and they're protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/regardless-of-how-you-feel-about-war-and-peace-those-serving-military/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [“Duty is a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/duty-is-a-done-deal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I do not so much rejoice that God hath made me to be a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-do-not-so-much-rejoice-that-god-hath-made-me-to-be-a-queen-as-to-be/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) [Browse all 5,178 Duty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sandra Steingraber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-inquire-flows-the-obligation/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Duty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-inquire-flows-the-obligation/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/sandra-steingraber-26626_duty_from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-i_1736422.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/sandra-steingraber-26626_duty_from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-i_1736422.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/sandra-steingraber-26626_duty_from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-i_1736422.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act.” — Sandra Steingraber", "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": "Sandra Steingraber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-steingraber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "From the right to know and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-inquire-flows-the-obligation/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-steingraber/from-the-right-to-know-and-the-duty-to-inquire-flows-the-obligation/#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 } } ] } ```