America Quote by Susan Sontag
“Nature in America has always been suspect, on the defensive, cannibalized by progress. In America, every specimen becomes a relic.”
About This Quote
Source Book: On Photography, 1977
America treats nature as a commodity, turning living ecosystems into static artifacts.
In simple terms: Nature is turned into relics by progress.
Key Takeaway
Respect ecosystems as living, not objects.
Themes
environment
culture
progress
exploitation
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- urban development
- museum curation
- environmental policy
Key Concepts
commodification
conservation
historical perspective
Questions to Reflect On
- How does viewing nature as a relic affect stewardship?
- What alternatives preserve both progress and ecology?
A Different Perspective
Commercializing nature can erase its intrinsic value.
![“[My advice] will one day be found With other relics of 'a former world,' When this world shall be former, underground, Thrown topsy-turvy, twisted, crisped, and curled, Baked, fried or burnt, turned inside-out, or drowned, Like all the worlds before, which have been hurled First out of, and then…” quote by Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/69e/lord-byron-356_advice_my-advice-will-one-day-be-found-with-oth_194480.jpg)
![“One [idea] was that the Universe started its life a finite time ago in a single huge explosion, and that the present expansion is a relic of the violence of this explosion. This big bang idea seemed to me to be unsatisfactory even before detailed examination showed that it leads to serious…” quote by Fred Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6ef/fred-hoyle-11367_bangs_one-idea-was-that-the-universe-started-i_184196.jpg)
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
![“I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. [salutes]” quote by Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d2/bill-hicks-970_america_i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumor_655.jpg)
