--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our job is to keep what is working intact…" description: "\"Our job is to keep what is working intact and not destroy what we have got.\" — Sylvia Earle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/sylvia-earle-1756_jobs_our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intac_1072507.jpg" --- # Our job is to keep what is working intact and not destroy… ![“Our job is to keep what is working intact and not destroy what we have got.” quote by Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/sylvia-earle-1756_jobs_our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intac_1072507.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/sylvia-earle-1756_jobs_our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intac_1072507.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/sylvia-earle-1756_jobs_our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intac_1072507.jpg) > “Our job is to keep what is working intact and not destroy what we have got.” [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Preserve effective systems while improving them, avoiding unnecessary disruption of what works. **In simple terms:** Keep what works, improve what doesn’t. Key Takeaway Balance conservation with innovation. Themes environment conservation innovation Mood cautious optimistic pragmatic Type environmental strategic When to use this quote - policy design - ecosystem restoration - technology upgrades Key Concepts systems thinking sustainable development risk management Questions to Reflect On - What should be protected versus reformed? - How do we assess what truly works? A Different Perspective Over‑preserving can stall needed progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [The first job I ever had was working for my dad, helping him out with some of his work as a translator - he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omid-djalili/the-first-job-i-ever-had-was-working-for-my-dad-helping-him-out-with/) [Omid Djalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omid-djalili/) > [I always had to have a day job, working on other people's ranches or construction or whatever. I was making a little bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-always-had-to-have-a-day-job-working-on-other-people-s-ranches-or/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [“My first ever part-time job was working in a newsagent’s sorting out the pick’n’mix.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/my-first-ever-part-time-job-was-working-in-a-newsagent-s-sorting-out/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [It is not enough to be a hardworking person. Equally important is the job you are working at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-not-enough-to-be-a-hardworking-person-equally-important-is-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The worst job I ever had was working nights in the Chrysler Building. I was part of a team of about five guys, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-hackman/the-worst-job-i-ever-had-was-working-nights-in-the-chrysler-building/) [Gene Hackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-hackman/) > [My full-time job is working in television, which is a very full-time job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rippon/my-full-time-job-is-working-in-television-which-is-a-very-full-time/) [Angela Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rippon/) > [Go get a job. Whether it’s working as a designer or working in a restaurant and then doing your own thing in your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/go-get-a-job-whether-it-s-working-as-a-designer-or-working-in-a/) [Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/) > [My first job was working at Benihana as kitchen help. In college, I was a telemarketer for a company at the same time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aoki/my-first-job-was-working-at-benihana-as-kitchen-help-in-college-i-was/) [Steve Aoki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aoki/) > [The greatest job I ever had was working on my family farm. Each morning my father would come into my bedroom around 4:30 am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armstrong-williams/the-greatest-job-i-ever-had-was-working-on-my-family-farm-each/) [Armstrong Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armstrong-williams/) > [What I try to do is to appreciate every job I have while I'm working on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-baldwin/what-i-try-to-do-is-to-appreciate-every-job-i-have-while-i-m-working/) [Adam Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-baldwin/) > [As an artist, you have the job of working out whatever is given you to work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/as-an-artist-you-have-the-job-of-working-out-whatever-is-given-you-to/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Starting a job and working hard is how to be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/starting-a-job-and-working-hard-is-how-to-be-successful/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [“south of Golden Gate Park, and he took a job working for a finance company as a “repo man,” picking the locks of cars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/south-of-golden-gate-park-and-he-took-a-job-working-for-a-finance/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [By doing, you become employable. It doesn't matter what the job is; by working, you learn new things, meet new people and are exposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-reardon/by-doing-you-become-employable-it-doesn-t-matter-what-the-job-is-by/) [Kate Reardon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-reardon/) > [In the end I'm just doing my job, I'm working hard, I'm putting my best foot forward and the criticism is not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amybeth-mcnulty/in-the-end-i-m-just-doing-my-job-i-m-working-hard-i-m-putting-my-best/) [Amybeth McNulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amybeth-mcnulty/) ## More by Sylvia Earle > [We still have 10 percent of the sharks. We still have half of the coral reefs. However, if we wait another 50 years, opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-still-have-10-percent-of-the-sharks-we-still-have-half-of-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Health to the ocean means health for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/health-to-the-ocean-means-health-for-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [Evolution is not something to be feared. It's to be celebrated, embraced, and understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/evolution-is-not-something-to-be-feared-it-s-to-be-celebrated/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [We are depleting this immense diversity and abundance of life, and it matters tremendously for the future of the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/we-are-depleting-this-immense-diversity-and-abundance-of-life-and-it/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [My mother was known as the 'bird lady' of the neighborhood. Anything injured, or any unusual creature somebody found, they would always come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/my-mother-was-known-as-the-bird-lady-of-the-neighborhood-anything/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [There is this sweet spot in time when we have an opportunity to stop killing sharks and tunas and swordfish and other wildlife in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/there-is-this-sweet-spot-in-time-when-we-have-an-opportunity-to-stop/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-sudden-release-of-five-million-barrels-of-oil-enormous-quantities/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've always said, 'Underwater or on top, men and women are compatible.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-always-said-underwater-or-on-top-men-and-women-are-compatible/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [With respect to the ocean being the heart of our blue planet: We are often asked, 'How much protection is enough?' We can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/with-respect-to-the-ocean-being-the-heart-of-our-blue-planet-we-are/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/if-the-sea-is-sick-we-ll-feel-it-if-it-dies-we-die-our-future-and-the/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The ocean seemed like a sea of Eden. But now we are facing paradise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-ocean-seemed-like-a-sea-of-eden-but-now-we-are-facing-paradise/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When you think about the real cost of so-called cheap energy that has driven our prosperity to unprecedented levels, for some of us, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-you-think-about-the-real-cost-of-so-called-cheap-energy-that-has/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [When I arrived on the planet, there were only two billion. Wildlife was more abundant, we were less so; now the situation is reversed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/when-i-arrived-on-the-planet-there-were-only-two-billion-wildlife-was/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [I've had the joy of spending thousands of hours under the sea. I wish I could take people along to see what I see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/i-ve-had-the-joy-of-spending-thousands-of-hours-under-the-sea-i-wish/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [The observations that have developed over the years have given us perspective about where we fit in. We are newcomers, really recent arrivals on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-observations-that-have-developed-over-the-years-have-given-us/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) [Explore all 211 Sylvia Earle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) ## More Intact quotes > [I do want to keep the Wedgewood Collection in place, intact, and open to the public. Selling it off would be a real tragedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caudwell/i-do-want-to-keep-the-wedgewood-collection-in-place-intact-and-open/) [John Caudwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caudwell/) > [I keep my sanctity and respect intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sana-khan/i-keep-my-sanctity-and-respect-intact/) [Sana Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sana-khan/) > [Loneliness is proof that your innate search for connection is intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/loneliness-is-proof-that-your-innate-search-for-connection-is-intact/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [There have been low moments before, but Christianity is an incredibly adaptable organism, using different parts of its repertoire to mutate into new ecological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/there-have-been-low-moments-before-but-christianity-is-an-incredibly/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [The Russian myths of the Second World War are still intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/the-russian-myths-of-the-second-world-war-are-still-intact/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [We, of our time, have played our part in the perseverance, and we have pledged ourselves to the dead generations who have preserved intact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon-de-valera/we-of-our-time-have-played-our-part-in-the-perseverance-and-we-have/) [Eamon de Valera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon-de-valera/) > [Western Australia is covered by granite, the largest single piece of Achaean rock that still lies on the surface of the, of, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/western-australia-is-covered-by-granite-the-largest-single-piece-of/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [I don't believe in funerals. I believe in celebrating life, and showing people, while they're alive, how much I care about them. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-don-t-believe-in-funerals-i-believe-in-celebrating-life-and-showing/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [There's always a slight tension when you sell a book to Hollywood, especially a nonfiction book. The author wants his story told intact; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you-sell-a-book-to-hollywood/) [Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/) > [“No matter how obstacles may "play" you over the bar, you will be able to assume your shape when your passion is always intact.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/no-matter-how-obstacles-may-play-you-over-the-bar-you-will-be-able-to/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [They got word that the Japanese planes were coming back, so we sunk her ourselves so the Japanese wouldn't get it. We didn't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-ross/they-got-word-that-the-japanese-planes-were-coming-back-so-we-sunk/) [Barney Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-ross/) > [“Your booty call embargo will remain intact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-harber/your-booty-call-embargo-will-remain-intact/) [Cristin Harber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-harber/) > [The subtle body must be intact to transmit the kundalini.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-subtle-body-must-be-intact-to-transmit-the-kundalini/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Neither our oceans nor our radar nor our fighters can keep us intact through another major war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-morrison/neither-our-oceans-nor-our-radar-nor-our-fighters-can-keep-us-intact/) [Philip Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-morrison/) > [“no one gets out of this life with any dignity intact”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-vmrc-oldster/no-one-gets-out-of-this-life-with-any-dignity-intact/) A Vmrc Oldster Browse all 60 Intact quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our job is to keep what is working intact and not destroy what we have got.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sylvia Earle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intact-and-not-destroy-what-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Intact" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intact-and-not-destroy-what-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/sylvia-earle-1756_jobs_our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intac_1072507.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/sylvia-earle-1756_jobs_our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intac_1072507.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/sylvia-earle-1756_jobs_our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intac_1072507.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our job is to keep what is working intact and not destroy what we have got.” — Sylvia Earle", "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": "Sylvia Earle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Our job is to keep what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intact-and-not-destroy-what-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/our-job-is-to-keep-what-is-working-intact-and-not-destroy-what-we/#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 } } ] } ```