--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The next 10 years could be the most…" description: "\"The next 10 years could be the most important in the next 10,000.\" — Sylvia Earle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/sylvia-earle-1756_important_the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-impo_1376320.jpg" --- # The next 10 years could be the most important in the next… ![“The next 10 years could be the most important in the next 10,000.” quote by Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/sylvia-earle-1756_important_the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-impo_1376320.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/sylvia-earle-1756_important_the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-impo_1376320.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/sylvia-earle-1756_important_the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-impo_1376320.jpg) > “The next 10 years could be the most important in the next 10,000.” [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. The coming decade will shape centuries of environmental impact. **In simple terms:** Next ten years are crucial for long‑term outcomes. Key Takeaway Prioritize sustainable actions now. Themes environment long‑term planning legacy Mood urgent reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - community projects - personal lifestyle changes Key Concepts climate change conservation future generations Questions to Reflect On - What actions today will affect future centuries? - How to balance short‑term needs with long‑term impact? A Different Perspective Immediate benefits may seem small compared to long‑term goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [But I'm really trying to run this company like it is going to be here a hundred years from now. That's what's important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/but-i-m-really-trying-to-run-this-company-like-it-is-going-to-be-here/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [I also feel like I've learned over the years what is not important, and that is also great: to know what is pointless to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-also-feel-like-i-ve-learned-over-the-years-what-is-not-important/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [It's very important for a brand to have an identity through the years, but it's very important as well to evolve because times change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/it-s-very-important-for-a-brand-to-have-an-identity-through-the-years/) [Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/) > [“The number of days and years one lives on Earth is insignificant. It’s the quality of those days and years that’s important, quality measured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-l-weiss/the-number-of-days-and-years-one-lives-on-earth-is-insignificant-it-s/) [Brian L. Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-l-weiss/) > [My poetry doesn't change from place to place - it changes with the years. It's very important to be one's age. You get ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/my-poetry-doesn-t-change-from-place-to-place-it-changes-with-the/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [For the last five or six years the most important thing in my life has been my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-connors/for-the-last-five-or-six-years-the-most-important-thing-in-my-life/) [Jimmy Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-connors/) > [We have put our country on solid ground, but let me tell you: The next five years are much, much more important. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/we-have-put-our-country-on-solid-ground-but-let-me-tell-you-the-next/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [I was fortunate to work with Corigliano for a few years in the mid nineties. Meeting and working with him during those formative years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hersch/i-was-fortunate-to-work-with-corigliano-for-a-few-years-in-the-mid/) [Michael Hersch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hersch/) > [I, as a mom, wanted to be really present for my son in the first couple of years, because I know that those years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-as-a-mom-wanted-to-be-really-present-for-my-son-in-the-first-couple/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [If I've learnt anything over the last six years it's that the most important thing is the strength of our economy. That is how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/if-i-ve-learnt-anything-over-the-last-six-years-it-s-that-the-most/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [“You know,” my aunt says, “I once had a terribly difficult period that lasted twenty-four years.” Wait. Twenty-four years? “And it was so important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/you-know-my-aunt-says-i-once-had-a-terribly-difficult-period-that/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Years are not important, my dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-dunaway/years-are-not-important-my-dear/) [Faye Dunaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-dunaway/) > [At each stage of development the child needs different resources from the family. During the first year, a variety of experience and the availability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kagan/at-each-stage-of-development-the-child-needs-different-resources-from/) [Jerome Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kagan/) > [The issue of Palestine has been there since more than 60 years. But more important since 1967 when the war was, ended in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/the-issue-of-palestine-has-been-there-since-more-than-60-years-but/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [I believe that the first 8 years are most important and the time in a child's life when parents must be absolutely and completely present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-benedict/i-believe-that-the-first-8-years-are-most-important-and-the-time-in-a/) [Dirk Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-benedict/) ## 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 Important quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [Fiscal prudence is very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smriti-irani/fiscal-prudence-is-very-important/) [Smriti Irani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smriti-irani/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [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/) > [If I had learned how to get along in the quotidian world while keeping up the search for the hidden realm, I might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/if-i-had-learned-how-to-get-along-in-the-quotidian-world-while/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [Modeling is more important than the talking we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-williams/modeling-is-more-important-than-the-talking-we-do/) Wayne Williams > [There are more important things to focus on in life than how you look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arden-cho/there-are-more-important-things-to-focus-on-in-life-than-how-you-look/) [Arden Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arden-cho/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) Browse all 30,993 Important quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The next 10 years could be the most important in the next 10,000.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sylvia Earle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-important-in-the-next-10-000/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Important" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-important-in-the-next-10-000/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/sylvia-earle-1756_important_the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-impo_1376320.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/sylvia-earle-1756_important_the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-impo_1376320.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/sylvia-earle-1756_important_the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-impo_1376320.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The next 10 years could be the most important in the next 10,000.” — 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": "The next 10 years could be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-important-in-the-next-10-000/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-next-10-years-could-be-the-most-important-in-the-next-10-000/#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 } } ] } ```