--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there is any one duty which more than…" description: "\"If there is any one duty which more than another we owe it to our children and our children's children to perform at once, it is to save the forests of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/theodore-roosevelt-218_children_if-there-is-any-one-duty-which-more-than_775415.jpg" --- # If there is any one duty which more than another we owe it… ![“If there is any one duty which more than another we owe it to our children and our children's children to perform at once, it is to save the forests of this country, for they constitute the first and most important element in the conservation of the natural resources of this country.” quote by Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/theodore-roosevelt-218_children_if-there-is-any-one-duty-which-more-than_775415.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/theodore-roosevelt-218_children_if-there-is-any-one-duty-which-more-than_775415.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/theodore-roosevelt-218_children_if-there-is-any-one-duty-which-more-than_775415.jpg) > “If there is any one duty which more than another we owe it to our children and our children's children to perform at once, it is to save the forests of this country, for they constitute the first and most important element in the conservation of the natural resources of this country.” [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must prioritize protecting forests for future generations as they are essential to natural resource conservation **In simple terms:** Protect forests for future generations Key Takeaway Act now to preserve forests Themes environment responsibility legacy Mood urgent reflective Type ethical environmental When to use this quote - policy making - education - community activism - land management Key Concepts sustainability intergenerational equity Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are needed for forest preservation? - How can we balance development and conservation? A Different Perspective Economic pressures can conflict with conservation goals ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Conservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservation/) [Constitute Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitute-important-5984627/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests/) [Forests Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests-country-5984626/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-resources/) [Our children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-children/) [Owe Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owe-children-383791/) [Resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resources/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Save Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-forests-1332399/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) ## Related quotes > [The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-natural-resources-is-the-fundamental-problem/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-waste-to-destroy-our-natural-resources-to-skin-and-exhaust-the/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Conservation means development as much as it does protection. I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/conservation-means-development-as-much-as-it-does-protection-i/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/here-is-your-country-cherish-these-natural-wonders-cherish-the/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Conservation means development as much as it does protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/conservation-means-development-as-much-as-it-does-protection/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us to restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/our-duty-to-the-whole-including-the-unborn-generations-bids-us-to/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Many of the forests of the world are being mowed down... But the rest of the world isn't going to say, "Okay, we'll save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-pickering/many-of-the-forests-of-the-world-are-being-mowed-down-but-the-rest-of/) [Thomas R. Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-pickering/) > [“We need to save the forests. I have a big warehouse we can store them in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/we-need-to-save-the-forests-i-have-a-big-warehouse-we-can-store-them/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [For conservation to succeed, we must embrace conservation models where people use their natural resources to create jobs, to grow economies, and to feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah-barron/for-conservation-to-succeed-we-must-embrace-conservation-models-where/) [David Jeremiah Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah-barron/) > [The rural economy is significantly better. Our natural resources, particularly our working lands, are more resilient. And more money is being invested in soil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/the-rural-economy-is-significantly-better-our-natural-resources/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [Our livelihood is intimately tied to the food we eat, water we drink and places where we recreate. That's why we have to promote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/our-livelihood-is-intimately-tied-to-the-food-we-eat-water-we-drink/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [The people have a vital interest in the conservation of their natural resources; in the prevention of wasteful practices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-people-have-a-vital-interest-in-the-conservation-of-their-natural/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [From every conceivable angle-economic social, cultural, public health, national defense-conservation of natural resources is an objective on which all should agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hammond-bennett/from-every-conceivable-angle-economic-social-cultural-public-health/) [Hugh Hammond Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hammond-bennett/) > [Our language, one of our most precious natural resources, deserves at least as much protection as our woodlands, streams and whooping cranes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lipton/our-language-one-of-our-most-precious-natural-resources-deserves-at/) [James Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lipton/) > [There is no domestic issue more important to America in the long run than the conservation and proper use of our natural resources, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/there-is-no-domestic-issue-more-important-to-america-in-the-long-run/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) ## More by Theodore Roosevelt > [No people is wholly civilized where a distinction is drawn between stealing an office and stealing a purse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/no-people-is-wholly-civilized-where-a-distinction-is-drawn-between/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/get-action-seize-the-moment-man-was-never-intended-to-become-an-oyster/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Argument weak; speak loudly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/argument-weak-speak-loudly/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and commonsense."... "We must treat each man on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/let-the-watchwords-of-all-our-people-be-the-old-familiar-watchwords/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The forces that tend for evil are great and terrible, but the forces of truth and love and courage and honesty and generosity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-forces-that-tend-for-evil-are-great-and-terrible-but-the-forces/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Every reform movement has a lunatic fringe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/every-reform-movement-has-a-lunatic-fringe/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Conservation and rural-life policies are really two sides of the same policy; and down at the bottom this policy rests upon the fundamental law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/conservation-and-rural-life-policies-are-really-two-sides-of-the-same/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [It is a great mistake to think that the extremist is a better man than the moderate. Usually the difference is not that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-is-a-great-mistake-to-think-that-the-extremist-is-a-better-man/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I am a strong individualist by personal habit, inheritance, and conviction; but it is a mere matter of common sense to recognize that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/i-am-a-strong-individualist-by-personal-habit-inheritance-and/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Alone of human beings the good and wise mother stands on a plane of equal honor with the bravest soldier; for she has gladly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/alone-of-human-beings-the-good-and-wise-mother-stands-on-a-plane-of/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The greatest privilege and greatest duty for any man is to be happily married, and no other form of success or service, for either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-greatest-privilege-and-greatest-duty-for-any-man-is-to-be-happily/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [For unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly all other forms of success and achievement lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/for-unflagging-interest-and-enjoyment-a-household-of-children-if/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains. To put an end to it will be neither a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their-2/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [If elected, I shall see to it that every man has a square deal, no less and no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/if-elected-i-shall-see-to-it-that-every-man-has-a-square-deal-no-less/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) [Explore all 876 Theodore Roosevelt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? 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