---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Great Work now, as we move into a new…"
description: "\"The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/thomas-berry-7391_beneficial_the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new_2036096.png"
---

#  The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is…

![“The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner.” quote by Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/thomas-berry-7391_beneficial_the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new_2036096.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/thomas-berry-7391_beneficial_the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new_2036096.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/thomas-berry-7391_beneficial_the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new_2036096.png)

> “The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner.”

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Humanity must shift from exploiting Earth to coexisting sustainably.

**In simple terms:** Move from exploitation to stewardship.

Key Takeaway

Adopt sustainable practices now.

Themes

environment ethics future stewardship

Mood

inspirational urgent

Type

philosophical activist

When to use this quote

- policy making
- education
- community projects
- personal lifestyle

Key Concepts

Ecological balance planetary health

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can you take toward planetary stewardship?
- How can societies support this shift?

A Different Perspective

Transition is complex and requires systemic change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Devastation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devastation/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Millennium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millennium/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Transition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transition/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [Commercialization of assets off the planet would mutually reinforce the growth of interplanetary communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/commercialization-of-assets-off-the-planet-would-mutually-reinforce/)

[Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/)

> [Following 25 children for the TV series 'Child of Our Time' has been extraordinary. The BBC's original plan was to commemorate the new millennium.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-winston/following-25-children-for-the-tv-series-child-of-our-time-has-been/)

[Robert Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-winston/)

> [The crisis that the world finds itself in as it swings on the hinge of a new millennium is located in something deeper than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/the-crisis-that-the-world-finds-itself-in-as-it-swings-on-the-hinge/)

[Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/)

> [In this new millennium it is more important to defend the rights of the Mother Earth to guarantee human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/in-this-new-millennium-it-is-more-important-to-defend-the-rights-of/)

[Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/)

> [I maintain that the biggest challenge in the new millennium could be a change of habit. We could change from a dominating commodity culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luisah-teish/i-maintain-that-the-biggest-challenge-in-the-new-millennium-could-be/)

Luisah Teish

> [I am inspired by the appearance of a bohemian of the new millennium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-am-inspired-by-the-appearance-of-a-bohemian-of-the-new-millennium/)

[John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/)

> [The 'looking forward' so prevalent in the late 1990s was bound to end once the new millennium began. Like some others of that era,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-looking-forward-so-prevalent-in-the-late-1990s-was-bound-to-end/)

[Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/)

> [This is the Bond of the new millennium. Everything is updated, from the action sequences to the interaction between the characters. All the elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yune/this-is-the-bond-of-the-new-millennium-everything-is-updated-from-the/)

[Rick Yune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yune/)

> [The new millennium won't be about sexual labels; it'll be about sexual expression. It won't matter if you're sleeping with men or women. It'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/the-new-millennium-won-t-be-about-sexual-labels-it-ll-be-about-sexual/)

[Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/)

> [The new millennium began with a great global dream. World leaders gathered at the United Nations in 2000 and adopted, among others, a historic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/the-new-millennium-began-with-a-great-global-dream-world-leaders/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [The success of the young entrepreneur will be the key to India's transformation in the new millennium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhirubhai-ambani/the-success-of-the-young-entrepreneur-will-be-the-key-to-india-s/)

[Dhirubhai Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhirubhai-ambani/)

> [My wish for the new millennium is for all children... to grow up wiser, and stronger and more prosperous for the future than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/my-wish-for-the-new-millennium-is-for-all-children-to-grow-up-wiser/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [I'll never retire. The new millennium is the age of adventure as far as I am concerned. I'm going up a volcano and off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-ll-never-retire-the-new-millennium-is-the-age-of-adventure-as-far/)

[Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/)

> [The new millennium sucks! What a disappointment! What's the difference between the old millennium and the new millennium? Nothing! It's the same load of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/the-new-millennium-sucks-what-a-disappointment-what-s-the-difference/)

[Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/)

> [If the United Nations does not attempt to chart a course for the world's people in the first decades of the new millennium, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/if-the-united-nations-does-not-attempt-to-chart-a-course-for-the/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

## More by Thomas Berry

> [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [All human activities, professions, programs, and institutions must henceforth be judged primarily by the extent to which they inhibit, ignore, or foster a mutually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/all-human-activities-professions-programs-and-institutions-must/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [The universe must be experienced as the Great Self. Each is fulfilled in the other: the Great Self is fulfilled in the individual self,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-universe-must-be-experienced-as-the-great-self-each-is-fulfilled/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [To attain peace among the nations in any dynamic or enduring form requires not simply political negotiation but a new mode of consciousness. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/to-attain-peace-among-the-nations-in-any-dynamic-or-enduring-form/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [The divine communicates to us primarily through the language of the natural world. Not to hear the natural world is not to hear the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-divine-communicates-to-us-primarily-through-the-language-of-the/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [ During this period (of technological confinement / \[and language\]) the human mind has been placed in its narrowest confines it has experienced since consciousness… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/during-this-period-of-technological-confinement-and-language-the/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [As humans we are born of the Earth, nourished by the Earth, healed by the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/as-humans-we-are-born-of-the-earth-nourished-by-the-earth-healed-by/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [Our present urgency is to recover a sense of the primacy of the Universe as our fundamental context, and the primacy of the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/our-present-urgency-is-to-recover-a-sense-of-the-primacy-of-the/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [There is an ultimate wildness in all this, for the universe, as existence itself, is a terrifying as well as a benign mode of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/there-is-an-ultimate-wildness-in-all-this-for-the-universe-as/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [The Universe is a unity, an interacting and genetically-related community of beings bound together in an inseparable relationship in space and time... The human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-universe-is-a-unity-an-interacting-and-genetically-related/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [The future rests in the religious, political, economic and cultural capacity of humans to establish this larger context in which the particular traditions will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-future-rests-in-the-religious-political-economic-and-cultural/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [We see quite clearly that what happens to the nonhuman, happens to the human. What happens to the outer world, happens to the inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/we-see-quite-clearly-that-what-happens-to-the-nonhuman-happens-to-the/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [Because of this erotic bond, the earth becomes luxuriant in its every aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/because-of-this-erotic-bond-the-earth-becomes-luxuriant-in-its-every/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [Our fulfillment is not in our isolated human grandeur, but in our intimacy with the larger earth community, for this is also the larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/our-fulfillment-is-not-in-our-isolated-human-grandeur-but-in-our/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [We can break the mountains apart; we can drain the rivers and flood the valleys. We can turn the most luxuriant forests into throw-away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/we-can-break-the-mountains-apart-we-can-drain-the-rivers-and-flood/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

[Explore all 91 Thomas Berry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

## More Beneficial quotes

> [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/)

[Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/)

> [It's bad form to mention money-laundering. Instead, you talk about asset-management structures and tax beneficial schemes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sweeney/it-s-bad-form-to-mention-money-laundering-instead-you-talk-about/)

[John Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sweeney/)

> [There's a lot of evidence that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for reducing the risk of stroke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-willett/there-s-a-lot-of-evidence-that-fruits-and-vegetables-are-beneficial/)

[Walter Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-willett/)

> [There are forces in life working for you and against you. One must distinguish the beneficial forces from the malevolent ones and choose correctly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-kalam/there-are-forces-in-life-working-for-you-and-against-you-one-must/)

[Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-kalam/)

> [We may conclude, therefore, that, in order to establish laws for the regulation of property, we must be acquainted with the nature and situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-conclude-therefore-that-in-order-to-establish-laws-for-the/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The addition of nuts in salad... I always find to be beneficial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-david/the-addition-of-nuts-in-salad-i-always-find-to-be-beneficial/)

[Larry David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-david/)

> [Bad deeds, and deeds hurtful to ourselves, are easy to do; what is beneficial and good, that is very difficult to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-muller/bad-deeds-and-deeds-hurtful-to-ourselves-are-easy-to-do-what-is/)

[Max Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-muller/)

> [Eventually it became clear that our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts profoundly affect our bodies, sometimes to the degree of life or death. Soon mind-body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dossey/eventually-it-became-clear-that-our-emotions-attitudes-and-thoughts/)

[Larry Dossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dossey/)

> [Physical beings want things to be the same. They want people to think the same. You work rather hard at sameness, but you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/physical-beings-want-things-to-be-the-same-they-want-people-to-think/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [In many instances, LSD actually produced terrifying and deleterious effects instead of beneficial effects, because of misuse, because it was a profanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-hofmann/in-many-instances-lsd-actually-produced-terrifying-and-deleterious/)

[Albert Hofmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-hofmann/)

> [Nothing will ever please me, no matter how excellent or beneficial, if I must retain the knowledge of it to myself. . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/nothing-will-ever-please-me-no-matter-how-excellent-or-beneficial-if/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Sitting too long in front of a screen proves both physically and psychologically debilitating, no matter how innocuous or even beneficial the programs may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/sitting-too-long-in-front-of-a-screen-proves-both-physically-and/)

[Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/)

> [Never discount a country by their size or resources. What may not be useful to yours, could be greatly beneficial to other lands in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/never-discount-a-country-by-their-size-or-resources-what-may-not-be/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [The event of the landing of these brethren upon our shores is to be, not without its beneficial effect, as well to the colored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-tappan/the-event-of-the-landing-of-these-brethren-upon-our-shores-is-to-be/)

[Lewis Tappan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-tappan/)

> [Genetic engineering is a result of science advancement, so I don't think that in itself is bad. If used wisely, genetics can be beneficial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-kojima/genetic-engineering-is-a-result-of-science-advancement-so-i-don-t/)

[Hideo Kojima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideo-kojima/)

Browse all 510 Beneficial quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Berry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new-millennium-is-to-carry-out/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beneficial"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new-millennium-is-to-carry-out/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/thomas-berry-7391_beneficial_the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new_2036096.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/thomas-berry-7391_beneficial_the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new_2036096.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/thomas-berry-7391_beneficial_the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new_2036096.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human…” — Thomas Berry",
                "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": "Thomas Berry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Great Work now, as we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new-millennium-is-to-carry-out/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/the-great-work-now-as-we-move-into-a-new-millennium-is-to-carry-out/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
