Billions Quote by Tom Shadyac
“Nature is very clear on this. In fact, there's one fundamental law that all of nature obeys that mankind breaks everyday. Now this is a law that's evolved over billions of years and the law is this: nothing in nature takes more than it needs. A redwood tree doesn't take all of the soil's nutrients, just what it needs to grow. A lion doesn't kill every gazelle, just one. We have a term for something in the body when it takes more than its share. We call it cancer.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: TED Talk “The Power of Giving” by Tom Shadyac, 2010
Nature follows a law of taking only what is needed; humans often exceed this, leading to disease like cancer.
In simple terms: Nature takes only enough; humans overconsume.
Key Takeaway
Practice restraint and balance in consumption.
Themes
sustainability
health
ethics
environment
Mood
concerned
reflective
Type
ethical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal diet
- business resource use
- energy consumption
- medical research
- policy making
Key Concepts
Ecology
resource limitation
overconsumption
Questions to Reflect On
- How can individuals reduce excess in daily life?
- What policies could enforce sustainable resource use?
A Different Perspective
Human societies often prioritize growth over ecological limits, making change difficult.
![“We have the ability to take him [President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job…” quote by Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/194/pat-robertson-1972_ability_we-have-the-ability-to-take-him-presiden_23256.jpg)
