--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Children, be worried when they call you…" description: "\"Children, be worried when they call you America's most valuable natural resource. Have you seen what they've done to the other natural resources?\" — Ut..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/utah-phillips-15584_america_children-be-worried-when-they-call-you-a_2128399.jpg" --- # Children, be worried when they call you America's most… ![“Children, be worried when they call you America's most valuable natural resource. Have you seen what they've done to the other natural resources?” quote by Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/utah-phillips-15584_america_children-be-worried-when-they-call-you-a_2128399.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/utah-phillips-15584_america_children-be-worried-when-they-call-you-a_2128399.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/utah-phillips-15584_america_children-be-worried-when-they-call-you-a_2128399.jpg) > “Children, be worried when they call you America's most valuable natural resource. Have you seen what they've done to the other natural resources?” [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that people may value humans over the environment, and that exploitation harms both people and nature. **In simple terms:** People are treated as resources while nature is damaged. Key Takeaway Protect both humanity and the environment. Themes environment human rights exploitation value Mood concerned urgent Type political activist When to use this quote - policy making - education - activism - community planning Key Concepts sustainability ethics resource management Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance human development with ecological preservation? - What policies can protect both people and nature? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex economic and social dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Natural resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-resources/) ## Related quotes > [You are about to be told one more time that you are America's most valuable natural resource. Have you seen what they do to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/you-are-about-to-be-told-one-more-time-that-you-are-america-s-most/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [Children are our most valuable natural resource.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/children-are-our-most-valuable-natural-resource/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [Seeing the rebirth of the Delaware Estuary as a valuable natural resource is certainly encouraging, and I am encouraged not just by the progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gerlach/seeing-the-rebirth-of-the-delaware-estuary-as-a-valuable-natural/) [Jim Gerlach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gerlach/) > [Water is our most precious and interconnected natural resource. It sustains all ecosystems, communities, and economies from local watersheds to the seas. It's vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-cousteau/water-is-our-most-precious-and-interconnected-natural-resource-it/) [Alexandra Cousteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-cousteau/) > [Man's brain is, after all, the greatest natural resource.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brandt/man-s-brain-is-after-all-the-greatest-natural-resource/) Karl Brandt > [The electronic spectrum is the only natural resource in which there's no such thing as private property rights. You can't own a piece of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-cronauer/the-electronic-spectrum-is-the-only-natural-resource-in-which-there-s/) [Adrian Cronauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-cronauer/) > [We must treat water as if it were the most precious thing in the world, the most valuable natural resource. Be economical with water!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/we-must-treat-water-as-if-it-were-the-most-precious-thing-in-the/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [We talk a lot about our abundant natural resources, but we need to talk more about the most precious natural resource God has entrusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bel-edwards/we-talk-a-lot-about-our-abundant-natural-resources-but-we-need-to/) [John Bel Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bel-edwards/) > [I always felt like if you get to a point where you've got enough money to invest in something real, you gotta invest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akon/i-always-felt-like-if-you-get-to-a-point-where-you-ve-got-enough/) [Akon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akon/) > [From earliest times, water has always been acknowledged as a primary human good and an indispensable natural resource. Around the great rivers of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/from-earliest-times-water-has-always-been-acknowledged-as-a-primary/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [No "natural" resource is more precious and to be used more wisely than time. These mortal moments matter more than we know. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/no-natural-resource-is-more-precious-and-to-be-used-more-wisely-than/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [The other night, the president gave a speech. He said, "children are our most prescious natural resource". I thought, "let's hope it never comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/the-other-night-the-president-gave-a-speech-he-said-children-are-our/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [The greatest natural resource that any country can have is its children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-kaye/the-greatest-natural-resource-that-any-country-can-have-is-its/) [Danny Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-kaye/) > [Women-the greatest natural resource in the world today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-steichen/women-the-greatest-natural-resource-in-the-world-today/) [Edward Steichen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-steichen/) > [ \[For American consumer society\], the country's reserves of ignorance constitute a natural resource as precious as the Mississippi River or the long-lost herds of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/for-american-consumer-society-the-country-s-reserves-of-ignorance/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) ## More by Utah Phillips > [Laurie Lewis' songs combine passion and sheer craft in a way you don't hear very often. Whatever country music is supposed to be, she's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/laurie-lewis-songs-combine-passion-and-sheer-craft-in-a-way-you-don-t/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [It is better to be likable than to be talented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/it-is-better-to-be-likable-than-to-be-talented/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [The most un-American thing you can do is to stifle dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/the-most-un-american-thing-you-can-do-is-to-stifle-dissent/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [“Yes, the long memory is the most radical idea in this country. It is the loss of that long memory which deprives our people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/yes-the-long-memory-is-the-most-radical-idea-in-this-country-it-is/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [Every good educator knows that true teaching is to teach kids how to ask the right questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/every-good-educator-knows-that-true-teaching-is-to-teach-kids-how-to/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [I tramped. When I was on the freight trains, I wasn't looking for work. I was looking to go from place to place without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/i-tramped-when-i-was-on-the-freight-trains-i-wasn-t-looking-for-work/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [You are about to be told one more time that you are America's most valuable natural resource. Have you seen what they do to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/you-are-about-to-be-told-one-more-time-that-you-are-america-s-most/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [Chris Chandler is the best performance poet I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/chris-chandler-is-the-best-performance-poet-i-have-ever-seen/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [When I was in Utah there, first learning the kind of music I love, my favorite singer was T. Texas Tyler. So my friend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/when-i-was-in-utah-there-first-learning-the-kind-of-music-i-love-my/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [Folk music isn't owned by anybody. It is owned by everybody, like the national parks, the postal system, and the school system. It's our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/folk-music-isn-t-owned-by-anybody-it-is-owned-by-everybody-like-the/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [“These kids don't have a little brother working in the coal mine, they don't have a little sister coughing her lungs out in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/these-kids-don-t-have-a-little-brother-working-in-the-coal-mine-they/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [ I said, "OK, Ammon \[Hennacy\], I will try that." He said, "You came into the world armed to the teeth. With an arsenal of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/i-said-ok-ammon-hennacy-i-will-try-that-he-said-you-came-into-the/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [Time is an enormous, long river, and I’m standing in it, just as you’re standing in it. My elders are the tributaries, and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/time-is-an-enormous-long-river-and-i-m-standing-in-it-just-as-you-re/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [“Frying-Pan Jack and I were in that camp, that's where he said to me, he'd been tramping since 1927, 'I told myself in '27,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/frying-pan-jack-and-i-were-in-that-camp-that-s-where-he-said-to-me-he/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) > [“Q: What can people do to defend their civil liberties? Phillips: I'm a pacifist, but the most American thing you can do is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utah-phillips/q-what-can-people-do-to-defend-their-civil-liberties-phillips-i-m-a/) [Utah Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) [Explore all 42 Utah Phillips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utah-phillips/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [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/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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