Acid Quote by Wendell Berry
“The assumption is that people so ignorant and thoughtless and silly and greedy may simply call upon the Army Corps of Engineers in order to receive a clean and abundant supply of water from reservoirs in the mountains. A much likelier outcome is that they will be drinking an ever stronger mixture of sewage and mine acid and mud and cropspray and various other defecations of the industrial paradise.”
About This Quote
The quote warns that relying on engineered water solutions can lead to contamination, turning hopeful abundance into polluted, unsafe water.
In simple terms: Engineered water can become polluted, undermining its promise.
Key Takeaway
Demand sustainable water management.
Themes
environment
politics
engineering
Mood
concerned
reflective
Type
activist
analytical
When to use this quote
- Policy making
- community planning
- agricultural practices
- public health
- environmental activism
Key Concepts
Ecology
systems thinking
risk assessment
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards can prevent water contamination?
- How can communities balance engineering with natural stewardship?
A Different Perspective
It may ignore benefits of engineered water when properly managed.
![“When we were walking through the narrow alleys [of the Mathare Valley slums], it was literally impossible not to step in the raw sewage and the garbage alongside the little homes. But at the same time it was also impossible not to see the human vitality, the aspiration and the ambition of the…” quote by Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4be/jacqueline-novogratz-2383_activism_when-we-were-walking-through-the-narrow_821415.jpg)
