--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must see that it is foolish, sinful…" description: "\"We must see that it is foolish, sinful and suicidal to destroy the health of nature for the sake of an economy that is really not an economy at all but..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/wendell-berry-236_economics_we-must-see-that-it-is-foolish-sinful-an_2661673.jpg" --- # We must see that it is foolish, sinful and suicidal to… ![“We must see that it is foolish, sinful and suicidal to destroy the health of nature for the sake of an economy that is really not an economy at all but merely a financial system, one that is unnatural, undemocratic, sacrilegious, and ephemeral.” quote by Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/wendell-berry-236_economics_we-must-see-that-it-is-foolish-sinful-an_2661673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/wendell-berry-236_economics_we-must-see-that-it-is-foolish-sinful-an_2661673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/wendell-berry-236_economics_we-must-see-that-it-is-foolish-sinful-an_2661673.jpg) > “We must see that it is foolish, sinful and suicidal to destroy the health of nature for the sake of an economy that is really not an economy at all but merely a financial system, one that is unnatural, undemocratic, sacrilegious, and ephemeral.” [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Destroying nature for profit is irrational, immoral, and unsustainable, equating it to self‑destruction. **In simple terms:** Economic greed harms the environment and humanity. Key Takeaway Prioritize ecological health over profit. Themes environment economics ethics Mood urgent reflective passionate Type environmental ethical When to use this quote - policy making - business strategy - personal lifestyle Key Concepts sustainability philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can economies become truly sustainable? - What personal actions protect nature? A Different Perspective Profit motives can be short‑sighted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Ephemeral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ephemeral/) [Financial system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-system/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Sacrilegious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrilegious/) ## Related quotes > [“That we can prescribe the terms of our own success, that we can live outside or in ignorance of the Great Economy are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/that-we-can-prescribe-the-terms-of-our-own-success-that-we-can-live/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“We all throw away perfectly wonderful lives because our foolish, sinful appetites take us places we should not go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/we-all-throw-away-perfectly-wonderful-lives-because-our-foolish/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [To devote oneself to vigilance when the enemy is an imaginary one is idle, and to congratulate oneself for looking long and well for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/to-devote-oneself-to-vigilance-when-the-enemy-is-an-imaginary-one-is/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [I largely agree with those that hold that Government should not in general interfere with the course of the economy merely on the strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-cowperthwaite/i-largely-agree-with-those-that-hold-that-government-should-not-in/) [John James Cowperthwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-cowperthwaite/) > [James says, "You desire and do not have; so you kill" (Jas. 4:2). 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