--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nature doesn't like empires. It doesn't…" description: "\"Nature doesn't like empires. It doesn't like accumulation in one place, it doesn't like monoculture. It's always trying to make diverse species. It wan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/yvon-chouinard-5320_accumulation_nature-doesn-t-like-empires-it-doesn-t-l_1503899.jpg" --- # Nature doesn't like empires. It doesn't like accumulation… ![“Nature doesn't like empires. It doesn't like accumulation in one place, it doesn't like monoculture. It's always trying to make diverse species. It wants to spread everything out. And we're constantly trying to hold everything in.” quote by Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/yvon-chouinard-5320_accumulation_nature-doesn-t-like-empires-it-doesn-t-l_1503899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/yvon-chouinard-5320_accumulation_nature-doesn-t-like-empires-it-doesn-t-l_1503899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/yvon-chouinard-5320_accumulation_nature-doesn-t-like-empires-it-doesn-t-l_1503899.jpg) > “Nature doesn't like empires. It doesn't like accumulation in one place, it doesn't like monoculture. It's always trying to make diverse species. It wants to spread everything out. And we're constantly trying to hold everything in.” [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nature resists concentration and favors diversity, while human systems often try to centralize and control resources. **In simple terms:** Nature wants diversity; humans try to centralize. Key Takeaway Promote ecological balance by avoiding over‑concentration. Themes environment diversity centralization conservation sustainability Mood concerned inspired Type advice observational When to use this quote - urban planning - agriculture - corporate strategy - conservation policy - technology design Key Concepts ecology systems theory resource management Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to support diversity locally? - How can institutions resist centralizing forces? A Different Perspective Economic pressures can push toward monoculture despite ecological warnings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accumulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accumulation/) [Always trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-trying/) [Diverse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diverse/) [Diverse Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diverse-species-5520869/) [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [Empires Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires-doesn-5520868/) [Monoculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monoculture/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-doesn/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Species Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-wants-3913454/) [Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spread/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [When a species wants to tap the collective intelligence of a population, they don't take a poll; they don't take a vote. They form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-b-rosenberg/when-a-species-wants-to-tap-the-collective-intelligence-of-a/) [Louis B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-b-rosenberg/) > [Civilization has ceased to be that delicate flower which was preserved and painstakingly cultivated in one or two sheltered areas of a soil rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-levi-strauss/civilization-has-ceased-to-be-that-delicate-flower-which-was/) [Claude Levi-Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-levi-strauss/) > [There's no choice left in America anymore. Anything that's authentic and genuine, anything that grew out of any sense of tradition, is wiped out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-zwigoff/there-s-no-choice-left-in-america-anymore-anything-that-s-authentic/) [Terry Zwigoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-zwigoff/) > [We should take a lesson from the Irish potato famine: monocultures are vulnerable. Monocultures of any kind are very vulnerable, because one change and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/we-should-take-a-lesson-from-the-irish-potato-famine-monocultures-are/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The main goal is to increase diversity. The one thing that is bad for society is low diversity. This is true for culture or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-church/the-main-goal-is-to-increase-diversity-the-one-thing-that-is-bad-for/) [George M. Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-church/) > [I don't want to live in a monoculture of any kind. I don't want to live in a wealthy monoculture, a black monoculture. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-benjamin/i-don-t-want-to-live-in-a-monoculture-of-any-kind-i-don-t-want-to/) [Richard Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-benjamin/) > [A monoculture is not only Hollywood, but Americans trying to export democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci/a-monoculture-is-not-only-hollywood-but-americans-trying-to-export/) [Bernardo Bertolucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernardo-bertolucci/) > [It is time to learn from the mistakes of monocultures of the mind and the essentialising violence of reductionist thought. It is time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/it-is-time-to-learn-from-the-mistakes-of-monocultures-of-the-mind-and/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [What I propose for the "life of a poet" goes against the grain of the fossil fuel monoculture. Maybe the most revolutionary act these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/what-i-propose-for-the-life-of-a-poet-goes-against-the-grain-of-the/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [When I grew up, there was a monoculture. Everybody listened to the same music on the radio. I miss monoculture. I think it's good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/when-i-grew-up-there-was-a-monoculture-everybody-listened-to-the-same/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [“Monoculture wants you to forget that the joy of life is in the community of the village, where you can touch, taste, smell, feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/monoculture-wants-you-to-forget-that-the-joy-of-life-is-in-the/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [ \[My muse\] is, in fact, a woman of the world, and precisely because of this, hopes that a diversity of cultures will endure, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/my-muse-is-in-fact-a-woman-of-the-world-and-precisely-because-of-this/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [The purpose of farming is to deprive other species of the land and sequester it for our own use. But by perfecting the art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/the-purpose-of-farming-is-to-deprive-other-species-of-the-land-and/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [“from a soil microorganism point of view, a crop monoculture is akin to junk food: “If there’s just wheat or any one thing, it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-d-schwartz/from-a-soil-microorganism-point-of-view-a-crop-monoculture-is-akin-to/) [Judith D. Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-d-schwartz/) > [When a livestock farmer is willing to "practice complexity"-to choreograph the symbiosis of several different animals, each of which has been allowed to behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/when-a-livestock-farmer-is-willing-to-practice-complexity-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More by Yvon Chouinard > [Once you educate yourself, you're left with choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/once-you-educate-yourself-you-re-left-with-choices/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [A real capitalist knows that $10 given today does a lot more good than $100 given 10 years from now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/a-real-capitalist-knows-that-10-given-today-does-a-lot-more-good-than/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Doing risk sports had taught me another important lesson: never exceed your limits. You push the envelope and you live for those moments when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/doing-risk-sports-had-taught-me-another-important-lesson-never-exceed/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [But I'm really trying to run this company like it is going to be here a hundred years from now. That's what's important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/but-i-m-really-trying-to-run-this-company-like-it-is-going-to-be-here/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Who are businesses really responsible to? Their customers? Shareholders? Employees? We would argue that it’s none of the above. 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But if you compromise the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/the-whole-purpose-of-climbing-something-like-everest-is-to-effect/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [At Patagonia, making a profit is not the goal because the Zen master would say profits happen 'when you do everything else right'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/at-patagonia-making-a-profit-is-not-the-goal-because-the-zen-master/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Traveling is my form of self-education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/traveling-is-my-form-of-self-education/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Everything we personally own that’s made, sold, shipped, stored, cleaned, and ultimately thrown away does some environmental harm every step of the way, harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/everything-we-personally-own-that-s-made-sold-shipped-stored-cleaned/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [We've teamed up with some Japanese companies to, basically by 2010, make all our clothing out of recycled and recyclable fibers. And we're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/we-ve-teamed-up-with-some-japanese-companies-to-basically-by-2010/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [You can solo-climb Everest without using oxygen or you can pay guides and Sherpas to carry your loads, put ladders across crevasses, lay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/you-can-solo-climb-everest-without-using-oxygen-or-you-can-pay-guides/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Climbing for speed records will probably become more popular, a mania which has just begun. Climbers climb not just to see how fast and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/climbing-for-speed-records-will-probably-become-more-popular-a-mania/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [Everything we make pollutes. The most responsible thing we can do is to make each product as well as we know how so it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/everything-we-make-pollutes-the-most-responsible-thing-we-can-do-is/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) [Explore all 101 Yvon Chouinard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) ## More Accumulation quotes > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/) [Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-accumulation-of-all-powers-legislative-executive-and-judiciary-in/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [I think that only daring speculation can lead us further and not accumulation of facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-think-that-only-daring-speculation-can-lead-us-further-and-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Karma is often wrongly confused with the notion of a fixed destiny. It is more like an accumulation of tendencies that can lock us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/karma-is-often-wrongly-confused-with-the-notion-of-a-fixed-destiny-it/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [There has been, for some reason (or more likely an unfortunate accumulation of reasons) a trend over the past several decades for parents to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-hax/there-has-been-for-some-reason-or-more-likely-an-unfortunate/) [Carolyn Hax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-hax/) > [Ageing is, simply and clearly, the accumulation of damage in the body. That's all that ageing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/ageing-is-simply-and-clearly-the-accumulation-of-damage-in-the-body/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [For me, personally, there is one really interesting thing. 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If you forgive every moment - allow it to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/forgiveness-of-the-present-is-even-more-important-than-forgiveness-of/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/too-much-and-too-long-we-seem-to-have-surrendered-community/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) [Browse all 412 Accumulation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accumulation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nature doesn't like empires. It doesn't like accumulation in one place, it doesn't like monoculture. It's always trying to make diverse species. It wants to spread everything out. 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