25 Inspiring Nature and Conservation Quotes for Earth Day

On 22nd April, 2020 Earth Day celebrated its 50th anniversary. We’re continuing our week-long Earth Day celebrations by sharing these amazing quotes about our beautiful world and natural environment. From scientists such as Jane Goodall right through to naturalists such as John Muir, we hope their words inspire you to regularly convene with, and protect, Mother Nature this week and beyond.

1. “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir

2. “So, let us move forward with faith in ourselves, in our intelligence, in our indomitable spirit. Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love.” — Jane Goodall

3. “In nature’s economy the currency is not money, it is life.” — Vandana Shiva

4. “You can’t force people to care about the natural environment, but if you encourage them to connect with it, they just might.” — Jennifer Nini

5. “We all moan and groan about the loss of quality of life through the destruction of our ecology, and yet each one of us, in our own little comfortable ways, contributes daily to that destruction. It’s time now to awaken in each one of us the respect and attention our beloved mother deserves.” — Ed Asner

6. “It’s hard to celebrate the world when it vanishes piece by piece, but I’m still an optimist. I’m sure it doesn’t pay to be too serious all the time, even about issues such as global warming.” — Simon Drew

7. “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” — Martin Luther

8. “A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” — John James Audubon

9. “We the people of the planet Earth,
with respect for the dignity of each human life,
with concern for future generations,
with growing appreciation of our relation to the environment,
with recognition of limits to our resources and with need for adequate food, air, water, shelter, health, protection, justice, and self-fulfillment,
hereby declare our interdependence; and resolve to work together in harmony with our environment to enhance the quality of life everywhere.” — Russell Peterson, Declaration of Interdependence, 1973

10. “Every aspect of our lives is, in a sense, a vote for the kind of world we want to live in.” — Frances Moore Lappe

11. “The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves its children.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

12. “The environment, after all, is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is one thing that all of us share.” — Lady Bird Johnson

13. “To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.” — Terry Tempest Williams

14. “What will save us is not technology or science. What will save us is the ethical transformation of our society.” — Carmelite Father Eduardo Agosta Scarel

15. “The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.” — Gaylord Nelson

16. “The wounds we have inflicted on the earth can be healed… but if it is to be done, it must be done now. Otherwise, it may never be done at all.” — Jonathon Porritt

17. “You have to hold yourself accountable for your actions, and that’s how we’re going to protect the Earth.” — Julia Butterfly Hill

18. “Everything we make returns to the Earth either as food or poison.” — Celine Semann, founder of Slow Factory

19. “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” — Vincent van Gogh

20. “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” — Chinese proverb

21. “We need nature more than nature needs us. It should be looked upon with awe and humility.” — Sadruddin Aga Khan

22. “We have to shift our attitude of ownership to nature to relationship with nature. The moment you change from ownership to relationship, you create a sense of the sacred.” — Satish Kumar

23. “There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after the night and spring after the winter.” — Rachel Carson, in her book Silent Spring

24. “Cherish the natural world, because you’re a part of it and you depend on it.” — Sir David Attenborough

25. “As ecologists, we must know that we are a plague on planet Earth, and that we are going to proliferate up to the point of destroying our own species. To get out of this lethal trap. we have only one chance. We do not need more technical contraptions, more scientific discoveries. We need to reach another level of consciousness.” — Alain Herve

26. “Nature is not on the internet.” — Unknown

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Feature image via Pexels.