The collection / 31 fragments

The living archive

Passages, proverbs, and questions carried across the ages.

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01Undated

We needn't be saddened with the impossible weight of managing the entire biosphere, but we must meet the challenge of living in balance with the sacred elements.

David Suzuki / quote

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02Undated

Change is never easy, and it often creates discord, but when people come together for the good of humanity and the Earth, we can accomplish great things.

David Suzuki / quote

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03Undated

We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyones arguing over where they're going to sit

David Suzuki / quote

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04Undated

There are some things in the world we can't change - gravity, entropy, the speed of light, and our biological nature that requires clean air, clean water, clean soil, clean energy and biodiversity for our health and well being. Protecting the biosphere should be our highest priority or else we sicken and die. Other things, like capitalism, free enterprise, the economy, currency, the market, are not forces of nature, we invented them. They are not immutable and we can change them. It makes no sense to elevate economics above the biosphere.

David Suzuki / quote

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05Undated

If we humans are good at anything, it’s thinking we’ve got a terrific idea and going for it without acknowledging the potential consequences or our own ignorance.

David Suzuki / quote

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06Undated

We emerged out of nature, and when we die, we return to nature. We need to know there are forces impinging on us that we will never understand or control. We need to have sacred places where we go with respect, not just looking for resources or opportunity.

David Suzuki / quote

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07Undated

The failure of world leaders to act on the critical issue of global warming is often blamed on economic considerations.

David Suzuki / quote

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08Undated

The human brain now holds the key to our future. We have to recall the image of the planet from outer space: a single entity in which air, water, and continents are interconnected. That is our home.

David Suzuki / quote

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09Undated

The medical literature tells us that the most effective ways to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and many more problems are through healthy diet and exercise. Our bodies have evolved to move, yet we now use the energy in oil instead of muscles to do our work.

David Suzuki / quote

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10Undated

Nature surrounds us, from parks and backyards to streets and alleyways. Next time you go out for a walk, tread gently and remember that we are both inhabitants and stewards of nature in our neighbourhoods.

David Suzuki / quote

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11Undated

Humans are distinguished from other species by a massive brain that enables us to imagine a future and influence it by what we do in the present. By using experience, knowledge and insight, our ancestors recognized they could anticipate dangers and opportunities and take steps to exploit advantages and avoid hazards.

David Suzuki / quote

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12Undated

Most North Americans know that human-caused global warming is real, even if political leaders don't always reflect or act on that knowledge.

David Suzuki / quote

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13Undated

If America wants to retain its position as a global power, its president must listen to the people and show strong leadership at this turning point in human history.

David Suzuki / quote

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14Undated

The truth is, as most of us know, that global warming is real and humans are major contributors, mainly because we wastefully burn fossil fuels.

David Suzuki / quote

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15Undated

All those hours exploring the great outdoors made me more resilient and confident.

David Suzuki / quote

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16Undated

Doing all we can to combat climate change comes with numerous benefits, from reducing pollution and associated health care costs to strengthening and diversifying the economy by shifting to renewable energy, among other measures.

David Suzuki / quote

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17Undated

For the sake of our health, our children and grandchildren and even our economic well-being, we must make protecting the planet our top priority.

David Suzuki / quote

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18Undated

Conserving energy and thus saving money, reducing consumption of unnecessary products and packaging and shifting to a clean-energy economy would likely hurt the bottom line of polluting industries, but would undoubtedly have positive effects for most of us.

David Suzuki / quote

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19Undated

With the world's human population now at seven billion and growing, and the demand for technology and modern conveniences increasing, we can't control all our negative impacts. But we have to find better ways to live within the limits nature and its cycles impose.

David Suzuki / quote

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20Undated

If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.

David Suzuki / quote

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21Undated

My parents survived the Great Depression and brought me up to live within my means, save some for tomorrow, share and don't be greedy, work hard for the necessities in life knowing that money does not make you better or more important than anyone else. So, extravagance has been bred out of my DNA.

David Suzuki / quote

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22Undated

From year to year, environmental changes are incremental and often barely register in our lives, but from evolutionary or geological perspectives, what is happening is explosive change.

David Suzuki / quote

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23Undated

If we want to address global warming, along with the other environmental problems associated with our continued rush to burn our precious fossil fuels as quickly as possible, we must learn to use our resources more wisely, kick our addiction, and quickly start turning to sources of energy that have fewer negative impacts.

David Suzuki / quote

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24Undated

Over and over, we hear politicians say they can't spend our tax dollars on environmental protection when the economy is so fragile.

David Suzuki / quote

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