Consider this: all the ants on the planet, taken together, have a biomass greater than that of humans. Ants have been incredibly industrious for millions of years. Yet their productiveness nourishes plants, animals, and soil. Human industry has been in full swing for little over a century, yet it has brought about a decline in almost every ecosystem on the planet. Nature doesn't have a design problem. People do. William McDonough
About This Quote

The first part of this quote is an undeniable truth. Scientists estimate that the biomass of all ants on the planet is greater than that of all humans. The second part of this quote, “human industry has been in full swing for little over a century, yet it has brought about a decline in almost every ecosystem on the planet,” is probably true as well. However, the main idea behind this quote is that we must acknowledge the fact that nature does not have a design problem and that we ourselves are to blame for our own problems.

We must become more aware of what we are doing and stop doing it. We cannot blame nature for our problems since nature is an integral part of our lives. Instead, we need to stop polluting our environment and start caring for it instead.

Source: Michael Braungart

Some Similar Quotes
  1. The sunlight claps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea: what are all these kissings worth, if thou kiss not me? - Percy Bysshe Shelley

  2. In youth, it was a way I had, To do my best to please. And change, with every passing lad To suit his theories. But now I know the things I know And do the things I do, And if you do not like me... - Dorothy Parker

  3. If I were a tree, I would have no reason to love a human. - Maggie Stiefvater

  4. A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous. - Ingrid Bergman

  5. This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of... - Susan Polis Schutz

More Quotes By William McDonough
  1. Consider this: all the ants on the planet, taken together, have a biomass greater than that of humans. Ants have been incredibly industrious for millions of years. Yet their productiveness nourishes plants, animals, and soil. Human industry has been in full swing for little over...

  2. Here's where redesign begins in earnest, where we stop trying to be less bad and we start figuring out how to be good.

  3. Ultimately a regulation is a signal of design failure...it is what we call a license to harm: a permit issued by a government to an industry so that it may dispense sickness, destruction, and death at an "acceptable" rate.

  4. We achieved our mission to the moon. Let's look home from that lofty perch and reimagine our mission on Earth - that is what we need to do here. Together, we can upcycle everything. The world will be better for our positive visions and actions.

Related Topics