George Perkins Marsh
Author of Man and Nature who warned of human impact on the environment.
Quotes by George Perkins Marsh
Man is everywhere a disturbing agent. Wherever he plants his foot, the harmonies of nature are disturbed.
The earth is a common treasury, given by God to mankind, to be used for the common good.
The operation of causes set in action by man has, in many districts, brought the face of the earth to a state of desolation almost as complete as that of the moon.
Nature, left to herself, is everywhere and always a garden.
The earth was given to man for usufruct, not for consumption, still less for profligate waste.
Man has too long forgotten that the earth was given to him for usufruct alone, not for consumption, still less for profligate waste.
The ravages committed by man on the natural world are often more destructive than those of the most violent physical convulsions.
The physical organization of the earth is a unit, and the disturbance of one part affects all the rest.
The duty of man is to co-operate with nature in the work of restoration and improvement, not to thwart her operations.
The power of man to transform the earth is immense, but his wisdom in directing that power is often wanting.
The destructive agency of man is often more potent than the constructive forces of nature.
The earth is not a machine, but a living organism, and man is a part of it.
The history of man is, in a great measure, the history of his action upon external nature.
The physical changes induced by man are often so gradual as to escape observation, until their accumulated effects become disastrous.
The duty of man is not to conquer nature, but to understand and cooperate with her.
The earth is a great laboratory, in which man is the chief operator.
The true end of human existence is not to accumulate wealth, but to improve the condition of humanity and the earth.
The most important of all human duties is to transmit to posterity the earth, not only not less, but even more, fertile than we received it.
The earth is a common heritage, and its resources should be managed for the benefit of all.
The physical geography of a country is intimately connected with its moral and intellectual character.