Aldo Leopold

"To own a bit of land is to own a piece of time."

"Ecological perception requires that we think in terms of systems, not objects."

"The most important race is the race with ourselves."

"A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke he is writing his signature on the face of his land."

"The land is the only thing that lasts."

"We stand guard over works of art, but we destroy works of nature without hesitation."

"Every species is a masterpiece, an expression of long ages of evolutionary refinement."

"Conservation esthetic is not yet part of our social consciousness."

"The small landowner is the key to conservation—he can think in terms of his own land and community."

"Ecological education teaches us that we are part of nature, not apart from it."

"The land was not made for commerce, but commerce was made for the land."

"To feel the weight of the land beneath your feet is to understand your place in the world."

"Conservation is the cure for the paradox of plenty—we have much, yet we are poor in the things that matter."

"The future of conservation lies in the hands of those who understand that the land is not a commodity but a community."

"Wilderness preservation requires that we admit our fear of what we cannot control."

"Each generation must rediscover for itself the value of nature."

"The question is whether educated people charge themselves with some obligation to land."

"True conservation means saving the whole organism, not just its parts."

"In every important land decision, the question should be: what is best for the land?"

"The land is not ours to do with as we please; we are merely its trustees."

"Leisure is the basis of culture, and culture is the basis of conservation."

"We cannot conserve what we do not love, and we cannot love what we do not understand."

"The farmer who can care for the land will always have a place in civilization."

"Conservation is not a restriction on civilization, but a foundation for it."

"The land ethic is incomplete unless it includes waters and wild creatures and plant communities."

"Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one is watching and when it costs something."

"A sand county is not a place on the map, but a state of mind."

"The most important thing about conservation is not the solution, but the conversation."

"We abuse land because we do not know it, and we do not know it because we do not walk it slowly."

"The wilderness is where we test ourselves and discover who we truly are."