Rachel Carson

"Pesticides have been so thoroughly distributed throughout the ecosystems that they occur virtually everywhere."

"The question is whether any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself."

"We are living in a sea of carcinogens and mutagens."

"The right to know is like the right to live. It is a basic and fundamental right of every human."

"Writing is one of the most effective ways to capture the wonder and beauty of the natural world."

"What is the value of prestige, property, and the respect of neighbors, if our children are not safe from poisoning?"

"The measure of the health of society is how it treats its most vulnerable members."

"We have been a careless and destructive race."

"In the case of the sea, there is no escaping the conclusion that the situation is now a critical one."

"If the Bill of Rights contains no guarantee that a citizen shall be secure against lethal poisons distributed either in food or in air or water, how has America gone so wrong?"

"There is wisdom in the acceptance that we do not stand alone, that we share this earth with millions of other creatures."

"The decision to use the atomic bomb was the biggest mistake ever made by any country in history."

"We live in a technological civilization, but we are still part of nature and cannot escape its laws."

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."

"The real tragedy is not economic loss but the loss of the ability to perceive beauty in the living world."

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength."

"Science and technology have grown so much faster than wisdom and understanding."

"A true love of nature must be founded on knowledge and understanding."

"If we are going to deal realistically and effectively with the insect problem, it must be done with full knowledge of the relevant facts."

"We sorely need some authoritative figure to remind us that the majority of mankind still has not heard the message of science."

"The aim of science should be to serve humanity, not to dominate it."

"There seems to be something in the nature of man that makes him wish to dominate others, yet this domination brings him no happiness."

"To perceive freshly, with fresh senses, is to be inspired."

"We have allowed the age of machinery, of chemicals, of synthetics to dominate our world."

"What is the value of our professional knowledge if it cannot be translated into service to the people?"

"The wonder and mystery of life surrounds us at every turn."

"Perhaps our grandsons will enjoy a better world as a result of our struggles today."

"The evolution of human awareness is the evolutionary frontier."

"Time alone cannot heal wounds of the spirit."

"Modern insecticides have so saturated our world that they occur in the most remote places."