Rachel Carson

"When we destroy the living fabric of the earth, we destroy ourselves."

"The ability to perceive beauty is a moral compass."

"We are living in the shadow of nuclear weapons, yet we do nothing to prevent their use."

"Truth is like a vast landscape that we can only comprehend in fragments."

"The greatest interest of the average citizen is in matters that touch his safety."

"Wonder and humility are emotions that should occupy a large place in our lives."

"If a single act of legislation could solve the problem, it would have been solved."

"The most characteristic sound of the modern world is the roar of the machine."

"We must choose between short-term gain and long-term survival."

"There is a universal principle that connects all things to all other things."

"The purpose of science is understanding, not control."

"Our heedless and irresponsible dealings with nature will return to haunt us."

"The sea attracts those who love nature, seek solitude, or wish to escape the madness of cities."

"We should venerate the natural world, not exploit it for profit."

"To love and to create; these are the greatest aspirations of human life."

"The challenge of the future is to move toward a civilization that does not destroy the biosphere."

"Every form of life is a miracle, yet we treat them as disposable commodities."

"Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace."

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time."

"We need a new ethic—one that extends the rights of the individual to the rest of nature."

"The most important thing is to live in accordance with nature."

"Every destruction of life is a diminishment of beauty."

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

"In this moment of change, we must choose to protect the world we have inherited."

"The more we study nature, the more we come to revere the divine."

"We have not inherited this world from our ancestors; we have borrowed it from our children."

"The greatest threat to our survival is our own ignorance."

"The pursuit of beauty is not a luxury but a necessity for the human spirit."

"Progress without wisdom is merely motion."

"Every breath we take, every drop of water we drink, connects us to the rest of life."