Wangari Maathai

"The real work of environmental conservation is not about protecting forests and wildlife alone."

"I have always believed that solutions to most of our problems must come from the grassroots and from the ground up."

"When you understand the interconnectedness of all beings, you cannot hurt another without hurting yourself."

"Our world is not given to us by our parents. It is loaned to us by our children."

"The act of planting a tree is an act of faith in the future."

"We live in a time when the world is changing in ways we cannot fully understand."

"In planting trees, we create a legacy for those who come after us."

"The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest."

"There is much that is not understood about the relationship between poverty and environmental degradation."

"Justice without environmental protection is hollow justice."

"I realized that what we do to the earth, we do to ourselves."

"When the forest is destroyed, we are all diminished."

"Those who understand the interdependence of all things will do better by all of us."

"The work of environmental justice is the work of healing a broken world."

"When women are empowered, they empower the world."

"Every blade of grass has an angel bending over it, saying 'Grow, grow.'"

"The problem is not the strength of the opposition but the weakness of those who are not committed."

"In the eyes of the young, we see the future. In our actions, we shape it."

"I paint with words and sometimes my canvas is the world."

"The essence of development is the freedom to achieve what you reasonably value."

"We are not inheriting the world from our ancestors; we are borrowing it from our children."

"To hurt the earth is to hurt yourself, to heal the earth is to heal yourself."

"The work we do today for the environment will benefit our great-great-grandchildren."

"In the end, we are part of nature, not separate from it."

"The most powerful tool for transformation is to speak your truth."

"When we look at the world from the perspective of a tree, everything changes."

"Courage comes not from the absence of fear, but from acting in spite of fear."

"I have learned that the universe is always moving toward justice."

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams and work to make them real."

"In our connection to nature, we find our true selves."