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Our beliefs, our values shape the way we look out at the world and the way we treat it. If we believe that we were here, placed here by God, that this - all of this creation is for us, it's for us to go and occupy, dominate and exploit, then we will proceed to do that.
David Suzuki
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Our beliefs influence how we perceive and interact with the world.

This quote by David Suzuki emphasizes the profound impact of our beliefs and values on our worldview and our behavior towards nature. If we perceive ourselves as stewards of creation, our relationship with the environment will reflect care and responsibility; conversely, if we believe we are entitled to exploit it, our actions will reflect disregard for ecological balance.

Themes

BeliefsValuesWorldviewEnvironmentNature

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about environmental stewardship, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of responsible beliefs about nature.

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We no longer see the world as a single entity. We've moved to cities and we think the economy is what gives us our life, that if the economy is strong we can afford garbage collection and sewage disposal and fresh food and water and electricity. We go through life thinking that money is the key to having whatever we want, without regard to what it does to the rest of the world.
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