Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity's willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine, and reconsider.
Paul HawkenRead
We are now heading down a centuries-long path toward increasing the productivity of our natural capital - the resource systems upon which we depend to live - instead of our human capital.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of focusing on our natural resources rather than just on human productivity.
Paul Hawken highlights the long-term trajectory of society towards enhancing the productivity of the environment or natural resources—what he refers to as 'natural capital'—instead of solely prioritizing human labor or human capital. He suggests that our survival and quality of life depend significantly on how we manage and invest in the ecological systems that sustain us.
Themes
Natural CapitalProductivitySustainabilityEnvironmentResources
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about sustainability, one might say, 'As we focus on natural capital, we echo Paul Hawken's insight into our environmental responsibilities.'
More from Paul Hawken
All quotes →We can no longer prosper by increasing human productivity. The more we try to do, the more poverty we will create.
Paul HawkenRead
At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product.
Paul HawkenRead
How much harm does a company have to do before we question its right to exist?
Paul HawkenRead
We have the capacity to create a remarkably different economy: one that can restore ecosystems and protect the environment while bringing forth innovation, prosperity, meaningful work, and true security.
Paul HawkenRead
You are Brilliant and the Earth is Hiring.
Paul HawkenRead
Similar quotes
I know that the precise magnitude and patterns of climate change cannot be fully predicted. But global warming clearly is a growing, long-term threat with profound consequences. And make no mistake about it, it will take decades to reverse.
William J. ClintonRead
Everything is made out of Magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden-in all the places.
Frances Hodgson BurnettRead
Wilderness is a resource which can shrink but not grow... the creation of new wilderness in the full sense of the word is impossible.
Aldo LeopoldRead
All these other creatures have an equal right to exist here. We have no prior rights to the Earth than anybody else, and if they're here, let's give them a chance to survive.
Prince PhilipRead
It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.
David AttenboroughRead
It is odd that we have so little relationship with nature, with the insects and the leaping frog and the owl that hoots among the hills calling for its mate. We never seem to have a feeling for all living things on the earth.
Jiddu KrishnamurtiRead