The Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we may get to keep the planet.
To be a friend of the Everglades is not necessarily to spend time wandering around out there.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding the Everglades goes beyond physical presence; it's about a deep connection with the environment.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas emphasizes that being a true friend to the Everglades isn't simply about visiting or exploring the area; it involves a profound appreciation and commitment to preserving and respecting this unique ecosystem. The quote suggests that one can foster a bond with nature that transcends mere visitation, highlighting the importance of stewardship and understanding in forming connections with our natural world.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about environmental conservation, someone might say this quote to highlight the importance of being an advocate for nature.
More from Marjory Stoneman Douglas
All quotes βLife should be lived so vividly and so intensely that thoughts of another life, or of a longer life, are not necessary.
Whoever wants me to talk, I'll come over and tell them about the necessity of preserving the Everglades.
The wealth of south Florida, but even more important, the meaning and significance of south Florida lies in the black muck of the Everglades and the inevitable development of this country to be the great tropic agricultural center of the world.
The hardest thing is to tell the truth about oneself. One doesn't like to remember unpleasant details, but forgetting them makes one's life seem disorganized.
Conservation is now a dead word.
Similar quotes
We won't have a society if we destroy the environment.
It drives me crazy to see so much of this planet's life so casually endangered. The first steps are so easy (drive smaller cars, for instance) that it's very hard to understand why we haven't taken them. But I know that this is the issue our generation will be judged by.
It was the best place to be, thought Wilbur, this warm delicious cellar, with the garrulous geese, the changing seasons, the heat of the sun, the passage of swallows, the nearness of rats, the sameness of sheep, the love of spiders, the smell of manure, and the glory of everything.
Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous.
A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time.
The lark that shuns on lofty boughs to build, Her humble nest, lies silent in the field.