I'm not over-fond of animals. I am merely astounded by them.
Interpretation
The speaker expresses a sense of wonder towards animals, rather than a personal affection for them.
In this quote, David Attenborough reveals a perspective of awe and fascination for animals. Instead of a sentimental or emotional attachment, he emphasizes a profound respect and curiosity about the natural world and its inhabitants, highlighting the marvels of wildlife through a lens of observation and admiration.
In practice
In a speech about conservation, this quote can illustrate the importance of respecting wildlife.
I don't think we are going to become extinct. We're very clever and extremely resourceful - and we will find ways of preserving ourselves, of that I'm sure. But whether our lives will be as rich as they are now is another question.
I'm against this huge globalisation on the basis of economic advantage.
I would be absolutely astounded if population growth and industrialisation and all the stuff we are pumping into the atmosphere hadn't changed the climatic balance. Of course it has. There is no valid argument for denial.
There's a small worm called Loa Loa Filariasis. This parasite can survive in one environment exclusively- namely, underneath the skin and inside the eyes of human beings. Children and the elderly in tropical regions (usually the poorest) are the most widely affected. A painful, slow death is virtually certain. The worm can actually live in the host for 17 years before the host finally dies.
The fundamental issue is the moral issue.
It is vital that there is a narrator figure whom people believe. That's why I never do commercials. If I started saying that margarine was the same as motherhood, people would think I was a liar.
Tree sitting is a last resort. When you see someone sitting in a tree trying to protect it, you know that every level of our society has failed.
When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy, And the dimpling stream runs laughing by; When the air does laugh with our merry wit, And the green hill laughs with the noise of it.
Natural phenomena undisturbed by man point the way to the realization of a new technique. One needs a keen sense of observation. We must understand Nature before we can adapt its way of working to our needs.
I love to smell flowers in the dark," she said. "You get hold of their soul then.
We cannot remember too often that when we observe nature, and especially the ordering of nature, it is always ourselves alone we are observing.
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.
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