There are no miracles in agricultural production.
Interpretation
Agricultural success relies on hard work and scientific practices, not luck or chance.
Norman Borlaug's quote emphasizes the importance of scientific progress and diligent effort in agriculture rather than attributing success to miraculous events. It reflects the belief that sustainable agricultural production is the result of consistent application of scientific knowledge and techniques, which counteracts misconceptions about farming being solely reliant on natural occurrences or luck.
In practice
In a speech about farming sustainability, one might quote, 'There are no miracles in agricultural production' to emphasize the necessity of science in farming.
During the past three years spectacular progress has been made in increasing wheat, rice, and maize production in several of the most populous developing countries of southern Asia, where widespread famine appeared inevitable only five years ago
We must recognize the fact that adequate food is only the first requisite for life. For a decent and humane life, we must also provide an opportunity for good education, remunerative employment, comfortable housing, good clothing, and effective and compassionate medical care.
We are 6.6 billion people now. We can only feed 4 billion. I don't see 2 billion volunteers to disappear.
Nevertheless, the number of farmers, small as well as large, who are adopting the new seeds and new technology is increasing very rapidly, and the increase in numbers during the past three years has been phenomenal.
Africa needs roads. Roads bring know-how and fertilizer to farmers and ideas and business for commerce.
This is a basic problem, to feed 6.6 billion people. Without fertilizer, forget it. The game is over.
We live inside our universe and cannot get a bird's-eye view of it from outside. And we cannot even see all of our universe. Distant parts of it are expanding away from us so fast that they are invisible; they go faster than the speed of light. Having bigger telescopes to see fainter stars will not help us here: invisible is truly invisible.
Imagination alone is not enough, because the reality of nature is far more wondrous than anything we can imagine
When you're in a spacecraft, you need to know what things you can touch and what things you shouldn't touch!
It stands to the everlasting credit of science that by acting on the human mind it has overcome man's insecurity before himself and before nature.
We wish to find the truth, no matter where it lies. But to find the truth we need imagination and skepticism both. We will not be afraid to speculate, but we will be careful to distinguish speculation from fact.
Yet is it possible in terms of the motion of atoms to explain how men can invent an electric motor, or design and build a great cathedral? If such achievements represent anything more than the requirements of physical law, it means that science must investigate the additional controlling factors, whatever they may be, in order that the world of nature may be adequately understood.
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