I am nothing but I must be everything.
Karl MarxRead
Nature is man's inorganic body -- that is to say, nature insofar as it is not the human body. Man lives from nature -- i.e., nature is his body -- and he must maintain a continuing dialogue with it is he is not to die. To say that man's physical and mental life is linked to nature simply means that nature is linked to itself, for man is a part of nature.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the intrinsic connection between humans and nature, suggesting that nature is essential for human existence and well-being.
Karl Marx highlights the fundamental relationship between humans and nature, asserting that our physical and mental lives are deeply intertwined with the natural world. He argues that nature serves as the inorganic body of humanity, meaning that we draw sustenance and support from it, and thus must engage in a continuous relationship with nature to thrive. This viewpoint fosters an understanding of the co-dependence between humanity and the environment, where neglecting this bond can lead to existential consequences.
Themes
NatureManRelationshipSustenanceEnvironment
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about environmental sustainability, one might quote this to underscore the importance of nature in human life.
More from Karl Marx
All quotes →Religion is the opiate of the people.
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It is absolutely impossible to transcend the laws of nature. What can change in historically different circumstances is only the form in which these laws expose themselves.
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Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living.
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To be radical is to grasp things by the root.
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Men's ideas are the most direct emanations of their material state.
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