Every person who has ever achieved anything has been knocked down many times. But all of them picked themselves up and kept going, and that is what I have always tried to do.
Wangari MaathaiRead
Those of us who witness the degraded state of the environment and the suffering that comes with it cannot afford to be complacent. We continue to be restless. If we really carry the burden, we are driven to action. We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk!
Interpretation
What this quote means
We must take responsibility for the environment and act to protect it for future generations.
Wangari Maathai emphasizes the urgency of environmental advocacy and action. She argues that those who are aware of the environmental degradation and its associated suffering must not remain passive or complacent. Instead, they should feel a sense of responsibility to enact change, not only for the present but for the future and all living beings, and this commitment should drive them to persist in their efforts despite any challenges faced.
Themes
EnvironmentActionResponsibilityFutureGenerationsChange
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the importance of environmental activism at a community meeting.
More from Wangari Maathai
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I know there is pain when sawmills close and people lose jobs, but we have to make a choice. We need water and we need these forests.
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We’re constantly being bombarded by problems that we face and sometimes we can get completely overwhelmed. [But] we should always feel like a hummingbird. I may feel insignificant, but I don’t want to be like the other animals watching the planet go down the drain. I’ll be a hummingbird, I’ll do the best I can.
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As long as there is no trust and confidence that there will be justice and fairness in resource distribution, political positioning will remain more important than service
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It gradually became clear that the Green Belt Movement's work with communities to repair the degraded environment could not be done effectively without participants embracing a set of core spiritual values.
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