That is all the National Parks are about. Use, but do no harm.
Wallace StegnerRead
I was shaped by the west and have lived most of my life in it, and nothing would gratify me more than to see it in all its subregions and subcultures both prosperous and environmentally healthy, with a civilization to match its scenery.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a desire for a prosperous and environmentally healthy Western civilization that aligns with its beautiful landscapes.
Wallace Stegner reflects on his deep connection to the West, emphasizing how his experiences and identity have been shaped by this region. He conveys a profound aspiration for all its diverse areas and cultures to thrive, not just economically but also in harmony with nature, creating a civilization that respects and matches the breathtaking scenery of the land.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about environmental conservation.
That is all the National Parks are about. Use, but do no harm.
Touch. It is touch that is the deadliest enemy of chastity, loyalty, monogamy, gentility with its codes and conventions and restraints. By touch we are betrayed and betray others ... an accidental brushing of shoulders or touching of hands ... hands laid on shoulders in a gesture of comfort that lies like a thief, that takes, not gives, that wants, not offers, that awakes, not pacifies. When one flesh is waiting, there is electricity in the merest contact.
Hope was always out ahead of fact, possibility obscured the outlines of reality.
Young writers should be encouraged to write, and discouraged from thinking they are writers.
Most things break, including hearts. The lessons of life amount not to wisdom, but to scar tissue and callus.
No place is a place until things that have happened in it are remembered in history, ballads, yarns, legends, or monuments. Fictions serve as well as facts.
Don't you realize that the sea is the home of water? All water is off on a journey unless it's in the sea, and it's homesick, and bound to make its way home someday.
I think global warming is the gravest threat. With global warming, it's the product of a war between old energy - between the carbon cronies, who, by the way, could not stay in business in a true free market capitalism.
Whoever wants me to talk, I'll come over and tell them about the necessity of preserving the Everglades.
It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.
My job, my mission, the reason I’ve been put onto this planet, is to save wildlife. And I thank you for comin’ with me. Yeah, let’s get 'em!
Nature favors those organisms which leave the environment in better shape for their progeny to survive.
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