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
What this quote means
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.
Themes
WestNatureCivilizationProsperityEnvironment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about environmental conservation.
More from Wallace Stegner
All quotes βTouch. 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.
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Hope was always out ahead of fact, possibility obscured the outlines of reality.
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Young writers should be encouraged to write, and discouraged from thinking they are writers.
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Most things break, including hearts. The lessons of life amount not to wisdom, but to scar tissue and callus.
Wallace StegnerRead
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.
Wallace StegnerRead
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The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers: Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune.
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Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.
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