Life

16 Earth Day Quotes Worth Sharing

by Chelsey Grasso
nature, tree, waterfall
Boy_Anupong/Moment/Getty Images

Happy Earth Day! Rounded up below are 16 Earth Day quotes for you to read in honor of this holiday, and perhaps, every other day of the year — because we should never stop caring for the planet we inhabit. These quotes below were spoken by some pretty brilliant minds, and they each set an example of how we should be treating this great big sphere of land and sea. You're never too cool to "go green," and if Lady Bird Johnson and Gandhi can't convince you of it, then I don't know who can.

There is no denying the amount of harm we have already caused this planet. From destroying rainforests to thinning the ozone layer, it's pretty bad. That being said, you should never lose hope for a brighter tomorrow. While we might not be on the planet in hundreds of years, our children's children will be, and that is something worth taking seriously.

The environment affects everything, from air quality to food control to having enough resources to sustain life. Treat it with respect. We may not be able to undo everything horrible that we've done, but we can try our best to push towards a better future where our children can breathe fresh air and our water supplies aren't filled with toxins. Let's do this, people!

1. "The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share." — Lady Bird Johnson

2. "A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people." — Franklin D. Roosevelt

3. "He that plants trees loves others beside himself." — Thomas Fuller

4. "Every day is Earth Day, and I vote we start investing in a secure climate future right now" — Jackie Speier

5. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." — Margaret Mead

6. "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." — Albert Einstein

7. "It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living." — David Attenborough

8. "We have met the enemy and he is us." — Walt Kelly

9. "A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children." — John James Audubon

10. "The wealth of the nation is its air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity… that’s all there is. That’s the whole economy. That’s where all the economic activity and jobs come from. These biological systems are the sustaining wealth of the world." — Gaylord Nelson

11. "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." — Jane Goodall

12. "The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it." — Barry Commoner

13. "On Earth Day, we celebrate all the gifts the world and nature make available to us. We recognize our complete dependence on its bounty. And we acknowledge the need for good stewardship to preserve its fruits for future generations." — John Hoeven

14. "Until a man duplicates a blade of grass, Nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge. Remedies from chemicals will never stand in favorable comparison with the products of Nature, the living cell of a plant, the final result of the rays of the sun, the mother of all life." — Thomas Alva Edison

15. "Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance." — Theodore Roosevelt

16. "The good man is the friend of all living things." — Gandhi

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