Earth Day Quotes That Will Inspire You

Earth Day is a day to learn more about the environment and what you can do to help protect it. While there are hours and hours of research you could conduct (and that would really just be scraping the surface of what there is to learn), these Earth Day 2017 quotes are a great way to kick off the holiday. From Bill Gates and John Muir to Albert Einstein and Kurt Vonnegut, these quotes come from an varied group of environmentalists, authors, millionaires, and even geniuses... who better to trust?

While saving the planet won't rely on solely one person's actions, but rather, on the participation of a the entire world population, there are still ways that you can do your part. Recycle your plastics, metals, and cardboards; don't run excess water; turn off the lights when you're not using them; never litter; use reusable bags when you go shopping; and compost your food scraps. These are just some of those ways you can have a positive influence on the environment.

Maybe you're already doing the things on this list regularly, but if not, hopefully Earth Day (and these Earth Day quotes) will help spur you into action. Take a few minutes to read through the words of wisdom below, and then get to work, because it's going to take a lot of it to save the planet.

1. "Sooner or later, we will have to recognize that the Earth has rights, too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans." — Evo Morales

2. "Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." — Aldo Leopold

3. "We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap." — Kurt Vonnegut

4. "Keep close to nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." — John Muir

5. "Climate change is a terrible problem, and it absolutely needs to be solved. It deserves to be a huge priority." — Bill Gates

6. "If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees." — Susan George

7. "If people destroy something replaceable made by mankind, they are called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable made by God, they are called developers." — Joseph Wood Krutch

8. "The environment is everything that isn't me." — Albert Einstein

9. "We learned that economic growth and environmental protection can and should go hand in hand." — Christopher Dodd

10. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." — Margaret Mead

11. "Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal." — E. O. Wilson

12. "If we do not permit the Earth to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food, either." — Joseph Wood Krutch

Images: Slava Bowman/Unsplash