Image Credit: BBC
Sir David Attenborough has long been a national treasure, inspiring us with his BBC documentaries Planet Earth, The Blue Planet and most recently Dynasties. A, or possibly the, voice of wisdom on topics such as wildlife conservation, climate change and the impact of humans on the planet, Sir David is a leading light for positive change. Here are some of our favourite quotes, collected from a career spanning over seven decades:
“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.”
“The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?”
“Many individuals are doing what they can. But real success can only come if there is a change in our societies and in our economics and in our politics.”
“If my grandchildren were to look at me and say, ‘You were aware species were disappearing and you did nothing, you said nothing’, that I think is culpable. I don’t know how much more they expect me to be doing, I’d better ask them.”
“Ever since we arrived on this planet as a species, we’ve cut them down, dug them up, burnt them and poisoned them. Today we’re doing so on a greater scale than ever.”
“No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experiened”
“Young people: They care. They know that this is the world that they’re going to grow up in, that they’re going to spend the rest of their lives in. But, I think it’s more idealistic than that. They actually believe that humanity, human species, has no right to destroy and despoil regardless.”
“We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet, and never before have we had the power to do something about that. Surely we all have a responsibility to care for our Blue Planet. The future of humanity and indeed, all life on earth, now depends on us.”
“The whole of life is coming to terms with yourself and the natural world. Why are you here? How do you fit in? What’s it all about?”
“We need to move beyond guilt or blame, and get on with the practical tasks at hand.”
“The Holocene has ended. The Garden of Eden is no more. We have changed the world so much that scientists say we are in a new geological age: the Anthropocene, the age of humans”
If you’re feeling inspired watch Sir David Attenborough’s best speeches here.