David Attenborough Quotes

No one will protect what they don't care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced.

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.

What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet.

The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.

How could I look my grandchildren in the eye and say I knew what was happening to the world and did nothing.

Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, perhaps we should control the population to ensure the survival of our environment

We can now destroy or we can cherish-the choice is ours.

Anyone who believes in indefinite growth on a physically finite planet is either mad or an economist

The future of life on earth depends on our ability to take action. Many individuals are doing what they can, but real success can only come if there's a change in our societies and our economics and in our politics. I've been lucky in my lifetime to see some of the greatest spectacles that the natural world has to offer. Surely we have a responsibility to leave for future generations a planet that is healthy, inhabitable by all species

The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.

Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and can motivate a sense of responsibility to safeguard it.

The World is full of wonders, but they become more Wonderful, not less Wonderful when Science looks at them.

The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?

If we [humans] disappeared overnight, the world would probably be better off.

An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment...

I'm not over-fond of animals. I am merely astounded by them.

People must feel that the natural world is important and valuable and beautiful and wonderful and an amazement and a pleasure.

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.

Being in touch with the natural world is crucial.

I just wish the world was twice as big and half of it was still unexplored.

There are some four million different kinds of animals and plants in the world. Four million different solutions to the problems of staying alive.

It is that range of biodiversity that we must care for - the whole thing - rather than just one or two stars.

I don't know [why we're here]. People sometimes say to me, 'Why don't you admit that the humming bird, the butterfly, the Bird of Paradise are proof of the wonderful things produced by Creation?' And I always say, well, when you say that, you've also got to think of a little boy sitting on a river bank, like here, in West Africa, that's got a little worm, a living organism, in his eye and boring through the eyeball and is slowly turning him blind. The Creator God that you believe in, presumably, also made that little worm. Now I personally find that difficult to accommodate.

Its about cherishing the woodland at the bottom of your garden or the stream that runs through it. It affects every aspect of life.

Nothing in the natural world makes sense - except when seen in the light of evolution