Each generation has its own rendezvous with the land, for despite our fee titles and claims of ownership, we are all brief tenants on this planet. By choice, or by default, we will carve out a land legacy for our heirs.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the transient nature of human existence and our relationship with the Earth, emphasizing our responsibility to future generations.
Stewart Udall's quote highlights the inherent connection between humanity and the land we inhabit. It suggests that regardless of our claims to ownership, we are temporary residents of this planet. Each generation has the opportunity and obligation to create a legacy that will impact the lives of those who come after us. This perspective calls for a deeper consideration of environmental stewardship and sustainable living, urging us to think beyond ourselves and to recognize our role in the continuum of life.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech on environmental conservation at a community event.
If, in our haste to 'progress,' the economics of ecology are disregarded by citizens and policy makers alike, the result will be an ugly America. We cannot afford an America where expedience tramples upon esthetics and development decisions are made with an eye only on the present.
America today stands poised on a pinnacle of wealth and power, yet we live in a land of vanishing beauty, of increasing ugliness, of shrinking open space, and of an over-all environment that is diminished daily by pollution and noise and blight.
It would be naïve to think that peace and justice can be achieved easily. No set of rules or study of history will automatically resolve the problems ... However, with faith and perseverance, ... complex problems in the past have been resolved in our search for justice and peace.
It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God.
Sadness usually results from one of the following causes either when a man does not succeed, or is ashamed of his success.
It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments are bound to protect them.
One can say of language that it is potentially the only human home, the only dwelling place that cannot be hostile to man.
Las Vegas is the only place I know where money really talks--it says, Goodbye.
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