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We . . . must try to live without causing unnecessary harm, not just to fellow humans but to all beings. We must try not to be stingy, or to exploit others. There will be enough pain in the world as it is.
Gary Snyder
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of living compassionately and avoiding harm to all beings.

Gary Snyder's quote advocates for a mindful existence that respects and protects not only human life but all forms of existence. He stresses the importance of generosity and warns against exploitation, emphasizing that the world already contains sufficient suffering, and we should strive to reduce it through our actions and choices.

Themes

CompassionHarmExistenceGenerosityExploitationSuffering

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech on environmental conservation, I quoted Snyder to highlight the interconnectedness of life.

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I hold the most archaic values on earth ... the fertility of the soul, the magic of the animals, the power-vision in solitude.... the love and ecstasy of the dance, the common work of the tribe.
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Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.
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In the belly of the furnace of creativity is a sexual fire; the flames twine about each other in fear and delight. The same sort of coiling, at a cooler, slower pace, is what the life of this planet looks like. The enormous spirals of typhoons, the twists and turns of mountain ranges and gorges, the waves and the deep ocean currents - a dragonlike writhing.
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Forests in the tropics are cut to make pasture to raise beef for the American market. Our distance from the source of our food enables us to be superficially more comfortable, and distinctly more ignorant.
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Wherever man exists, he finds the need to redesign, to recreate the world. A more beautiful world, purer, sweeter smelling and more colorful. A garden is probably the spot where the hopes for civilization are best captured. In fact, man defines himself by his garden. My Grandmother standing wordless fifteen minutes Between rows of loganberries, clippers poised in her hand.
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