When a man wantonly destroys one of the works of man we call him a vandal. When he destroys one of the works of god we call him a sportsman.
Joseph Wood KrutchRead
If people destroy something replaceable made by mankind, they are called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable made by God, they are called developers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the priorities of society regarding natural and human-made destruction.
Joseph Wood Krutch highlights the hypocrisy in how society labels the destruction of human creations as vandalism while turning a blind eye to the environmental degradation caused by developers in the name of progress. The quote emphasizes the distinction between the value of irreplaceable natural resources and the replaceable man-made objects, urging a reevaluation of our priorities as a society.
Themes
DestructionEnvironmentNatureHumanityProgressValues
In practice
Example use cases
During an environmental awareness speech, I shared this quote to illustrate the importance of protecting nature.
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How anyone can profess to find animal life interesting and yet take delight in reducing the wonder of any animal to a bloody mass of fur or feathers?
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