The discipline of the writer is to learn to be still and listen to what his subject has to tell him.
RACHEL CARSONThe discipline of the writer is to learn to be still and listen to what his subject has to tell him.
RACHEL CARSONOur attitude towards plants is a singularly narrow one. If we see any immediate utility in a plant we foster it. If for any reason we find its presence undesirable or merely a matter of indifference, we may condemn it to destruction forthwith.
RACHEL CARSONDrink in the beauty and wonder at the meaning of what you see.
RACHEL CARSONIf a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.
RACHEL CARSONOne way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, “What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew i would never see it again?
RACHEL CARSONWe are not truly civilized if we concern ourselves only with the relation of man to man. What is important is the relation of man to all life.
RACHEL CARSONOne summer night, out on a flat headland, all but surrounded by the waters of the bay, the horizons were remote and distant rims on the edge of space.
RACHEL CARSONThe more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
RACHEL CARSONAutumn comes to the sea with a fresh blaze of phosphorescence, when every wave crest is aflame. Here and there the whole surface may glow with sheets of cold fire, while below schools of fish pour through the water like molten metal.
RACHEL CARSONBut man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.
RACHEL CARSONConservation is a cause that has no end. There is no point at which we will say our work is finished.
RACHEL CARSONWhy would anyone believe it is possible to lay down such barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making it unfit for all life? They should not be called insecticides, but biocides.
RACHEL CARSONThe question is whether any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself, and without losing the right to be called civilized.
RACHEL CARSONWe still talk in terms of conquest. We still haven’t become mature enough to think of ourselves as only a tiny part of a vast and incredible universe.
RACHEL CARSONHave we fallen into a mesmerized state that makes us accept as inevitable that which is inferior or detrimental, as though having lost the will or the vision to demand that which is good?
RACHEL CARSONThose who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
RACHEL CARSON