50 George Monbiot Quotes for You to Enjoy

George Monbiot

British Writer

Born: Jan 27, 1963

Life Natural Own People World You

While some people have rejected capitalism gladly and swiftly, I've done so slowly and reluctantly. Part of the reason was that I could see no clear alternative: unlike some anti-capitalists, I have never been an enthusiast for state communism. George Monbiot

Capitalism Communism People Some People State Unlike See Enthusiast Some Slowly Reluctantly Could Gladly Never Part Clear Alternative Been Done While Reason Swiftly Rejected

The ideology of consumption is so prevalent that it has become invisible: it is the plastic soup in which we swim. George Monbiot

Ideology Become Consumption Invisible Soup Which Plastic Swim

The grim truth is that the rich are able to live as they do only because others are poor: there is neither the physical nor ecological space for everyone to pursue private luxury. George Monbiot

Truth Truth Is Space Luxury Rich Live Others Everyone Neither Physical Able Only Ecological Pursue Because Private Nor Grim Poor

I have lived long enough to witness the vanishing of wild mammals, butterflies, mayflies, songbirds and fish that I once feared my grandchildren would not experience: it has all happened faster than even the pessimists predicted. George Monbiot

Rather than allowing Roma, Travellers and homeless people to be picked off, all those of us who fear the criminalisation of trespass should join forces with them, protecting their rights while we defend our own. George Monbiot

I might find myself standing, transfixed, by the roadside, watching a sparrowhawk hunting among the bushes, astonished that other people could ignore it. But they might just as well be wondering how I could have failed to notice the new V6 Pentastar Sahara that just drove past. George Monbiot

Myself People Past Other Astonished Hunting Find Could Failed Roadside Drove New Well Sahara How Wondering Just Might Bushes Notice Ignore Standing Among Watching

If we stop dragging trawls and dredges through it, the life of the seas would recover with astonishing speed. Because most marine animals are highly mobile during at least one stage of their development, the rewilding of the seas needs little help from humans. George Monbiot

Life Needs Animals Stage Speed Astonishing At Least One Would Recover Through Development Highly Most Because Least Mobile Stop Little Little Help Help Seas Humans Dragging Marine

The struggle to save every possible species and ecosystem from the current wave of destruction is worthwhile. One day, perhaps within our lifetimes, they could repopulate a thriving world. George Monbiot

Day Struggle World Destruction Every Wave Our One Day Possible Worthwhile Thriving Could Lifetimes Ecosystem Perhaps Within Current Species Save

I do not want to abandon representative democracy. I want to see it balanced by popular sovereignty, especially the variety known as deliberative democracy. George Monbiot

Democracy Abandon See Variety Balanced Known Sovereignty Representative Want Popular

After my cancer diagnosis this year, I was offered a choice of treatments. I wanted to make an informed decision. This meant reading scientific papers. Had I not used the stolen material provided by Sci-Hub, it would have cost me thousands. George Monbiot

Me Cancer Decision Reading Year Papers Would Thousands Cost Had Make Scientific Diagnosis Material Provided Offered Stolen Wanted After Informed Choice Meant Used Treatments

If I could turn back the clock, magically deleting my prostate cancer, the surgery I needed and its complications, would I do so? It seems an odd question. But I find it surprisingly hard to answer. George Monbiot

Cancer Back Complications Would Find Seems Could Prostate Answer Surgery Odd Surprisingly Question Clock Turn If I Could Hard Needed

If commercial fishing were excluded from large areas of the sea, the total catch would be likely, paradoxically, to rise, due to what biologists call the spillover effect. George Monbiot

Paradoxically Would Would-Be Total Rise Area Catch Excluded Likely Call Due Were Fishing Effect Commercial Sea Large Biologists

I believe that anyone who wants to stand in a national election should receive a course of psychotherapy. Completing the course should be a qualification for office. This wouldn't change the behaviour of psychopaths, but it might prevent some people who exercise power from imposing their own deep wounds on others. George Monbiot

Change People Election Some People Power National Own Believe Others I Believe I Believe That Completing Wounds Some Prevent Qualification Course Exercise Imposing Office Behaviour Anyone Wants Psychotherapy Might Should Stand Who Deep Receive

One-planet living means not only seeking to reduce our own consumption, but also mobilising against the system that promotes the great tide of junk. This means fighting corporate power, changing political outcomes and challenging the growth-based, world-consuming system we call capitalism. George Monbiot

Great Capitalism Political Power Own Fighting Living Changing Our Corporate System Outcomes Seeking Only Consumption Also Tide Call Reduce Junk Against Means Challenging

If our grazing land was allowed to revert to natural ecosystems, and the land currently used to grow feed for livestock was used for grains, beans, fruit, nuts and vegetables for humans, this switch would allow the UK to absorb an astonishing quantity of carbon. George Monbiot

Fruit Natural Vegetables Our Astonishing Nuts UK Would Beans Allow Allowed Absorb Feed Ecosystems Quantity Revert Currently Grains Land Used Grow Switch Carbon Livestock Humans Grazing

Rainforests are not confined to the tropics: a good definition is forest wet enough to support epiphytes - plants that grow on other plants. Particularly in the west of Britain, where tiny fragments persist, you can find trees covered in rich growths of a fern called polypody, mosses and lichens, and flowering plants climbing the lower trunks. George Monbiot

Good You Plants Rich Other Trees Enough Fragments Definition Find Support Particularly Climbing Covered West Forest Persist Wet Tiny Confined Where Lower Grow Flowering Britain

Emotionally damaged men all too often rip apart their own lives, and those of their partners and children. I see both physical fitness and emotional strength as virtues, but they are acquired by entirely different means. George Monbiot

Fitness Strength Men Physical Fitness Own Too Virtues Those I See Physical See Rip Entirely Both Emotional Emotionally Partners Often Children Different Apart Acquired Means Lives Damaged

History shows that attacks on general freedoms often begin with an attack on the freedom of a minority. It teaches us that we should never allow a government to divide and rule. An attack on one is an attack on all. George Monbiot

Government Freedom History Minority Rule General Attack Divide Attacks Allow Never Freedoms Begin Often Us Should Teaches Shows

Technological change is essential, but to a natural historian it often feels cold and distancing. George Monbiot

Change Natural Cold Feels Historian Essential Often Technological

Economic growth is the aggregate effect of the quest to accumulate capital and extract profit. Capitalism collapses without growth, yet perpetual growth on a finite planet leads inexorably to environmental calamity. George Monbiot

Environmental Capitalism Profit Extract Economic Finite Economic Growth Calamity Leads Without Inexorably Perpetual Quest Effect Accumulate Capital Planet Aggregate Growth