Wendell Berry Quotes

American - Poet August 5, 1934

To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.

Nature Hope Survival Earth Cherish Foster Legitimate Only Our Remains Renewal

We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?

Gardening Time Enough Question Deal Gardens How How Much Learn Most Much Our Urgent

Why should conservationists have a positive interest in... farming? There are lots of reasons, but the plainest is: Conservationists eat.

Positive Farming Why Eat Interest Lots Reasons Should

Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.

Better Red Dawn Rise Any Argument Berries Cup Pick Than

We cannot comprehend what comprehends us.

Us Cannot We Cannot Comprehend

It is not from ourselves that we learn to be better than we are.

Better Than Learn Ourselves

These are people who are capable of devotion, public devotion, to justice. They meant what they said and every day that passes, they mean it more.

Justice People Day More Capable Devotion Every Day Mean Meant Passes Public Said Every Who

Top 10
Wendell Berry
Quotes

The primary motive for good care and good use of the land-community is always going to be affection, which is too often lacking.

Good Care Always Affection Going Lacking Motive Often Primary Too Use Which

If I was freer than I had ever been in my life, I was not yet entirely free, for I still hung on to an idea that had been set deep in me by all my schooling so far: I was a bright boy and I ought to make something out of myself... something else that would be a cut or two above my humble origins.

This, I thought, is what is meant by 'thy will be done' in the Lord's Prayer, which I had prayed time and again without thinking about it. It means that your will and God's will may not be the same. It means there's a good possibility that you won't get what you pray for. It means that in spite of your prayers you are going to suffer.

For any sin, we all suffer. That is why our suffering is endless.

Suffering Sin Why Our Any Endless Suffer

We cannot know the whole truth, which belongs to God alone, but our task nevertheless is to seek to know what is true. And if we offend gravely enough against what we know to be true, as by failing badly enough to deal affectionately and responsibly with our land and our neighbors, truth will retaliate with ugliness, poverty, and disease.

To hear of a thousand deaths in war is terrible, and we 'know' that it is. But as it registers on our hearts, it is not more terrible than one death fully imagined.

Death War Know More Deaths Fully Hear Hearts Imagined Terrible Thousand Our Than

To be interested in food but not in food production is clearly absurd.

Food Production Absurd Interested Clearly

If conservationists will attempt to resume responsibility for their need to eat, they will be led back fairly directly to all their previous concerns for the welfare of nature.

Nature Responsibility Will Back Attempt Concerns Directly Eat Fairly Led Need Previous Resume Welfare

Urban conservationists may feel entitled to be unconcerned about food production because they are not farmers. But they can't be let off so easily, for they are all farming by proxy.

Food May Feel Farmers Easily Entitled Farming Off Production Unconcerned Urban About Because

There are no sacred and unsacred places; there are only sacred and desecrated places. My belief is that the world and our life in it are conditional gifts.

Life World Only Belief Conditional Gifts Places Sacred Our

We have the world to live in on the condition that we will take good care of it. And to take good care of it, we have to know it. And to know it and to be willing to take care of it, we have to love it.

Love Good World Care Condition Live Take Take Care To Love Willing Know Will

The two great aims of industrialism - replacement of people by technology and concentration of wealth into the hands of a small plutocracy - seem close to fulfillment.

Great Technology People Hands Aims Close Concentration Fulfillment Replacement Seem Small Two Wealth

I've had a good life, and was born to and among people I've admired and loved.

Life Good People Good Life Admired Among Born Had Loved

We're all complicit in the things we may be trying to oppose. I'm complicit in the things that I'm trying to oppose.

May Things Trying Oppose Complicit

The only time I've been arrested was in opposing the Marble Hill nuclear power plant in Indiana. That was in 1979.

Time Power Hill Plant Arrested Indiana Marble Nuclear Nuclear Power Only Time Opposing Power Plant Been Only

I'm a writer more than I am a talker.

I Am More Than Am Talker Writer

The latest technology is not always good for anything except to the producers of the technology.

Good Technology Always Anything Except Latest Producers

If we can't afford to take good care of the land that feeds us, we're in an insurmountable mess.

Good Care Us Mess Afford Feeds Insurmountable Land Take

The uplands of my home country in north central Kentucky are sloping and easily eroded, dependent for safekeeping upon year-round cover of perennial plants.

Home Plants Country Dependent Central Cover Easily Eroded Kentucky North Perennial Year-Round

Annual plants are nature's emergency medical service, seeded in sounds and scars to hold the land until the perennial cover is re-established.

Nature Medical Service Plants Annual Cover Emergency Hold Land Perennial Scars Sounds Until

The fertility cycle is a cycle entirely of living creatures passing again and again through birth, growth, maturity, death, and decay.

Death Growth Maturity Birth Again Creatures Cycle Decay Entirely Fertility Living Living Creatures Passing Through

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