Water is a universal necessity for life. Nothing has taught humanity that lesson so much as climate change has. With the growing contamination of our oceans, and shrinking aquatic life, protecting oceans today is more important than ever. Though we are quickly running out of time to save the environment from climate change, there is still time. Adverse to the tragedy caused by the recent Covid-19 outbreak, the virus has created many benefits for the environment. Dolphins are rumored to have returned to the Venice canals, and halting many factories has led to cleaner air. But even with the environmental benefits this deadly virus has brought, there is still more we can do save our oceans and our planet. Check out these quotes about the ocean to inspire you to do some good for your environment.
“The earth, the air, the land, and the water are not an inheritance from our forefathers but on loan from our children. So we have to handover to them at least as it was handed over to us.” — Gandhi
Ghandi is a well of knowledge, who was speaking out on climate change decades ago. We so often think of the planet as belonging to us, but it does not. Everything thing generation does to negatively impact the environment will hurt the next generation, and the one after that, and the one after that. We need to stop thinking of nature as something we can own.
“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” — Lao Tzu
The duality of the ocean is one of its most awe inspiring qualities. Water is gentle and harsh at the same time. This makes it one of our most important natural resources, which is why we need to keep it safe.
. “A drop of water, if it could write out its own history, would explain the universe to us.” — Lucy Larcom
Water existed long before humans and will exist long afterward. The water in your body passed through four other people in human history before it became yours. Earth’s water is much vaster and older than people realize. It is important to keep our water clean so that future generations can still have it.
“The sea is the universal sewer.” — Jacques Yves Cousteau
Though this might not be one of the cheeriest quotes about the ocean, it is one of the most important to understand. All human waste will eventually end up in the ocean. This is why reducing and reusing are necessities, so trash doesn’t end up in the ocean. We have all seen enough images of turtles being strangled by plastic to understand the validity of this quote.
“Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans” — Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Cousteau was a famous naval officer and conservationist most known for his books and documentaries on the ocean. He is central to our contemporary understanding of ocean pollution. Humans cannot live without water, but we are slowly destroying it.
“Without water, our planet would be one of the billions of lifeless rocks floating endlessly in the vastness of the inky-black void.” — Fabien Cousteau
In other words, without water there is no life. Water shortages not only mean the stop to human life, but the end to all life on this planet. If we do not save the oceans, we are all nothing.
“If man doesn’t learn to treat the oceans and the rain forest with respect, man will become extinct.” — Peter Benchley
It is we who need the nature, not the other way around. If humans do not learn to respect their surroundings, both the environment and humanity will be gone.
“How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is clearly Ocean.” — Arthur C. Clarke
Though land conservation is also extremely important, we need to look at the vast importance of water. Our planet is almost entirely water, and we are slowly contaminating it. Soon we will start running out of clean drinking water if we do not change.
“The sea is the only embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence.”
— Jules Verne
While past quotes have been about the harshness of our reality, this quote about the ocean reminds us why we not only need the ocean, but love it. How could you not fall in love with beaches and coral reefs and tide pools?
“Our actions over the next 10 years will determine the state of the ocean for the next 10,000 years.” — Sylvia Earle
Daily acts still feel small; getting a plastic bag, forgetting to recycle, buying fast fashion. But all the small decisions today will cause detriment for centuries. It is not enough to talk about a clean environment, we must take action.
“You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.” — Alan Watts
We are all a part of this world, so we must work together to keep it. The first signs of life on Earth crawled out of the ocean. We are all part of something infinitely bigger than ourselves. And we should do our best to protect it.
