“The Crooked Wood” p. 208

I understand and sympathize with the reasonable needs of a reasonable number of people on a finite continent. All life depends upon other life. But what is happening today, in North America, is not rational use but irrational massacre. Man the Pest, multiplied to the swarming stage, is attacking the remaining forests like a plague of locusts on a field of grain.

— Edward Abbey

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I understand and sympathize with the reasonable needs of a reasonable number of people on a finite continent. All life depends upon other life. But what is happening today, in North America, is not rational use but irrational massacre. Man the Pest, multiplied to the swarming stage, is attacking the remaining forests like a plague of locusts on a field of grain." in the context of "“The Crooked Wood” p. 208" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Edward Abbey" (Quotes, The Journey Home (1977): The Journey Home : Some Words in Defense of the American West (1977) ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Edward Abbey

About Edward Abbey

Edward Paul Abbey (29 January 1927 – 14 March 1989) was an American writer noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies.