Jacques Cousteau
(1910-1997)

French Pioneering Ocean Conservationist
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Peace Leadership Award
1985 Presidential Medal of Freedom
1991 World Ecology Award

birthdate: June 11
birthplace:
Saint-André de Cubzac, France

QUOTES

We know how to organize warfare, but do we know how to act when confronted with peace?

"There are no boundaries in the real Planet Earth. No United States, no Soviet Union, no China, no Taiwan.... Rivers flow unimpeded across the swaths of continents. The persistent tides -- the pulse of the sea -- do not discriminate; they push against all the varied shores on Earth."

"A common denominator in every single nuclear accident -- a nuclear plant or on a nuclear submarine -- is that before the specialists even know what has happened, they rush to the media saying, 'There's no danger to the public.' They do this before they themselves know what has happened because they are terrified that the public might react violently, either by panic or by revolt."

"The problem is to get rid of the arrogance of technocrats. We want to know the truth when an accident occurs. And we want to fight. We want the right of all people to decide on what risks they will or will not take, to protect the quality of life for future generations."

"The time has come when speaking is not enough, applauding is not enough. We have to act. I urge you, every time you have an opportunity, make your opinions known by physical presence. Do it!"

However fragmented the world, however intense the national rivalries, it is an inexorable fact that we become more interdependent every day.

If we were logical, the future would be bleak indeed. But we are more than logical. We are human beings, and we have faith, and we have hope.

It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert.

Mankind has probably done more damage to the Earth in the 20th century than in all of previous human history.

 

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