Paul R. Ehrlich Quotes

To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer.

By 1985 enough millions will have died to reduce the earth's population to some acceptable level, like 1.5 billion people.

The mother of the year should be a sterilized woman with two adopted children

In ten years [i.e., 1980] all important animal life in the sea will be extinct. Large areas of coastline will have to be evacuated because of the stench of dead fish.

There are substitutes for oil; there is no substitute for fresh water.

I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000.

In pushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb on which it perches.

Anyone who opposes methods to control the birth rate, is automatically voting in favour having the death rate go up.

Actually, the problem in the world is that there are too many rich people.

People have to decide, first of all, how they'd like to live, and how secure they want to be from disaster. After that, scientists can help determine what would be necessary to achieve that.

I see harm reduction as a way of engaging people as part of that path to recovery.

The National Academy of Sciences would be unable to give a unanimous decision if asked whether the sun would rise tomorrow.

We're one of the most highly regulated industries, and we have to pay attention to what government is doing.

If we were redesigning around people instead of around automobiles, which I think the market is more or less going to do, although too slowly, than I'd be a lot cheerier.

The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts.