Some of these species that are now no longer with us were killed off by a fungal disease that was moved around the planet by people.

It doesn’t much matter whether people care or don’t care. What matters is that people change the world.

It may seem impossible to imagine that a technologically advanced society could choose, in essence, to destroy itself, but that is what we are now in the processnof doing.

If in your lifetime you watch a species go extinct, or plummet almost to the point of extinction, that is a sign that something really serious is going on.

Neanderthals were pretty smart, and if we actively killed them off, then probably we did so in the same way that humans kill each other.

Though it might be nice to imagine there once was a time when man lived in harmony with nature, it’s not clear that he ever really did.

Humans will eventually become extinct. People treat that as a radical thing to say. But the fossil record shows us that everything eventually becomes extinct.

Most of us live in parts of the world where we don't expect to see much, and we wouldn't necessarily notice things that are crashing.

There's this idea of shifting baselines. It was coined by a guy named Jeremy Jackson. It's the idea that every generation takes what it sees, and says, "Okay, well, that's the norm."

No matter what Donald Trump says, it's clear that global warming is rapidly changing conditions on our planet.

In a poll commissioned by Time and CNN, two-thirds of American parents said they think that their children are spoiled.

I liked things better when I didn't understand them.

Good children's literature appeals not only to the child in the adult but to the adult in the child.

The desert is harsh, but persevering flowers flourish.

I have always considered it as treason against the great republic of human nature, to make any man's virtues the means of deceiving him.

To all those who lead monotonous lives in the hope that they may experience at second hand the delights and dangers of adventure. [author's dedication]

I got to see the best players in the world every year the week after the U.S. Nationals, which is now known as the US Open, in Los Angeles. That made a huge difference in my life.

People think writing a children's book is something you could do in an afternoon but it's actually really hard.

I never rode a bull - I'm not that stupid.

I have a pretty good record of winning in court.

What greater wound is there than a false friend?