Wangari Maathai's Selected Quotes

If we can send man to the moon, why can we not plant a tree?
African women in general need to know that it's OK for them to be the way they are - to see the way they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence.
Wangari Maathai

I am working to make sure we don't only protect the environment, we also improve governance.
Wangari Maathai

In a few decades, the relationship between the environment, resources and conflict may seem almost as obvious as the connection we see today between human rights, democracy and peace.
Wangari Maathai

It is important to nurture any new ideas and initiatives which can make a difference for Africa.
Wangari Maathai

It's a matter of life and death for this country. The Kenyan forests are facing extinction and it is a man-made problem.
Wangari Maathai

It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.
Wangari Maathai

Some say that AIDS came from the monkeys, and I doubt that because we have been living with monkeys from time immemorial, others say it was a curse from God, but I say it cannot be that.
Wangari Maathai

There's a general culture in this country to cut all the trees. It makes me so angry because everyone is cutting and no one is planting.
Wangari Maathai

We are very fond of blaming the poor for destroying the environment. But often it is the powerful, including governments, that are responsible.
Wangari Maathai

We need to promote development that does not destroy our environment.
Wangari Maathai

Women are responsible for their children, they cannot sit back, waste time and see them starve.
Wangari Maathai