Donella H. Meadows

Quotes

• “The world is a complex, interconnected, finite, ecological–social–psychological–economic system. We treat it as if it were not, as if it were divisible, separable, simple, and infinite. Our persistent, intractable global problems arise directly from this mismatch.”

• “The future can’t be predicted, but it can be envisioned and brought lovingly into being. Systems can’t be controlled, but they can be designed and redesigned.”

• “A system is a set of things – people, cells, molecules, or whatever – interconnected in such a way that they produce their own pattern of behavior over time.”

• “Our culture, obsessed with numbers, has given us the idea that what we can measure is more important than what we can’t measure. Think about that for a minute. It means that we make quantity more important than quality.”

• “No one can define or measure justice, democracy, security, freedom, truth, or love.”

Books by Donella H. Meadows in order

Books by Donella H. Meadows in the order they were published, from The Limits to Growth (1972) to Pensar En Sistemas (2022).

1. 1The Limits to GrowthThe Limits to Growth1972
2. 2Groping in the DarkGroping in the Dark1982
3. 3The Electronic OracleThe Electronic Oracle1985
4. 4Harvesting One HundredfoldHarvesting One Hundredfold1989
5. 5The Global CitizenThe Global Citizen1991
6. 6Beyond the LimitsBeyond the Limits1992
7. 7Thinking in SystemsThinking in Systems2008
8. 8Pensar En SistemasPensar En Sistemas2022