60 quotes by Jacques Cousteau to reflect on the explorer’s love for nature

A selection of phrases that capture the love for nature that this explorer felt.

Jacques Cousteau was one of the most famous explorers and marine researchers of the 20th century.. He acquired his scientific knowledge from the French Naval Academy; serving as a soldier in World War II, he ventured to discover the treasures of the seabed all over the planet.

In addition, Cousteau is the inventor, together with the engineer Émile Gagnan, of the modern scuba diving suit, which is still used today as the only diving system for sportsmen and scientists. On the other hand, he was the first underwater cinematographer, making the first underwater films to bring his passion to every domestic home.

Jacques Cousteau's phrases

Below you can find a selection of 60 phrases by Jacques Cousteau to understand the thought of this French scientist.

1. For the dolphin and the whale, happiness is to exist. Man must discover this and marvel at it.

Jacques Cousteau thus described the simplicity of the animal species, and pointed out that man should appreciate Mother Nature more.

2. We urgently need to use science to civilize civilization.

The Captain was very critical of human behavior in natural spaces. It should be noted that he was a great environmentalist.

I have always explained to journalists that we had no objective, no idea of what we were going to find on a mission.

This is how Jacques explains his adventurous feeling. He was a born discoverer.

4. The reason I have made films about the underwater world lies simply in my belief that people protect the things they love.

This was the way he wanted to make the world aware of how important the environment is for living beings.

5. I make love to the sea, others attack it.

In this romantic way, Cousteau described his passion for the oceans. his passion for the oceans.

6. If I won't discover, someone else will do it for me.

Jacques was a man of great drive and ambition. He always wanted to be the first in his field.

7. Closing our eyes to nature only makes us blind in a fool's paradise.

Another metaphor that denounced the little attention people paid to the natural environment.

8. More damage has been done to the Earth during the 20th century than in the entire previous history of mankind.

Having lived through two world wars, Jacques alerted the international community to human perversity.

9. The scientist ventures into the cell, the atom or the cosmos without knowing what awaits him.

Another way of describing the basic characteristic of every scientist.

10. People only love what they know, that's how naive we are.

This phrase by Jacques Cousteau defined very well the human ignorance of the sea.

11. If I had known what I was going to find, I would not have gone.

A mixture of emotion and fear is what the French scientist often found in what he discovered. He was often shocked.

12. Man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He only has to go down to the bottom of the sea to feel free.

This is how he wanted to describe the sensation when diving in deep water.

13. The real enemy of nature is the animal hunter.

Jacques was an anti-hunting activist. He hated any activity related to killing animals.

14. We have to understand that our mission is to protect Mother Nature.

He never ceased his impetus to defend the importance of nature in our lives.

15. If we continue to pour garbage into the sea, we will become garbage.

With this phrase the explorer denounced the malpractice of human beings towards the sea.

16. We must love the Earth, only when we love something do we protect it.

Jacques was in love with the Nautraleza, and only with love did he understand its future protection.

17. Air and water, the elements that give life, are now global garbage dumps.

Another example of denunciation for polluting both vital resources for survival.

18. Although there is a desire to divide countries, whatever the reasons, what is clear is that we are becoming more interdependent every day

Jacques Cousteau was against the idea of borders, the division of cultures and the conflict of interests.

19. When a man has the opportunity to lead a change, he does not have to keep anything for himself.

Nor did he like the selfishness that reigned in Western societies.

20. If we were only logical beings, the world would be desolate. But we are human beings, we have faith and hope, and that allows us to work together.

Cooperation, understanding and personal relationships. This is how Jacques understood the human being, beyond the rational.

• Related article, "Are we rational or emotional beings?"

21. To farm as we do is to hunt. In the sea we commit barbarities

Already from its beginnings it was alerted of the the terrible methods of aquaculture and agriculture methods of aquaculture and agriculture.

22. Planting should replace hunting. This is human logic

Create instead of destroy to survive.

23. A dolphin in an aquarium, no matter how big it may be, should not seem normal to us.

Cousteau was also against the use of animals for human leisure and amusement.

24. I am not a scientist, I am an entrepreneur of scientists.

Interestingly, Cousteau did not consider himself a scientist. But he was able to create his own brand and be commercially successful.

25. Abortion was confused with overpopulation. One has nothing to do with the other.

It was often said that Cousteau was in favor of abortion. As a child of his time, he wanted to dissociate himself from this practice.

26. If we follow the current path of greed, we will not live to tell the tale. We will be replaced by insects

Once again, he warned of the long-term danger to the destiny of humanity.

27. As soon as man discovers his intelligence, he acts in order to involve it in stupidity.

Jacques Cousteau was very critical of human behavior. He said that the intellect was used to commit atrocities.

28. Man is the only animal that refers to himself as delicate.

He was describing man's selfishness without taking into account his surroundings.

29. What is a scientist? He is the one who looks into a hole to find out what is there.

Curiosity is the engine of science.

30. The concern for the environment came in different ways in all countries.

After several conflicts of unforeseeable catastrophes, people started to become aware of ecological care.

31. The sea is the universal sewer

Already in the middle of the 20th century, the blue planet suffered from the garbage that accumulated in it..

32. The sea is the great unifier for man. We are all in the same boat

Never better said, this phrase can be taken almost literally.

33. We forget that the cycle of life and the cycle of water are one.

This phrase perfectly described the reason for our existence as being related to the importance of water. as being related to the importance of water.

34. Our future leads us to crash into the wall. Survival is limited to 100 years.

This is how forceful the Captain was to make the world aware of the wrong path taken by society in terms of nature conservation.

35. Life is a transit; the world is a showroom; man enters, looks and leaves.

Jacques spoke very often about death, and how we can interpret life.

36. In order to stabilize the world population, 350,000 people per day should be eliminated.

With this controversial phrase, Jacques Cousteau explained one of the great problems that the Earth had to endure.

37. Man's only true hope is the sea.

To care for the sea is to care for the future and survival of the human species.

38. Under water, the human being becomes an archangel

With this lyricism the explorer describes the sensation of being underwater.

39. Impossible missions are only those that are successfully accomplished.

Cousteau never gave up on any expedition. He was always looking for the unbelievable.

40. The best way to observe a fish is to be one.

Direct contact with the marine species was the best way to understand life in the sea..

41. Every morning I wake up and say to myself: I am alive, what a miracle!

Jacques was a man who lived from day to day and gave thanks for moving forward with his projects.

42. The current situation in which we find ourselves makes me nauseous.

His environmental denunciations never ceased. He insisted on this subject every time he was interviewed.

43. If the oceans of our Earth were to die, it would be the terrible end of humanity and animals.

With this phrase Jacques reaffirmed the dependence of the human being on water.

44. The sea hooks you like a net for all eternity.

Once again he dramatically describes the relationship he had with the sea.

45. The only ambition of my films is to show the truth of nature.

He always pursued an emotional, not a material objective. His films convey pure passion for the wild.

46. I am not an ecologist for animals, I am an ecologist for people.

It was often said that he loved animals more than people. This is how he disproved it.

47. There is a book always open to all eyes: nature.

In this way he described how gratifying it was to live intensely to live intensely in the environment.

48. Only nature does great things without expecting anything in return.

This is how Cousteau described the good work of nature.

49. Savage is not the one who lives in nature, but the one who destroys it.

With this phrase he wanted to redefine the concept of barbarism.

50. May your search for nature lead you to yourself.

Entering into the unexplored can serve to reveal who we are.

51. Nature never says one thing and wisdom says another.

Nature is the source of all knowledge and wisdom.

52. The Earth must be prepared to accommodate 10 billion inhabitants, otherwise it's all over.

Overpopulation was a problem that was already known in Cousteau's time.

53. We are living in a kind of crazy time killer

The last few years have brought about great changes for better and for worse.

54. Water and money, both liquids to be used with caution

There are certain elements that escape our control with great ease.

55. Some people worry about what they will eat tomorrow. I worry about eating today, tomorrow we will see.

One of Jacques Cousteau's phrases with a touch of humor.

56. I don't go down to watch the fish. I dive and talk to them

Experiencing the sea means letting it leave an imprint on us in the same way we leave an imprint on it.

57. In the sea there is no past, present or future, only peace.

The immensity of this body of water makes it seem timeless.

58. I am only trying to make people understand the sea, not love it.

It is not necessary to dedicate one's life to the sea; it is enough to respect it.

59. Let's try not to draw on the sea what has been drawn on land

The sea is a relatively unexplored territory that still has the opportunity to remain pure.

60. They say that fish have a short memory. They should observe man

If we compare ourselves with other forms of life that we consider simpler, we may be in for a surprise.