Skip to content
Words of Wisdom —

Charles Lindbergh on Protecting the Next Generation’s Social Inheritance

“Our ideals, laws and customs should be based on the proposition that each generation, in turn, becomes the custodian rather than the absolute owner of our resources and each generation has the obligation to pass this inheritance on to the future.”
Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) was a legendary American aviator who became the first pilot to complete a solo non-stop transatlantic flight in 1927. He is also known for his isolationist politics leading into World War II and for the tragic kidnapping/murder of his son, Charles Jr. Later in life Lindbergh became a passionate environmentalist who argued for the preservation of endangered species and the protection of natural spaces. For more about Lindbergh’s legacy of environmentalism by way of technological innovation, visit the Lindbergh Foundation website.

“Our ideals, laws and customs should be based on the proposition that each generation, in turn, becomes the custodian rather than the absolute owner of our resources and each generation has the obligation to pass this inheritance on to the future.”

from New York Times Magazine (23 May 1971)

(h/t Wikiquote)

    Sign up for Big Think on Substack
    The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.
    Related
    A bearded man wearing glasses and a plaid shirt speaks with a microphone clipped to his collar in front of a purple background with white dots.
    The Well
    How Rainn Wilson discovered sacredness
    The hospital where Rainn Wilson’s wife and son nearly died became his own personal holy site. There, he discovered that the sacred can exist in places we least expect it. During his talk at A Night of Awe and Wonder, he explained how the awe we feel in moments of courage and love is moral beauty — and following it might be the start of our spiritual revolution.
    ▸
    13 min
    —
    with
    Rainn Wilson
    Up Next