Home / Authors / David Attenborough

David Attenborough

David Attenborough Quotes

Broadcaster

David Attenborough is a renowned British broadcaster and natural history documentary maker. Born on May 8, 1926, Attenborough's career began at the BBC, where he gained fame in the 1950s with his deep insights into the natural world and unique storytelling style. His work has covered a variety of ecosystems on Earth, making a profound impact on audiences worldwide.

Filter quotes by topic

All World Ifs People Thinking Natural Animal Humans Earth Natural World Population

Famous David Attenborough Quotes

“I don't run a car, have never run a car. I could say that this is because I have this extremely tender environmentalist conscience, but the fact is I hate driving.”

Facts Running Hate Car Conscience I Hate Driving Tenderness Environmentalist

Author:David Attenborough

“The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?”

Inspirational May Book Motivational Able Animal Elephants Grandchildren Picture Books

Author:David Attenborough

“Crying wolf is a real danger.”

Real Reality Cry Danger Crying Wolf

Author:David Attenborough

“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?”

World Eye Creatures Bird Ears Universal Likes Wild Creatures

Author:David Attenborough

“I think a major element of jetlag is psychological. Nobody ever tells me what time it is at home.”

Thinking Home Journey Travel Elements Majors Psychological

Author:David Attenborough

“Birds are the most popular group in the animal kingdom. We feed them and tame them and think we know them. And yet they inhabit a world which is really rather mysterious.”

Thinking Knows World Animal Groups Bird Kingdoms Mysterious Animal Kingdom

Author:David Attenborough

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”

“Being in touch with the natural world is crucial.”

World Natural Crucial Natural World

Author:David Attenborough

“If I can bicycle, I bicycle.”

Ifs I Can Bicycle Cycling

Author:David Attenborough

“As far as I'm concerned, if there is a supreme being then He chose organic evolution as a way of bringing into existence the natural world... which doesn't seem to me to be necessarily blasphemous at all.”

Ifs World Way Seems Natural Existence Evolution Concerned Supreme Natural World Supreme Being

Author:David Attenborough

“We keep putting on programmes about famine in Ethiopia; that’s what’s happening. Too many people there. They can’t support themselves — and it’s not an inhuman thing to say. It’s the case. Until humanity manages to sort itself out and get a coordinated view about the planet it’s going to get worse and worse.”

People Humanity Views Cases Support Planets Happenings Manage Famine Programmes Inhuman Ethiopia

Author:David Attenborough

“Well, I'm having a good time. Which makes me feel guilty too. How very English.”

Feels Wells Travel Guilty Good Times Having A Good Time

Author:David Attenborough

“The only way to save a rhinoceros is to save the environment in which it lives, because there's a mutual dependency between it and millions of other species of both animals and plants.”

Way Animal Millions Environment Plant Species Mutual Conservation Dependency Save The Environment Rhinoceros Rhinos Saving Animals

Author:David Attenborough

“It's a moral question about whether we have the right to exterminate species.”

Moral Species Animal Rights

Author:David Attenborough

“All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people and harder - and ultimately impossible to solve - with ever more people.”

People Problem Impossible Easier Harder Environmental Population Solve Fewer Environmental Problems

Author:David Attenborough

“Before the BBC, I joined the Navy in order to travel.”

Order Travel Funny Travel Navy

Author:David Attenborough

“I believe the Abominable Snowman may be real. I think there may be something in that.”

Thinking Believe May Real I Believe Being Real Snowman

Author:David Attenborough

“I don't approve of sunbathing, and it's bad for you.”

Appreciate Sunbathing

Author:David Attenborough

“I suffer much less than many of my colleagues. I am perfectly able to go to Australia and film within three hours of arrival.”

Able Film Suffering Three Hours Australia Colleagues Arrivals

Author:David Attenborough

“I'm luckier than my grandfather, who didn't move more than five miles from the village in which he was born.”

Moving Born Five Miles Village Grandfather My Grandfather

Author:David Attenborough

“I'm not a propagandist, I'm not a polemicist; my primary interest is just looking at and trying to understand how animals work.”

Trying Interest Animal Primaries Propagandist

Author:David Attenborough

“I'm not an animal lover if that means you think things are nice if you can pat them, but I am intoxicated by animals.”

Ifs Thinking Mean Animal Nice Lovers Intoxicated Animal Lover

Author:David Attenborough

“I'm swanning round the world looking at the most fabulously interesting things. Such good fortune.”

World Interesting Fortune Rounds Good Fortune Interesting Things

Author:David Attenborough

“If I can make programmes when I'm 95, that would be fine. But I would think I'll have had enough by then.”

Ifs Thinking I Can Enough Would Be Fine Had Enough Programmes

Author:David Attenborough

“London has fine museums, the British Library is one of the greatest library institutions in the world... It's got everything you want, really.”

World Want Fine Institutions Library British London Museums

Author:David Attenborough

“Natural history is not about producing fables.”

Natural Fables Natural History

Author:David Attenborough

“The climate, the economic situation, rising birth rates; none of these things give me a lot of hope or reason to be optimistic.”

Giving Reason Situation Economic Birth Give Me Climate Rate Optimistic Rising Being Optimistic Birth Rate

Author:David Attenborough

“There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable point is what part humans are playing in it.”

Humans Happenings Climate Climate Change

Author:David Attenborough

“You have to steer a course between not appalling people, but at the same time not misleading them.”

People Courses Mislead Steers

Author:David Attenborough

“You know, it is a terrible thing to appear on television, because people think that you actually know what you're talking about.”

People Thinking Knows Talking Television Terrible Terrible Things

Author:David Attenborough

“I mean, it is an extraordinary thing that a large proportion of your country and my country, of the citizens, never see a wild creature from dawn 'til dusk, unless it's a pigeon, which isn't really wild, which might come and settle near them.”

Mean Country Might Citizens Creatures Travel Extraordinary Dawn Settling Proportion Dusk Pigeons Extraordinary Things Dawn And Dusk Wild Creatures

Author:David Attenborough

“I often get letters, quite frequently, from people who say how they like the programmes a lot, but I never give credit to the almighty power that created nature.”

People Giving Letters Credit Almighty Programmes

Author:David Attenborough

“I've been to Nepal, but I'd like to go to Tibet. It must be a wonderful place to go. I don't think there's anything there, but it would be a nice place to visit.”

Thinking Would Be Nice Wonderful Places To Go Tibet Nepal Wonderful Places

Author:David Attenborough

“If you watch animals objectively for any length of time, you're driven to the conclusion that their main aim in life is to pass on their genes to the next generation.”

Ifs Life Is Next Animal Watches Generations Aim Driven Conclusion Length Genes Next Generation

Author:David Attenborough

“Many individuals are doing what they can. But real success can only come if there is a change in our societies and in our economics and in our politics.”

Ifs Real Individual Economic Economics Our Society Spectacles Real Success

Author:David Attenborough

“Steve Irwin did wonderful conservation work but I was uncomfortable about some of his stunts. Even if animals aren't aware that you are not treating them with respect, the viewers are.”

Ifs Animal Wonderful Uncomfortable Conservation Viewers

Author:David Attenborough

“The whole of science, and one is tempted to think the whole of the life of any thinking man, is trying to come to terms with the relationship between yourself and the natural world. Why are you here, and how do you fit in, and what's it all about.”

Thinking Men World Trying Whole Term Natural Fit Tempted Natural World Thinking Man

Author:David Attenborough

“All we can hope for is that the thing is going to slowly and imperceptibly shift. All I can say is that 50 years ago there were no such thing as environmental policies.”

Years I Can Policy Years Ago Environmental Environmental Policy

Author:David Attenborough

“Apart from anything else, I am designed by evolution, like we all are: if we see a little thing like that, big eyes, tiny nose, we go 'aaah'. That's what evolution does. We are programmed to do that. So to find babies the most amazing, isn't surprising, I don't think.”

Ifs Thinking Littles Doe Bigs Eye Baby Evolution Tiny Noses Little Things Surprising Most Amazing Big Eyes

Author:David Attenborough

“Cameramen are among the most extraordinarily able and competent people I know. They have to have an insight into natural history that gives them a sixth sense of what the creature is going to do, so they can be ready to follow.”

People Knows Giving Able Natural Ready Creatures Insight Competent Natural History Sixth Sense Cameraman

Author:David Attenborough

“I don't think we are going to become extinct. We're very clever and extremely resourceful - and we will find ways of preserving ourselves, of that I'm sure. But whether our lives will be as rich as they are now is another question.”

Thinking Way Rich Our Lives Clever Resourceful Very Clever

Author:David Attenborough

“I had a huge advantage when I started 50 years ago - my job was secure. I didn't have to promote myself. These days there's far more pressure to make a mark, so the temptation is to make adventure television or personality shows. I hope the more didactic approach won't be lost.”

Years Shows Jobs Lost Television Adventure Huge Personality Approach Advantage Years Ago Mark Pressure Temptation Secure These Days Didactic

Author:David Attenborough

“I would be absolutely astounded if population growth and industrialisation and all the stuff we are pumping into the atmosphere hadn't changed the climatic balance. Of course it has. There is no valid argument for denial.”

Ifs Would Be Courses Stuff Growth Changed Balance Argument Population Denial Atmosphere Population Growth Astounded

Author:David Attenborough

“I'd like to see the giant squid. Nobody has ever seen one. I could tell you people who have spent thousands and thousands of pounds trying to see giant squid. I mean, we know they exist because we have seen dead ones. But I have never seen a living one. Nor has anybody else.”

People Knows Trying Mean Giants Pounds Squids Giant Squid

Author:David Attenborough

“I'm absolutely strict about it. When I land, I put my watch right, and I don't care what I feel like, I will go to bed at half past eleven. If that means going to bed early or late, that's what I live by. As soon as you get there, live by that time.”

Ifs Feels Mean Care Past Half Watches Land Bed Travel Late Don't Care I Don't Care Live By Strict Eleven

Author:David Attenborough

“In the old days... it was a basic, cardinal fact that producers didn't have opinions. When I was producing natural history programmes, I didn't use them as vehicles for my own opinion. They were factual programmes.”

Facts Use Natural My Own Opinion Producers Vehicle Old Days Programmes Cardinals Factual Natural History

Author:David Attenborough

“It is vital that there is a narrator figure whom people believe. That's why I never do commercials. If I started saying that margarine was the same as motherhood, people would think I was a liar.”

People Ifs Thinking Believe Figures Motherhood Liars Narrators

Author:David Attenborough

“It was regarded as a responsibility of the BBC to provide programs which have a broad spectrum of interest, and if there was a hole in that spectrum, then the BBC would fill it.”

Ifs Interest Responsibility Program Holes Broads Spectrum

Author:David Attenborough

“It's coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so. It's not just climate change; it's sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde. Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us, and the natural world is doing it for us right now.”

“It's extraordinary how self-obsessed human beings are. The things that people always go on about is, 'tell us about us', 'tell us about the first human being'. We are so self-obsessed with our own history. There is so much more out there than what connects to us.”

People Firsts Humans Self Human Beings Goes On Extraordinary Obsessed Self Obsessed

Author:David Attenborough

About the Author

Born: May 8, 1926
Known for: Broadcaster
Quotes: 175

Related Topics

World Ifs People Thinking Natural Animal Humans Earth Natural World Population

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the FutureRelated source material

Life in Cold BloodRelated source material

Ocean: Earth’s Last WildernessRelated source material

Similar Authors

E. O. WilsonBrowse related quotes
Jane GoodallBrowse related quotes
Annalee NewitzBrowse related quotes
Bill McKibbenBrowse related quotes
David SuzukiBrowse related quotes
Al GoreBrowse related quotes
Alice WalkerBrowse related quotes
Wendell BerryBrowse related quotes
James HansenBrowse related quotes
Peter SingerBrowse related quotes