Greta Thunberg Quotes

“Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people to give them hope. But I don't want your hope. I want you to panic.”

“By stopping flying you not only reduce your own carbon footprint but also that sends a signal to other people around you that the climate crisis is a real thing.”

“Change is coming, whether you like it or not.”

“For 25 years, countless people have come to the U.N. climate conferences begging our world leaders to stop emissions, and clearly that has not worked as emissions are continuing to rise. So I will not beg the world leaders to care for our future. I will instead let them know change is coming whether they like it or not.”

“For way too long, the politicians and the people in power have gotten away with not doing anything to fight the climate crisis, but we will make sure that they will not get away with it any longer. We are striking because we have done our homework and they have not.”

“Hope doesn't come from words. Hope only comes from actions.”

“I have Asperger's syndrome and that means I'm sometimes a bit different from the norm. And - given the right circumstances - being different is a superpower. It makes you think differently. We need people that think outside the box and who aren't like everyone else.”

“I think it is insane that people are gathered here to talk about the climate and they arrive here in private jets.”

“I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is.”

“If a few children can get headlines all over the world just by not going to school," she said, "then imagine what we could all do together if we really wanted to.”

“If you belong to that small group of people who feel threatened by us, then we have some very bad news for you, because this is only the beginning. Change is coming whether they like it or not.”

“It's insane that a 16-year-old had to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand on the climate crisis.”

“It's sometimes annoying when people say, 'Oh, you children are the hope, you will save the world.' It would be nice if you could help a little.”

“Many people say that Sweden is just a small country, and it doesn't matter what we do, but I have learned you are never too small to make a difference.”

“My role is to be one of many, many activists who are pushing for climate action. I don’t see myself as a leader, or icon or the face of a movement.”

“No matter what, we need to continue.”

“People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!”

“People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.”

“People are underestimating the force of angry kids. If they want us to stop being angry, then maybe they should stop making us angry.”

“Richer countries such as Canada and Sweden need to get down to zero emissions much faster so people in poorer countries can heighten their standard of living by building the infrastructure we have already built, we're not doing this because it's fun or because we have a special interest in the climate or because we want to become politicians when we grow up. We're doing this because our future is at stake.”

“Since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago.”

“The climate and the biosphere don’t care about our politics and our empty words for a single second.”

“The climate is not going to collapse because some party got the most votes. The politics that’s needed to prevent the climate catastrophe—it doesn’t exist today. We need to change the system, as if we were in crisis, as if there were a war going on.”

“The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say - we will never forgive you.”

“The fact that you are staring at a panel of young people testifying before you today pleading for a livable earth should not fill you with pride; it should fill you with shame.”

“The moment we decide to fulfil something, we can do anything.”

“The planet is outside its comfort zone and we also need to be outside of our comfort zone to prevent the worst consequences from happening.”

“We aren’t destroying the biosphere because we are selfish. We are doing it simply because we are unaware.”

“We can’t just continue living as if there was no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow.”

“We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. And if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, then maybe we should change the system itself.”