Paul Watson quotes

Paul Watson is a Canadian environmental activist and co-founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. His work focuses on marine conservation and the fight against illegal whaling and fishing. He is recognized internationally for his direct-action tactics to protect ocean wildlife. Here are 28 of his quotes:

We have intelligent species on our planet that we are not even trying to communicate with.

Paul Watson

Intelligence is the ability of a species to live in harmony with its environment.

Paul Watson

Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote that you cannot commit an act of violence against a non-sentient object. Back in 1986, the Green Party of Canada tried to toss me out of the Party for sinking whaling ships on the ground that it was a violent act. I pointed out that the Green Party of Canada supported violence when it was convenient politically - for example they supported and continue to support abortion which is, like it or not, a violent act, certainly more violent than sinking some metal into the sea. Violence is not violent when we justify it, be it abortion, or war, or eating meat for example. I support abortion but I'm not a hypocrite about it - it's violent, I accept that. Every American taxpayer accepts the violence that their tax-dollars fund.

Paul Watson

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a conservative organization. I am a conservative. You can't get more conservative than being a conservationist. Our entire raison de etre is to conserve and protect. The radicals of the world are destroying our oceans and our forests, our wildlife and our freedom.

Paul Watson

The shark is the apex predator in the sea. Sharks have molded evolution for 450 million years. All fish species that are prey to the sharks have had their behavior, their speed, their camouflage, their defense mechanisms molded by the shark.

Paul Watson

We cannot allow activism to be stifled because of all the paranoia going around.

Paul Watson

We are pirates of compassion hunting down, hunting down and destroying pirates of profit.

Paul Watson

V Stands for Verity, Virtue, Valor, Validity and Veganism. ... Veganism is real conservation in action. It goes beyond talking about climate change and diminishment of biodiversity and actually does something to address the problems.

Paul Watson

All of our targets were criminals, they were all operating in violation of international whaling laws.

Paul Watson

Well lose more species of plants and animals between 2000 and 2065 than weve lost in the last 65 million years. If we dont find answers to these problems, were gonna be victims of this extinction event that were at fault for.

Paul Watson

I think the problem is that we don't really understand what we are.

Paul Watson

All confrontation is based on deception.

Paul Watson

The most powerful weapon in the world, as far as I'm concerned, is the camera.

Paul Watson

I have an unexplainable belief that I will never cause harm or be harmed while at sea. Because of this, I feel secure at sea: I feel secure in the ice, I feel secure in the storms, and I feel secure in confrontations.

Paul Watson

I've had a lot of disappointments. I think my biggest disappointment is the failure of elected officials to make good on their promises in regards to the environment or anything else, really. I have very little faith in politicians.

Paul Watson

I do what I do because it is the right thing to do. I am a warrior, and it is the way of the warrior to fight superior odds.

Paul Watson

Social change comes through people.

Paul Watson

The tragedy is that there is so much more incentive - money - to destroy the ecology than there is to preserve it.

Paul Watson

We buy a bottle of water in the city, where clean water comes out in its taps. You know, back in 1965, if someone said to the average person, 'You know in thirty years you are going to buy water in plastic bottles and pay more for that water than for gasoline?' Everybody would look at you like you're completely out of your mind.

Paul Watson

It is true that many of the Sea Shepherd crewmembers are inexperienced, but the fact is that these volunteers bring a passion to the project that cannot be found in a hired crew.

Paul Watson

Follow your dreams and use your natural born talents and skills to make this a better world for tomorrow.

Paul Watson

It doesn't matter what is true, it only matters what people believe is true.

Paul Watson