"Both the cockroach and the bird would get along very well without us, although the cockroach would miss us most"
- Joseph Wood Krutch
About this Quote
This quote by Joseph Wood Krutch speaks to the idea that people are not as essential to the world as we might think. The cockroach and the bird are two animals that might exist without us, but the cockroach would miss us the most. This suggests that the cockroach is more depending on human beings than the bird. This could be due to the fact that the cockroach is more likely to discover food and shelter in human-made environments, whereas the bird is more likely to discover these things in nature. This quote likewise suggests that humans are not as important as we think we are, and that the world would continue to exist without us. It is a tip that we need to not take our place on the planet for approved, which we must strive to be great stewards of the environment.