Greta Thunburg

The symbolism of the climate strike is that if you adults don't give a damn about my future, I won't either.

— Greta Thunburg

My message is that if we do not care about the climate crisis and if we do not act now then almost no other question is going to matter in the future.

— Greta Thunburg

Not having hope is not an excuse for not doing something.

— Greta Thunburg

Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.

— Greta Thunburg

I think in many ways that we autistic are the normal ones and the rest of the people are pretty strange. They keep saying that climate change is an existential threat and the most important issue of all. And yet they just carry on like before.

— Greta Thunburg

I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't care about age. Nor do I care about those who do not accept the science. I don't have as much experience, and therefore I listen more. But I also have the right to express my opinion, no matter my age.

— Greta Thunburg

At places like Davos, people like to tell success stories. But their financial success has come with an unthinkable price tag. And on climate change, we have to acknowledge we have failed.

— Greta Thunburg

Why should I be studying for a future that soon may not exist?

— Greta Thunburg

I don't care about age. Nor do I care about those who do not accept the science. I don't have as much experience, and therefore I listen more. But I also have the right to express my opinion, no matter my age.

— Greta Thunburg

Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.

— Greta Thunburg

We are living in the beginning of a mass extinction and our climate is breaking down.

— Greta Thunburg

I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.

— Greta Thunburg

We can no longer save the world by playing by the rules.

— Greta Thunburg

Before I started school striking I had no energy, no friends and I didn't speak to anyone. I just sat alone at home, with an eating disorder. All of that is gone now, since I have found a meaning, in a world that sometimes seems shallow and meaningless to so many people.

— Greta Thunburg

The real danger is not inaction. The real danger is when politicians and CEOs are making it look like action is happening when in fact nothing is being done.

— Greta Thunburg

Why should I be studying for a future that soon may not exist?

— Greta Thunburg

Not having hope is not an excuse for not doing something.

— Greta Thunburg

I know so many people who feel hopeless, and they ask me, 'What should I do?' And I say: 'Act. Do something.' Because that is the best medicine against sadness and depression.

— Greta Thunburg

Nothing is being done to stop the climate and ecological emergency from happening and to secure the future wellbeing for future generations.

— Greta Thunburg

I'm on the autism spectrum. I don't usually follow social coding and so therefore I go my own way.

— Greta Thunburg

I have Asperger's, I'm on the autism spectrum, so I don't really care about social codes. It makes you think differently.

— Greta Thunburg

It's empowering to know I am doing something, I am taking a stand, I am disrupting.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't use any animal products, both because of ethical and environmental and climate reasons.

— Greta Thunburg

The thing that's made me open my eyes to what was happening to the environment and climate was films and documentaries.

— Greta Thunburg

Solving the climate crisis is the greatest and most complex challenge that homo sapiens have ever faced. The main solution, however, is so simple that even a small child can understand it. We have to stop our emissions of greenhouse gases.

— Greta Thunburg

Even if the politics needed doesn't exist today, we still need to use our voices to make sure that the people in power are focused on the right things. Because this is a democracy, and in a democracy, people are the ones who run the country.

— Greta Thunburg

I thought I couldn't make a difference because I was too small.

— Greta Thunburg

When I'm really interested in something, I get superfocused on that. And I can spend hours upon hours not getting tired of reading about it and still be interested to learn more about it.

— Greta Thunburg

I just know what is right and I want to do what is right.

— Greta Thunburg

I want the politicians to prioritise the climate question, focus on the climate and treat it like a crisis.

— Greta Thunburg

Giving up cannot be an option.

— Greta Thunburg

I see the world in black and white, and I don't like compromising.

— Greta Thunburg

There are thousands of ways to take action. For example, plant trees, pick up litter, join an organisation or movement that makes a difference and especially try to influence adults and put pressure on people in power.

— Greta Thunburg

We all have a choice. We can create transformational action that will safeguard the living conditions for future generations. Or we can continue with our business as usual and fail.

— Greta Thunburg

Some say we should not engage in activism. Instead we should leave everything to our politicians and just vote for a change instead. But what do we do when there is no political will? What do we do when the politics needed are nowhere in sight?

— Greta Thunburg

My message to all the activists is to just keep going, and I know it really may seem impossible and hopeless sometimes - it always does - so you just have to keep going because if you try hard enough and long enough you will make a difference.

— Greta Thunburg

I'm telling you there is hope. I have seen it, but it does not come from the governments or corporations. It comes from the people.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't care about hate and threats from climate crisis deniers. I just ignore them.

— Greta Thunburg

I am an introvert; privately I am very shy, and I don't speak unless I have to.

— Greta Thunburg

I have been on the road and visited numerous places and met people from all over the globe. I can say that it looks nearly the same everywhere I have been: The climate crisis is ignored by people in charge, despite the science being crystal clear.

— Greta Thunburg

Most emissions aren't caused by individuals, they're caused by corporations and states.

— Greta Thunburg

My message is that if we do not care about the climate crisis and if we do not act now then almost no other question is going to matter in the future.

— Greta Thunburg

I'm not saying that people should stop flying. I'm just saying it needs to be easier to be climate neutral.

— Greta Thunburg

I mean, people aren't continuing like this and not doing anything because they are evil, or because they don't want to. We aren't destroying the biosphere because we are selfish. We are doing it simply because we are unaware.

— Greta Thunburg

My message to the Americans is the same as to everyone - that is to unite behind the science and to act on the science.

— Greta Thunburg

I think in many ways that we autistic are the normal ones and the rest of the people are pretty strange. They keep saying that climate change is an existential threat and the most important issue of all. And yet they just carry on like before.

— Greta Thunburg

I feel strange when I get applauded by people in power... because it's obvious that it's them I'm criticizing, but they can't show that in front of the cameras. It's quite funny sometimes.

— Greta Thunburg

For way too long the politicians and people in power have got away with not doing anything at all to fight the climate crisis and ecological crisis.

— Greta Thunburg

Sweden is not a green paradise, it has one of the biggest carbon footprints.

— Greta Thunburg

We are at a time in history where everyone with any insight of the climate crisis that threatens our civilisation - and the entire biosphere - must speak out in clear language, no matter how uncomfortable and unprofitable that may be.

— Greta Thunburg

The climate crisis is both the easiest and the hardest issue we have ever faced. The easiest because we know what we must do. We must stop the emissions of greenhouse gases. The hardest because our current economics are still totally dependent on burning fossil fuels, and thereby destroying ecosystems in order to create everlasting economic growth.

— Greta Thunburg

I believe that one person can make a difference.

— Greta Thunburg

Being young is a great advantage, since we see the world from a new perspective and we are not afraid to make radical changes.

— Greta Thunburg

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

— Greta Thunburg

We should not underestimate ourselves, because if lots of individuals go together then we can accomplish almost anything.

— Greta Thunburg

I have promised myself that I'm going to do everything I can for as long as I can.

— Greta Thunburg

You can rebel in different ways. Civil disobedience is rebelling. As long as it's peaceful, of course.

— Greta Thunburg

Sometimes it's Tune-berg, sometimes Thunn-berg. I mean, I think it's funny that everyone pronounces it differently. So, that is just - I don't mind anyone pronouncing it wrong. There's no wrong way to pronounce it. Everyone pronounces it in their own way.

— Greta Thunburg

We should no longer measure our wealth and success in the graph that shows economic growth, but in the curve that shows the emissions of greenhouse gases.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't really like being in the centre of attention.

— Greta Thunburg

It is our future on the line, and we must at least have a say in it.

— Greta Thunburg

Some people say that I should study to become a climate scientist so that I can 'solve the climate crisis.' But the climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change.

— Greta Thunburg

I like school and I like learning.

— Greta Thunburg

Some people say that the climate crisis is something that we will have created, but that is not true, because if everyone is guilty then no one is to blame. And someone is to blame.

— Greta Thunburg

To do your best is no longer good enough. We now have to do the seemingly impossible.

— Greta Thunburg

People are underestimating the force of angry kids.

— Greta Thunburg

It is our future on the line, and we must at least have a say in it.

— Greta Thunburg

Being young is a great advantage, since we see the world from a new perspective and we are not afraid to make radical changes.

— Greta Thunburg

The symbolism of the climate strike is that if you adults don't give a damn about my future, I won't either.

— Greta Thunburg

By stopping flying, you don't 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 and that helps push a political movement.

— Greta Thunburg

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.

— Greta Thunburg

We all have a choice. We can create transformational action that will safeguard the living conditions for future generations. Or we can continue with our business as usual and fail.

— Greta Thunburg

If there really was a crisis, and if this crisis was caused by our emissions, you would at least see some signs. Not just flooded cities, tens of thousands of dead people, and whole nations leveled to piles of torn down buildings. You would see some restrictions. But no. And no one talks about it.

— Greta Thunburg

When I was maybe eight or nine years old, I first learned about the climate crisis in school. My teachers taught me about it and we saw films and pictures of plastic in the ocean and extreme weather events. Those pictures were just stuck in my head; I thought, there is no point in anything.

— Greta Thunburg

The symbolism of the climate strike is that if you adults don't give a damn about my future, I won't either.

— Greta Thunburg

People are unaware of what is going on. When I talk to people, they know the basics, they know the planet is warming because of greenhouse gases... but they don't know the actual consequence of that.

— Greta Thunburg

We can't just choose to tell some facts and not others because we don't want to upset people. We have to tell it like it is.

— Greta Thunburg

Some people can just let things go, but I can't, especially if there's something that worries me or makes me sad.

— Greta Thunburg

I'm telling you there is hope. I have seen it, but it does not come from the governments or corporations. It comes from the people.

— Greta Thunburg

I'm very weak in a sense. I'm very tiny and I am very emotional, and that is not something people usually associate with strength.

— Greta Thunburg

So when I speak in front of thousands, tens of thousands of people, I don't really get nervous because I know what I want to say and I know what message I want to give.

— Greta Thunburg

I remember when I was younger, and in school, our teachers showed us films of plastic in the ocean, starving polar bears and so on. I cried through all the movies. My classmates were concerned when they watched the film, but when it stopped, they started thinking about other things. I couldn't do that. Those pictures were stuck in my head.

— Greta Thunburg

Many people seem to have this double moral. They say one thing and then do another thing. They say that the climate crisis is very important and yet they do nothing about it.

— Greta Thunburg

Many people, especially in the U.S., see countries like Sweden or Norway or Finland as role models - we have such a clean energy sector, and so on. That may be true, but we are not role models.

— Greta Thunburg

I write all of my own speeches.

— Greta Thunburg

I really miss having a routine because now I've been on the road constantly for several months. I like routines, so it would be nice to get those routines back.

— Greta Thunburg

We have to understand what the older generation has dealt to us, what mess they have created that we have to clean up and live with.

— Greta Thunburg

The best thing about my protest has been to see how more and more people have been coming and getting involved.

— Greta Thunburg

When I was 11 I became very depressed. It had a lot to do with the climate and ecological crisis. I thought everything was just so wrong and nothing was happening and there's no point in anything.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't fly because of the enormous climate impact of aviation per person.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't easily fall for lies, I can see through things.

— Greta Thunburg

At first when I heard about climate change, I was a climate denier. I didn't think it was happening. Because if there really was an existential crisis like that, that would threaten our civilisation, we wouldn't be focusing on anything else. That would be our first priority. So I didn't understand how that added up.

— Greta Thunburg

At places like Davos, people like to tell success stories. But their financial success has come with an unthinkable price tag. And on climate change, we have to acknowledge we have failed.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't think I would be interested in the climate at all if I had been like everyone else.

— Greta Thunburg

Sometimes it's Tune-berg, sometimes Thunn-berg. I mean, I think it's funny that everyone pronounces it differently. So, that is just - I don't mind anyone pronouncing it wrong. There's no wrong way to pronounce it. Everyone pronounces it in their own way.

— Greta Thunburg

I have always been that girl in the back who doesn't say anything.

— Greta Thunburg

Of course, individual change doesn't make much difference in a holistic picture... but we need both systemic change and individual change.

— Greta Thunburg

Learning about climate change triggered my depression in the first place. But it was also what got me out of my depression, because there were things I could do to improve the situation. I don't have time to be depressed anymore.

— Greta Thunburg

Social media can be very effective in creating movements. In the beginning, that is how I first got attention.

— Greta Thunburg

I just want to be just as everyone else. I want to educate myself and be just like a normal teenager.

— Greta Thunburg

There's always going to be people who don't understand or accept the united science, and I will just ignore them, as I'm only acting and communicating on the science.

— Greta Thunburg

Avoiding climate breakdown will require cathedral thinking. We must lay the foundation while we may not know exactly how to build the ceiling.

— Greta Thunburg

I personally have stopped flying. I have stopped eating meat and dairy.

— Greta Thunburg

I think that once you fully understand the climate and ecological emergencies, then you know what you can do as well. And, of course, there's a lot of things you can do in your everyday life, but we cannot be focusing on these individual things you can do. We have to see the full picture.

— Greta Thunburg

If burning fossil fuels was so bad that it threatened our very existence, how could we just continue like before? Why were there no restrictions? Why wasn't it made illegal? To me, that did not add up.

— Greta Thunburg

I do not see myself as a celebrity or an icon or things like that... I have not really done anything.

— Greta Thunburg

People tell me that they are so hopeful when they see me and other children 'school-striking,' and they say, 'Oh the children are going to save us.' But no, we aren't. We are too young to be able to do that. We don't have time to wait for us to grow up and fix this in the future.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't care about age. Nor do I care about those who do not accept the science. I don't have as much experience, and therefore I listen more. But I also have the right to express my opinion, no matter my age.

— Greta Thunburg

It is hard sometimes to always be at the centre of attention, but when you talk about me you also have to talk about the climate.

— Greta Thunburg

I don't use any animal products, both because of ethical and environmental and climate reasons.

— Greta Thunburg

The most common criticism I get is that I'm being manipulated and you shouldn't use children in political ways, because that is abuse, and I can't think for myself and so on. And I think that is so annoying! I'm also allowed to have a say - why shouldn't I be able to form my own opinion and try to change people's minds?

— Greta Thunburg

Many people say that this is not an easy issue, we cannot just say that this is how it is, it's not black and white. But I say that this is black and white. Either we stop the emissions or we don't. There are no gray areas when it comes to survival.

— Greta Thunburg

We are not going to be satisfied by politicians saying 'we support you' and then walking away. We won't be satisfied until they meet our demands and act. That's why simply taking a selfie or posting support on Twitter isn't enough. That's why we have to keep striking.

— Greta Thunburg

When I have been travelling around to speak in different countries, I am always offered help to write about the specific climate policies in specific countries. But that is not really necessary. Because the basic problem is the same everywhere.

— Greta Thunburg

Many people listen to what I have to say and I appear a lot in media, so therefore I influence a lot of people and therefore I have a bigger responsibility because I have a bigger platform.

— Greta Thunburg

It felt like I was the only one who cared about the climate and the ecological crisis. My parents didn't care about it, my classmates didn't care about it, my relatives didn't care about this. I mean nobody I knew cared about this and I felt like I was the only one.

— Greta Thunburg

We are at a time in history where everyone with any insight of the climate crisis that threatens our civilisation - and the entire biosphere - must speak out in clear language, no matter how uncomfortable and unprofitable that may be.

— Greta Thunburg

Some say we should not engage in activism. Instead we should leave everything to our politicians and just vote for a change instead. But what do we do when there is no political will? What do we do when the politics needed are nowhere in sight?

— Greta Thunburg

We all have a choice. We can create transformational action that will safeguard the living conditions for future generations. Or we can continue with our business as usual and fail.

— Greta Thunburg