Top 30 Ed Begley, Jr. Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “When we destroy something crated by man we call it vandalism but when we destroy something by nature we call it progress.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

2. “The environmental crisis is all a result of rushing.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

3. “We, who have so much, must do more to help those in need. And most of all, we must live simply, so that others may simply live.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

4. “If you’re not buying recycled products, you’re not really recycling.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

5. “There are many different ways now to experience nature. Get out there and hike.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

6. “The two most abundant forms of power on earth are solar and wind, and they’re getting cheaper and cheaper...”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

7. “I’ve lived a slower and less expensive life going off the grid, and I’m happier because of it.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

8. “For decades, community colleges have been the backbone of American workforce training. Because they are nimble and closely attuned to local community needs, they are inherently positioned to be influential leaders of the movement for a sustainable economy.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

9. “My favorite form of transportation is walking. I live in a neighborhood where you can walk to restaurants, banks, and shops.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

10. “The food in Yugoslavia is fine if you like pork tartare.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

11. “People are overwhelmed looking up at the Mount Everest of environmental challenges that we face. But you put one foot in front of the other and you recognize that not everyone is Sir Edmund Hillary.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

12. “What we often fail to recognize is how efficient a vegan diet is. Less land, less water, more food for our spiraling population.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

13. “I wanted to be an actor my whole young life. My dad was an actor, obviously – he won an Academy Award, but I had no idea what was involved. I had all the wrong ideas about acting.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

14. “I bought my first electric car in 1970. Its top speed was 15 mph and it had just a 15 mile range – it was essentially a golf cart with a windshield wiper and a horn.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

15. “I ride my bike for transportation a great deal – occasionally I ride it for fun. But I also have a generator bike that’s hooked up to my solar battery pack, so if I ride 15 minutes hard on my bike, that’s enough energy to toast toast, or power my computer.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

Featured in: Fun Quotes

16. “It’s people wanting to do something about global climate change. People fed up with the high price of gas. People tired of breathing dirty air. In Houston, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, and other cities. It’s going to be a critical mass of people experiencing something.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

17. “Experience nature. Then you know why it’s worth protecting.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

18. “I’m a strong proponent of green tech for anyone who can afford it, having spent the last 40 years working toward achieving a smaller and smaller eco-impact for myself.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

Featured in: Strong Quotes

19. “One of the regular intervals of meditation in my life, believe it or not, is in my car.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

20. “People don’t want to change. It’s hard for people to change and it’s hard for businesses to change. If I was running an oil company, I would be resistant to change too.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

21. “California has always led the way on environmental protection and always reaped the benefits, pioneering everything from catalytic convertors on cars to stationary source reduction.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

22. “It takes less land to grow a pound of broccoli than it does a pound of beef. Less land to grow a pound of grain than a pound of beef. Less water, less energy.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

23. “The film ‘Tapped’ illustrates quite clearly how we’ve been getting ‘soaked’ for years by the bottled water industry.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

24. “For my own health, I thought it was better to eat a plant based diet. I’m going to be 60 soon and I have boundless energy and I feel really good, so I’m all for it.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

25. “By 1990 I went back to no gasoline; I was just riding around on my bike, taking the bus. I had a tiny little electric car that didn’t go very far or very fast. People thought I’d lost my mind. Even my own family thought I’d lost my mind.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

26. “You can’t just do one of the things, because it won’t be enough to combat the climate change that we’re already starting to experience. It will only get worse.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

27. “Los Angeles is a city known as much for it’s sun as for its stars and it’s dirty air.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

28. “As someone who has grown up living in Southern California, I know all too well about the costs and scarcities of water.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

29. “I’m not a wealthy person because I was never a star. I was a working actor and a supporting actor.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

30. “I think people love nature after they experience it. I know I experienced it as a young man – I took a lot of hikes, I was involved in scouting.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

31. “If you’re going to drive a Hummer and buy carbon offsets, that’s like getting drunk every night and getting into an AA meeting, throwing money in the basket, and leaving.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

32. “You cannot be quiet about things that you know.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

33. “When you’re in the public eye – whether it be entertainment, sports, medicine, politics, whatever way – you have an opportunity, and I think also an obligation and a responsibility, to disseminate good information.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.

34. “Keep in mind, coal plants claim plenty of birds too. Sadly, hydro claims the lives of many fish. There is a price for everything. Solar does the best as far as very minimal wildlife damage.”

— Ed Begley, Jr.