Donella Meadows Quotes

A quantity growing exponentially toward a limit reaches that limit in a surprisingly short time.

The bounded rationality of each actor in a system may not lead to decisions that further the welfare of the system as a whole.

The world is a complex, interconnected, finite, ecological–social–psychological–economic system. We treat it as if it were not, as if it were divisible, separable, simple, and infinite. Our persistent, intractable global problems arise directly from this mismatch.

Pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable.

Pretending you're in control even when you aren't is a recipe not only for mistakes, but for not learning from mistakes. What's appropriate when you're learning is small steps, constant monitoring, and a willingness to change course as you find out more about where it's leading.

The least obvious part of a system, its function or purpose, is often the most crucial determinant of the system's behavior.

The future can't be predicted, but it can be envisioned and brought lovingly into being. Systems can't be controlled, but they can be designed and redesigned. We can't surge forward with certainty into a world of no surprises, but we can expect surprises and learn from them and even profit from them.

And finally, starting with history discourages the common and distracting tendency we all have to define a problem not by the system's actual behavior, but by the lack of our favorite solution. (The problem is, we need to find more oil. The problem is, we need to ban abortion. The problem is, how can we attract more growth to this town?)

A system is a set of things – people, cells, molecules, or whatever – interconnected in such a way that they produce their own pattern of behavior over time. [...] The system, to a large extent, causes its own behavior!

In physical, exponentially growing systems, there must be at least one reinforcing loop driving growth and at least one balancing feedback loop constraining growth, because no system can grow forever in a finite environment.

When there are long delays in feedback loops, some sort of foresight is essential.

Expand the boundary of caring.

If I could, I would add an Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not distort, delay, or sequester information.

Before you charge in to make things better, pay attention to the value of what's already there.

Models can easily become so complex that they are impenetrable, unexaminable, and virtually unalterable.