Jonathan Franklin Quotes

Powerful Jonathan Franklin for Daily Growth

About Jonathan Franklin

Jonathan Franklin (1954- ) is an award-winning American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker who has made significant contributions to environmental journalism and climate change discourse. Born in New York City on April 28, 1954, Franklin developed a love for the natural world from a young age, a passion that would later define his career. After graduating from Brown University with a degree in Environmental Studies, Franklin began working as an environmental reporter at The San Francisco Examiner. His work there earned him numerous awards, including the George Polk Award and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award. In 1987, Franklin published his first book, "The Great Thirst: Californians and Water," which explored the complex history and future of water management in California. The book was a critical success and established Franklin as a leading voice on environmental issues. Franklin's next major work was "Ravaged Coast: The Louisiana Wetlands Crisis" (1993), a comprehensive investigation into the destruction of the Louisiana wetlands and the impact it had on local communities and wildlife. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1994. In 2015, Franklin published "The Last Hot Company: A Family's Quest to Save the Planet," a deeply personal account of his family's efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and the challenges they faced in doing so. The book received widespread acclaim for its blend of journalism and memoir. Throughout his career, Franklin has used his writing and filmmaking skills to shed light on pressing environmental issues, often focusing on the human stories that underlie these problems. His work continues to inspire and educate readers about the importance of preserving our planet for future generations.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

This quote by Jonathan Franklin underscores the importance of resilience and perseverance in the face of success or failure. Success may seem like the ultimate goal, but it is temporary; it does not guarantee future achievement. Similarly, failure should not be a debilitating blow that prevents us from moving forward. Instead, it's our courage to keep trying, to maintain the determination to progress despite setbacks, that truly defines our character and sets us on a path toward long-term success. In essence, Franklin suggests that the key to a fulfilling life lies not in the end result but in the fortitude we demonstrate during our journey.


"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."

This quote by Jonathan Franklin emphasizes the importance of proactive efforts towards creating positive change, rather than solely focusing on resisting or tearing down the existing state of things. The implication is that effective change requires constructive actions to build a desirable future, rather than getting bogged down in criticisms or frustrations about the present or past. By directing our energy and resources towards the creation of something new, we can bring about meaningful and sustainable change.


"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude."

This quote by Jonathan Franklin suggests that an individual's future can be significantly influenced by their mindset or attitude. By adopting a positive, proactive, and resilient outlook on life, one can create change in their circumstances and ultimately, reshape their destiny for the better. In essence, it encourages the belief that we have the power to transform our lives through our thoughts and attitudes.


"If you are willing to do more than you are paid for, eventually you will be paid for more than you do."

This quote emphasizes that if one demonstrates a strong work ethic and goes beyond the call of duty, their value and compensation will eventually increase over time. In essence, it suggests that by consistently exceeding expectations and taking on additional responsibilities without expecting immediate reward, individuals can earn recognition and higher remuneration in the long run. It also subtly encourages personal growth and development as a means to enhance one's professional worth.


"A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement."

This quote suggests that dreams, or aspirations, only become meaningful when one actively pursues them to make them a reality. In other words, it emphasizes the importance of taking concrete steps towards achieving our goals rather than just passively dreaming about them. Action is the key element that transforms a vague idea into something tangible and attainable.


Many foreigners imagine that Latin American cuisine is spicy, but Chilean food, on the whole, is extremely bland: salt, vinegar, mayonnaise, and more salt are the four basic condiments. Black pepper is conspicuously absent, and not only from the food - it is also rarely available even on request.

- Jonathan Franklin

Request, Pepper, Mayonnaise, Salt

Environmental activists in the rough Antarctic seas have launched a new tool in the fight to stop a Japanese operation to kill hundreds of whales: remote-controlled drones.

- Jonathan Franklin

Environmental, New, Rough, Drones

Andean skiing offers an unforgettable combination of beach-style weather, great snow and exotic travel. There are many attractions. Here on the fringes of the Andes, skiers will find few lift queues, tickets 50% cheaper than France, and unique scenery that includes condors and Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak outside the Himalayas.

- Jonathan Franklin

Here, Cheaper, Tickets, Skiers

In Peru, awareness of fake currency is so high that retail shops regularly provide cashiers with hole punchers. When a fake bill is received, the cashier quickly pops out a few holes before curtly returning the bill to an oft-surprised client.

- Jonathan Franklin

Before, Peru, Quickly, Fake

I would like to be remembered as the reporter who snuck back stage to all the off-limits shows, be it the Vatican dressing room, the Pentagon war room, or the Celtics locker room. Some curtains ought never to be pulled back; others deserve to be ripped down. When appropriate, I want to be the curtain remover.

- Jonathan Franklin

Some, Curtains, Appropriate, Locker Room

I could have been a top notch spy. People confess the most amazing secrets to me, even when I am not fishing for those nuggets. I must look trustworthy because I sit there with a video camera or a tape recorder while the stories pour out.

- Jonathan Franklin

Been, Video Camera, Recorder

Vegetarians are doomed in the Chilean street-food scene, though if they are willing to ingest small quantities of lard, they can enjoy the ever-popular squash, salt and lard biscuits known as sopaipillas.

- Jonathan Franklin

Small, Salt, Biscuits, Squash

I have lived in Chile since 1996 and reported from Chile since 1989, so I know the nation better than my native Massachusetts.

- Jonathan Franklin

Better, Nation, Native, Massachusetts

My father Tom was a workaholic who never missed a single one of my sporting events for nearly two decades, and imparted in me a sense of risk and adventure. Being the one in the middle, I had more room to drift, and after college, I left the U.S. for Chile.

- Jonathan Franklin

Father, College, Nearly, Decades

It is a gift to be a teenager, and I see a dad's job as lifeguard, not chaperone.

- Jonathan Franklin

Gift, See, Dad, Teenager

Style-wise, Valle Nevado is what can only be described as 'hip international.' Brazilians, Chileans and Europeans make the place seem like an electronic music festival transported to an remote Andean valley. Huge speakers blare out thumping, bass-heavy music, while promotoras stalk the staircases selling everything from Red Bull to mobile phones.

- Jonathan Franklin

Phones, Remote, While, Electronic Music

There's nothing very exotic about classic Chilean street food. Imagine a hot dog hidden beneath an explosion of mayonnaise and ketchup. Cost? Twenty-five to 30 pence. This is the completo, an all-purpose solution to breakfast, lunch or, once, the curiously English teatime snack enjoyed by Chileans of all ages.

- Jonathan Franklin

Lunch, Very, Mayonnaise, Exotic

Getting to Valle Nevado is half the fun. A serpentine road from Santiago wriggles up the spine of Andean peak for an hour, then traverses a valley and finally up again. The hotel is perched on a rugged mountain crag at 3,000m: no other sign of human development is visible from this spot, which is close to the Argentinean border.

- Jonathan Franklin

Other, Sign, Half, Rugged

I feel best in a ragged pair of red Honda Motorcycle pants. I have taken them to Machu Picchu, to the Knob Creek Machine Gun festival, and backstage to Cirque du Soleil - just the right touch to make you untouchable. No one quite dares to throw you out, because perhaps you are a world class motocross racer.

- Jonathan Franklin

Gun, Feel, Pants, Backstage

The global embrace of the Chilean miners had as much to do with the state of the planet as it did the fate of the trapped men. Every year, thousands of miners are trapped and die. Hundreds more are rescued. The world's press has no shortage of global good-news stories. Heroes abound if reporters and editors take the time to search.

- Jonathan Franklin

Fate, Die, Reporters, Editors

Anyone who reads '33 Men' will be brought into a world that was practically a textbook case of sensory deprivation and torture.

- Jonathan Franklin

Will, Textbook, Brought, Sensory

In the U.S. and much of Europe, the sale, distribution, and use of offset printers are watched closely by anti-counterfeiting units. In Peru, however, the offset industry is a free-for-all.

- Jonathan Franklin

However, Closely, Printers, Distribution

I wrote '33 Men' in eight weeks. Not only was it a combination of simultaneously writing and interviewing, but as I dug deeper into the miners' story, I found the key to their success was the ability to place their individuality on the back burner and bring forward the sense of a collective group responsibility.

- Jonathan Franklin

Bring, Interviewing, Weeks, Individuality

I have interviewed Hugo Chavez, Tim McVeigh, and hundreds of fascinating characters in South America, where I have lived for the past 15 years.

- Jonathan Franklin

Past, Hugo, South, South America

When all else fails, I am comforted by the fact that when I am ill or old, I will never be on my own. After all, you'd have to be a pretty terrible father if not one of your seven daughters was willing to take care of you at the end.

- Jonathan Franklin

Fact, Own, Willing, When All Else Fails

Seven daughters was never part of my plan.

- Jonathan Franklin

Never, Seven, Part, Daughters

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