John Boyd Orr Quotes

A collection of quotes by John Boyd Orr.

John Boyd Orr was a Scottish physician, biologist, and politician who dedicated his life to fighting hunger and improving nutrition around the world. He was born on September 23, 1880, in Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Orr began his career studying medicine at the University of Glasgow but soon developed a deep interest in the connection between food and health. His groundbreaking research on the nutritional value of different foods earned him international recognition. During World War I, he served as a medical officer and witnessed the devastating effects of malnutrition on soldiers and civilians alike.

In 1945, Orr was appointed the first Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He played a key role in creating the organization and shaping global policies to address hunger and improve agricultural practices. His work led to the establishment of nutrition programs and initiatives that continue to benefit millions of people worldwide.

For his efforts, Orr was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1949. He went on to serve as a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom and was later appointed as a life peer, becoming Baron Boyd-Orr of Brechin Mearns.

Orr's legacy continues to inspire individuals and organizations to fight hunger, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. He remains a symbol of dedication and compassion in the global movement to achieve food security for all.

If the views I have expressed be right, we can think of our

If the views I have expressed be right, we can think of our civilization evolving with the growth of knowledge from small wandering tribes to large settled law.

Knowledge

There can be no peace in the world so long as a large propor

There can be no peace in the world so long as a large proportion of the population lack the necessities of life and believe that a change of the political and economic system will make them available. World peace must be based on world plenty.

Change

Our civilization has evolved through the continuous adjustme

Our civilization has evolved through the continuous adjustment of society to the stimulus of new knowledge.

Knowledge

Measured in time of transport and communication, the whole r

Measured in time of transport and communication, the whole round globe is now smaller than a small European country was a hundred years ago.

Communication

It is said that those whom the gods wish to destroy they fir

It is said that those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad. It may well be that a war neurosis stirred up by propaganda of fear and hatred is the prelude to destruction.

Fear

When the fabric of society is so rigid that it cannot change

When the fabric of society is so rigid that it cannot change quickly enough, adjustments are achieved by social unrest and revolutions.

Change

In the last fifty years science has advanced more than in th

In the last fifty years science has advanced more than in the 2,000 previous years and given mankind greater powers over the forces of nature than the ancients ascribed to their gods.

Science

Science has produced such powerful weapons that in a war bet

Science has produced such powerful weapons that in a war between great powers there would be neither victor nor vanquished. Both would be overwhelmed in destruction.

Science

As I have tried to show, science, in producing the airplane

As I have tried to show, science, in producing the airplane and the wireless, has created a new international political environment to which governments must adjust their foreign policies.

Science

Our civilization is now in the transition stage between the

Our civilization is now in the transition stage between the age of warring empires and a new age of world unity and peace.

Peace

The increase of territory and power of empires by force of a

The increase of territory and power of empires by force of arms has been the policy of all great powers, and it has always been possible to get the approval of their state religion.

Religion

Though the general principles of statecraft have survived th

Though the general principles of statecraft have survived the rise and fall of empires, every increase in knowledge has brought about changes in the political, economic, and social structure.

Knowledge