# On Dark Days Humanity Looks Like Mould on Earth by Desmond Morris > “There are dark days when I am a pessimist and then there are brighter days when I’m an optimist. On a very dark day I described humanity as the mould on a rotting planet.” > **— Desmond Morris**, *Earth in Vision, Open University original long interview transcript* ## Sources and Context - **Original publication:** [Earth in Vision](https://www.open.edu/openlearn/nature-environment/the-environment/creative-climate/earth-vision/desmond-morris-earth-vision) — Open University original long interview transcript; Morris explicitly labels this a very dark-day metaphor and also describes brighter, optimistic days. - **Exact original wording:** “There are dark days when I am a pessimist and then there are brighter days when I’m an optimist. On a very dark day I described humanity as the mould on a rotting planet.” ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Climate Change Decoded Around Ecological Crisis|Climate Change Decoded Around Ecological Crisis]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] - [[wiki/Planetary Stewardship|Planetary Stewardship]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “There are dark days when I am a pessimist and then there are brighter days when I’m an optimist. On a very dark day I described humanity as the mould on a rotting planet.” — Desmond Morris, Earth in Vision https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-desmond-morris-dark-days-humanity-looks-like-mould ```