About this quote

Damage can be undone when the source of harm is removed and you give the system room to recover. Look for small signs of life — new shoots, birds returning, water clearing — and protect those signs with steady, practical work. That means cutting out the bad influences, repairing what you can, and refusing to rush the process. Want a result? Do the cleanup, then keep doing the simple, stubborn things that let recovery take hold.

When to use it

• At the neighborhood river cleanup, someone quoted the line to remind everyone that after we finish removing the pollutants, nature will start to come back.
• When our department fired the toxic boss, I told the team, "The filth of Saruman is washing away," to say our office culture can heal if we keep rebuilding trust.
• After my backyard was ruined by construction, I said the line while planting saplings and replacing topsoil to encourage patience in the recovery.
• Coming out of rehab, a friend used the quote to explain that once the destructive habits stop, small healthy routines will let life regrow.