Understanding of the complexities of both public policy implementation and Great Lakes restoration has grown in sophistication since the 1970s. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is the principal policy for reversing environmental decline in the region. Large lakes of the world suffer recurring injuries. Regeneration of excellence, that is, the restoration of resilience, is possible, by reinvestment in remaking or reimagining the Great Lakes and the human condition, in ways that restores not only the resilience of the natural system, but also human capacity, flexibility, and moral authority to do the right thing.