Over the past five decades, the concepts of resilience and sustainability have emerged as two influential theoretical frameworks in environmental studies. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the foundational literature that has shaped these concepts, examining their intellectual roots, theoretical development, and conceptual evolution. Resilience, initially introduced by Holling in the 1970s as ecological resilience, has now evolved into a multidimensional framework encompassing socio-ecological systems thinking. Sustainability, rooted in development studies and environmental ethics, offers a normative guide for long-term environmental management. By reviewing seminal works and key theoretical contributions, this review demonstrates that, despite originating from different intellectual traditions, these concepts provide complementary yet distinct approaches to understanding complex environmental systems. The analysis clarifies ongoing theoretical debates regarding definitions, assessment methods, and practical applications, highlighting recent advances in integrative frameworks that combine descriptive understanding with normative objectives. This foundational review contributes to a clearer conceptual understanding and delineates pathways for future theoretical development in environmental studies.