John Muir Quotes
Lie down among the pines for a while, then get to plain pure white love-work ... to help humanity and other mortals and the Lord.
All wilderness seems to be full of tricks and plans to drive and draw us up into God's light.
...every sight and sound inspiring, leading one far out of himself, yet feeding and building up his individuality.
I have never yet happened upon a trace of evidence... to show that any one animal was ever made for another as much as it was made for itself.
I made these Sierra trips, carrying only a sackful of bread with a little tea and sugar, and was thus independent and free.
In the beauty and grandeur of individual trees, and in number and variety of species, the Sierra forests surpass all others
I have precious little sympathy for the selfish propriety of civilized man, and if aware of races should occur between the wild beasts and Lord Man, I would be tempted to sympathise with the bears.
Word lessons, in particular the wouldst couldst shouldst have loved kind, were kept up, with much warlike thrashing, until I had committed the whole of French, Latin, and English grammars to memory.
My meals were easily made, for they were all alike and simple, only a cupful of tea and bread.
Wherever a Scotsman goes, here goes Burns. His grand whole, catholic soul squares with the good of all; therefore we find him in everything, everywhere.
To myself, mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery; in them, and in the forms of inferior landscape that lead to them, my affections are wholly bound up.
If people in general could be got into the woods, even for once, to hear the trees speak for themselves, all difficulties in the way of forest preservation would vanish.
This time it is real — all must die, and where could mountaineer find a more glorious death!
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.
We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)
It seems supernatural, but only because it is not understood.
Come to the woods, for here is rest, ...climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. Sleep in forgetfulness of all ill.
Even the sick should try these so-called dangerous passes, because for every unfortunate they kill, they cure a thousand.
The world, we are told, was made especially for man — a presumption not supported by all the facts.
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.
The radiance in some places is so great as to be fairly dazzling . . . every crystal every flower a window opening into heaven a mirror reflecting the Creator.
Rocks and waters, etc., are words of God, and so are men. We all flow from one fountain Soul. All are expressions of one Love.
Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God.
