It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
Her concern with landscapes and living creatures was passionate. This concern, feebly called, "the love of nature" seemed to Shevek to be something much broader than love. There are souls, he thought, whose umbilicus has never been cut. They never got weaned from the universe. They do not understand death as an enemy; they look forward to rotting and turning into humus. It was strange to see Takver take a leaf into her hand, or even a rock. She became an extension of it, it of her.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote explores a deep, intrinsic connection between humans and nature, suggesting that true love for nature transcends mere affection.
In this quote, Ursula K. Le Guin delves into the profound bond between individuals and the natural world, indicating that some people are so deeply interconnected with the universe that they view life, death, and nature as an inseparable whole. Shevek reflects on how true appreciation for nature goes beyond superficial love; it’s a vital relationship where beings merge and become extensions of one another. This radical understanding of life shows that for some, nature is not just a backdrop but an integral part of their existence, intimately linked to their essence.
Themes
NatureConnectionHumusLifeDeathUniverse
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about environmental conservation, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of understanding our relationship with nature.
More from Ursula K. Le Guin
All quotes →In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it. Finally, when we're done with it, we may find - if it's a good novel - that we're a bit different from what we were before we read it, that we have changed a little... But it's very hard to say just what we learned, how we were changed.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
Reason is a faculty far larger than mere objective force. When either the political or the scientific discourse announces itself as the voice of reason, it is playing God, and should be spanked and stood in the corner.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel... is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
When he found that the administrators were upset, he laughed. “Do they expect students not to be anarchists?” he said. “What else can the young be? When you are on the bottom, you must organize from the bottom up
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
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