I want nothing less than a faith founded upon a rock, faith in the constitution of things. The various man-made creeds are fictitious, like the constellations Orion, Cassiopeia’s Chair, the Big Dipper; the only thing real in them is the stars, and the only thing real in the creeds is the soul’s aspiration toward the Infinite.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of a deep, grounded faith in reality over superficial beliefs.
In this quote, John Burroughs argues that true faith should be based on a solid understanding of the universe, rather than on man-made beliefs which he views as shallow and fictitious. He suggests that while creeds may contain elements of truth, such as the yearning of the soul for something greater, they ultimately fall short of capturing the profound nature of existence and the infinite aspiration of humanity.
In practice
During a motivational speech, one could reference this quote to inspire belief in a greater purpose.
The very idea of a bird is a symbol and a suggestion to the poet. A bird seems to be at the top of the scale, so vehement and intense is his life, large-brained, large-lunged, hot, ecstatic, his frame charged with buoyancy and his heart with song.
Naturalists, like poets, are born and then made only by years of painstaking observation.
Every walk to the woods is a religious rite, every bath in the stream is a saving ordinance. Communion service is at all hours, and the bread and wine are from the heart and marrow of Mother Earth.
Next to the laborer in the fields, the walker holds the closest relation to the soil; and he holds a closer and more vital relation to nature because he is freer and his mind more at leisure.
Some of the animals outsee man, outsmell him, outhear him, outrun him, outswim him, because their lives depend more upon these special powers than his does; but he can outwit them all because he has the resourcefulness of reason and is at home in many different fields.
Unadulterated, unsweetened observations are what the real nature-lover craves. No man can invent incidents and traits as interesting as the reality.
A vivid thought brings the power to paint it; and in proportion to the depth of its source is the force of its projection.
It would be foolish to suggest that government is a good custodian of aesthetic goals. But, there is no alternative to the state.
Concerning God, freewill and destiny: Of all that earth has been or yet may be, all that vain men imagine or believe, or hope can paint or suffering may achieve, we descanted.
It takes more than just a good looking body. You've got to have the heart and soul to go with it.
Moral philosophy is nothing else but the science of what is good, and evil, in the conversation, and society of mankind. Good, and evil, are names that signify our appetites, and aversions; which in different tempers, customs, and doctrines of men, are different.
May all sentient beings be happy and free of suffering.
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