Touch the earth, love the earth, honour the earth, her plains, her valleys, her hills, and her seas; rest your spirit in her solitary places.
Henry BestonRead
When the Pleiades and the wind in the grass are no longer a part of the human spirit, a part of very flesh and bone, man becomes, as it were, a kind of cosmic outlaw, having neither the completeness nor integrity of the animal nor the birthright of a true humanity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of our connection to nature for our humanity and integrity.
Henry Beston reflects on the intrinsic bond between humans and the natural world, suggesting that detachment from this connection leads to a loss of our essential humanity. He portrays man as a 'cosmic outlaw,' indicating that without nature's beauty and essence, we lose not only our completeness but also a vital part of our spirit and identity.
Themes
NatureHumanityConnectionSpiritIntegrity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about environmental conservation, one might quote this to highlight the importance of preserving our natural world.
More from Henry Beston
All quotes →If there is one thing clear about the centuries dominated by the factory and the wheel, it is that although the machine can make everything from a spoon to a landing-craft, a natural joy in earthly living is something it never has and never will be able to manufacture.
Henry BestonRead
Learn to reverence night and to put away the vulgar fear of it, for, with the banishment of night from the experience of man, there vanishes as well a religious emotion, a poetic mood, which gives depth to the adventure of humanity.
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The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter woods.
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Our fantastic civilization has fallen out of touch with many aspects of nature, and with none more completely than with night.
Henry BestonRead
Learn to reverence night and to put away the vulgar fear of it.
Henry BestonRead
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