Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.
John MuirRead
Raindrops blossom brilliantly in the rainbow, and change to flowers in the sod, but snow comes in full flower direct from the dark, frozen sky.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote celebrates the beauty of nature's transformations and contrasts.
John Muir's quote illustrates the wonder of nature's cycles, contrasting the vibrant changes seen in raindrops and rainbows with the serene beauty of snow falling directly from a stark, frozen sky. It reflects the idea that all forms of nature, whether bright and colorful or cold and stark, contain their own unique beauty and significance in the larger tapestry of life.
Themes
NatureTransformationBeautySeasonsChange
In practice
Example use cases
During a nature walk, I shared this quote to illustrate the beauty of seasonal changes.
More from John Muir
All quotes βWhen we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
John MuirRead
As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can".
John MuirRead
The forests of America, however slighted by man, must have been a great delight to God; for they were the best he ever planted. The whole continent was a garden, and from the beginning, it seemed to be favored above all the other wild parks and gardens of the globe.
John MuirRead
From the dust of the earth, from the common elementary fund, the Creator has made Homo sapiens. From the same material he has made every other creature, however noxious and insignificant to us. They are earth-born companions and our fellow mortals.
John MuirRead
...full of God's thoughts, a place of peace and safety amid the most exalted grandeur and enthusiastic action, a new song, a place of beginnings abounding in first lessons of life, mountain building, eternal, invincible, unbreakable order; with sermons in stone, storms, trees, flowers, and animals brimful with humanity.
John MuirRead
Similar quotes
Plants can't very well defend themselves by their behavior, so they resort to chemical warfare, and plants are saturated with toxins and irritants to deter creatures like us who want to eat them.
Steven PinkerRead
Nature herself makes the wise man rich.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
If surface water can be compared with interest income, and non-renewable groundwater with capital, then much of the West was living mainly on interest income. California was milking interest and capital in about equal proportion. The plains states, however, were devouring capital as a gang of spendthrift heirs might squander a great capitalist's fortune.
Marc ReisnerRead
If we want to address global warming, along with the other environmental problems associated with our continued rush to burn our precious fossil fuels as quickly as possible, we must learn to use our resources more wisely, kick our addiction, and quickly start turning to sources of energy that have fewer negative impacts.
David SuzukiRead
The road made wet by the water of August shines like it was cut in full moonlight
Pablo NerudaRead
Almost any garden, if you see it at just the right moment, can be confused with paradise.
Henry MitchellRead