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
What is worthwhile in life? I think it is worth living and dreaming. If you don't you may be dead anyhow - inside.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of living fully and pursuing dreams, suggesting that without doing so, one may feel emotionally or spiritually dead.
John Muir's quote speaks to the essence of a meaningful life, asserting that the pursuit of dreams and the act of truly living are what give life value. He warns that failing to engage in these pursuits can lead to a sense of emptiness, akin to a form of internal death. Muir encourages individuals to recognize and embrace their dreams, as it is through these ambitions that one can experience true vitality and fulfillment.
Themes
LifeDreamsWorthwhileLivingFulfillment
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing your passions.
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
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It's strange. You never start out life with the intention of becoming a bankrupt or an alcoholic or a cheat and a thief. Or a liar.
Raymond CarverRead