For many people, exploring nature can be a spiritual experience. We may venture into the wilderness to reconnect with our ancestral past or to unwind and take in the wonders of the natural world, to someone discover something about the environment and possibly ourselves in the process.
Why people explore is as much a reflection of their outward seeking as an inner path, one that continues long after the trip is over, which is why for a truly inspired expedition to get off the ground in any proper sense, there needs a fair amount of encouragement. And what better way than with the best nature quotes from authors and sages throughout time from John Muir to the Buddha.
With the summer camping season under way, here are 20 of the best nature quotes we could find in the hopes of inspiring your next adventure.
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” — John Muir
“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” ― Henry David Thoreau
“Rocks are records of events that took place at the time they formed. They are books. They have a different vocabulary, a different alphabet, but you learn how to read them.” — John McPhee
“Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.” — Albert Einstein
“They are much to be pittied who have not been given a taste for nature early in life.” — Jane Austen
“Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature. The way of nature is unchanging. Knowing constancy is insight.” — Lao Tzu
“Happy trails, to you.” — Roy Rogers
“The father one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedome.” Teddy Roosevelt
“When we recognize the virtues, the talent, the beauty of mother earth, something is born in us. Some kind of connection: Love is born.” — Thich Nhat Hahn
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” — Frank Lloyd Wright
“There is no certainty, there is only adventure.” — Roberto Assagioli
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” — Buddha
“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” — Dalai Lama
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… Including you.” — Anne Lamott
“A grove of giant redwoods or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great or beautiful cathedral.” — Teddy Roosevelt
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.” ― Walt Whitman
“Trees are poems that Earth writes upon the Sky.” — Kahlil Gibran
“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” — Jack Kerouac
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