John Muir Quotes

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John Muir (April 21, 1838 - December 24, 1914) was an American naturalist, writer, explorer, and environmentalist. Known for his love of nature and advocacy for environmental protection, Muir is considered one of the pioneers of the modern environmental movement.

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Famous John Muir Quotes

“Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.”

Source: A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf (With Original Drawings & Photographs): Adventure Memoirs, Travel Sketches & Wilderness Studies

“Going to the mountains is going home.”

Source: Nature Writings: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, My First Summer in the Sierra, the Mountains of California, Stickeen, Selected Essays

“...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.”

Source: Our National Parks

“Long, blue, spiky-edged shadows crept out across the snow-fields, while a rosy glow, at first scarce discernible, gradually deepened and suffused every mountain-top, flushing the glaciers and the harsh crags above them. This was the alpenglow, to me the most impressive of all the terrestrial manifestations of God. At the touch of this divine light, the mountains seemed to kindle to a rapt, religious consciousness, and stood hushed like devout worshippers waiting to be blessed.”

Source: South of Yosemite

“One learns that the world, though made, is yet being made; that this is still the morning of creation; that mountains long conceived are now being born, channels traced for coming rivers, basins hollowed for lakes.”

World Long Made Stills Born Morning Creation Mountain Rivers Lakes Glaciers Rivers And Lakes Lakes And Rivers Mountain Lakes

Book:John Muir’s Incredible Travel Memoirs: A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, My First Summer in the Sierra, The Mountains of California, Travels in Alaska, Steep Trails… (Illustrated): Adventure Memoirs & Wilderness Studies from the Naturalist, Environmental Philosopher and Early Advocate of Preservation of Wilderness, the Author of The Yosemite and Picturesque California

Source: John Muir’s Incredible Travel Memoirs: A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, My First Summer in the Sierra, The Mountains of California, Travels in Alaska, Steep Trails… (Illustrated): Adventure Memoirs & Wilderness Studies from the Naturalist, Environmental Philosopher and Early Advocate of Preservation of Wilderness, the Author of The Yosemite and Picturesque California

“At the touch of this divine light, the mountains seemed to kindle to a rapt, religious consciousness, and stood hushed like devout worshippers waiting to be blessed.”

Light Waiting Religious Consciousness Divine Mountain Blessed Kindles Being Blessed Glaciers Worshippers Divine Light

Book:Two Essays on the Mountains & Meadows of the Sierra Nevada

Source: Two Essays on the Mountains & Meadows of the Sierra Nevada

“These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar.”

Source: Nature Writings: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, My First Summer in the Sierra, the Mountains of California, Stickeen, Selected Essays

“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news”

Men World Nature Break Adventure Mountain News Losing Machines Making Money Mountain Climbing Outdoor Adventure

Book:THE ALASKA ACCOUNT of John Muir: Travels in Alaska, The Cruise of the Corwin, Stickeen & Alaska Days with John Muir (Illustrated): Adventure Memoirs and Wilderness Essays from the author of The Yosemite, Our National Parks, The Mountains of California, A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf, Picturesque California, Steep Trails

Source: THE ALASKA ACCOUNT of John Muir: Travels in Alaska, The Cruise of the Corwin, Stickeen & Alaska Days with John Muir (Illustrated): Adventure Memoirs and Wilderness Essays from the author of The Yosemite, Our National Parks, The Mountains of California, A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf, Picturesque California, Steep Trails

“No synonym for God is so perfect as Beauty. Whether as seen carving the lines of the mountains with glaciers, or gathering matter into stars, or planning the movements of water, or gardening - still all is Beauty!”

Stills Matter Stars Water Lines Perfect Movement Mountain Planning Wilderness Gardening Gathering Glaciers Synonym Carving

Book:John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir

Source: John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir

“Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer.”

Walks Taste Mountain Wilderness Hiking Mountaineering National Parks Climbing Mountain Inspirational Mountain Climbing Hiking In The Mountains Climbing Mountains Inspirational Yosemite Hiker Yellowstone

Book:JOHN MUIR Ultimate Collection: Travel Memoirs, Wilderness Essays, Environmental Studies & Letters (Illustrated): Picturesque California, The Treasures of the Yosemite, Our National Parks, Steep Trails, Travels in Alaska, A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf, Save the Redwoods, The Cruise of the Corwin and more

Source: JOHN MUIR Ultimate Collection: Travel Memoirs, Wilderness Essays, Environmental Studies & Letters (Illustrated): Picturesque California, The Treasures of the Yosemite, Our National Parks, Steep Trails, Travels in Alaska, A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf, Save the Redwoods, The Cruise of the Corwin and more

“Few places in this world are more dangerous than home. Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action.”

World Trying Home Care Action Dangerous This World Adventure Mountain Environmental Faculty Apathy Enthusiastic Vigorous Fear Not Hiking In The Mountains

Book:Nature Writings: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, My First Summer in the Sierra, the Mountains of California, Stickeen, Selected Essays

Source: Nature Writings: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, My First Summer in the Sierra, the Mountains of California, Stickeen, Selected Essays

“The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.”

Source: John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir