“No dogma taught by the present civilization seems to form so insuperable an obstacle in a way of a right understanding of the relations which culture sustains as to wilderness, as that which declares that the world was made especially for the uses of men. Every animal, plant, and crystal controverts it in the plainest terms. Yet it is taught from century to century as something ever new and precious, and in the resulting darkness the enormous conceit is allowed to go unchallenged.” MenWorldWayMadeUseSeemsEarthFormCultureUnderstandingTermNatureAnimalDarknessCenturyTaughtCivilizationRelationPlantObstaclesEnormousWildernessDogmaCrystalsConceitWildness Author:John Muir
“Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works. It not only offered an escape from society but also was an ideal stage for the Romantic individual to exercise the cult that he frequently made of his own soul. The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exultation.” MenMadeSoulIndividualPerfectStageExerciseSolitudeIdealsSettingSettingsBoredWildernessWorking ItMelancholyCultDisgusted Book:Wilderness and the American Mind Source: Wilderness and the American Mind
“It costs something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are enemies to be overcome, battles to be fought, sacrifices to be made, an Egypt to be forsaken, a wilderness to be passed through, a cross to be carried, a race to be run. Conversion is not putting a person in an arm-chair and taking them easily to heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory.” PersonsMadeRealRunningChristianWinningHeavenRaceEnemySacrificeArmsVictoryBattleCostConflictStandardsCrossesOvercomingConversionChairsWildernessEgyptForsaken Author:J. C. Ryle