In celebration of Muir’s 182nd birthday, here is one of our favorite and most simple posts from our archive. A curation of some of his most eloquent quotes. – Ed.
Been outside lately? How about a few reminders from the Poet Laureate of the High Sierra? John Muir was ecstatically writing about the mountains 100 years before you had an iPhone to stare at while your eyes glazed over. He was also writing about how we lose our feeling for being alive by working too much, focusing on making money instead of the things that bring us joy. Sound familiar? Bit of a visionary, that guy. You can thank him for Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park, as well as these little snippets of inspiration.
1. “Most people are on the world, not in it. ”
2. “Who wouldn’t be a mountaineer! Up here all the world’s prizes seem nothing.”
3. “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.”
4. “The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”
5. “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
6. “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
7. “In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
8. “This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.”
9. “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”
10. “There is a love of wild nature in everybody, an ancient mother-love showing itself whether recognized or no, and however covered by cares and duties”
11. “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.”
12. “One day’s exposure to mountains is better than a cartload of books.”
13. “Most people who travel look only at what they are directed to look at. Great is the power of the guidebook maker, however ignorant.”
14. “I never saw a discontented tree.”
15. “None of Nature’s landscapes are ugly so long as they are wild.”
16. “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
17. “Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter.”
18. “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; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”
19. “The mountains are fountains of men as well as of rivers, of glaciers, of fertile soil. The great poets, philosophers, prophets, able men whose thoughts and deeds have moved the world, have come down from the mountains – mountain dwellers who have grown strong there with the forest trees in Nature’s workshops.”
20. “Going to the mountains is going home.”
Some of our fave Muir books
Browse all books by John Muir here.
Have kids going crazy at home? Distract them with Little Naturalists: John Muir, available on sale, here.
Going crazy at home, period? How about a deep dive into the life of Muir, with the biography A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir
In The Yosemite, Muir recounts his first experiences spending significant time in the backcountry that shaped him more than anywhere else.
We largely have Muir to thank for national parks, so his essays, Our National Parks, ought be required reading for those who love them today.
“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.” AH.
Consider my carcass inspired.
“The Sun shines not on us but in us. The Rivers flow not past, But through us.” – John Muir
Yes, lovely quote, thank you.
Over a thousand reasons, we have over a thousand reasons to be Ecuador Tourist power.
The place where life has expressed its majesty through a variety of colors, sounds, smells and tastes, that is Ecuador. Here in the center of the world, the people who make this small country, has decided that in their hands is keeping a sustainable paradise.
awesome post.
The mountains are calling and I must go
Love that one.
I love this saying so much.
This one is at the top of my fb page and on my favorite t-shirt!
“None of Nature’s landscapes are ugly so long as they are wild.” That quote is just so right!
nice and good inspiring quotes,
“One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever face in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder.”
Thank you
Indeed it is the most difficult decision-making one has to make when one faces the fork on the road: turning right or left will make all the difference in the world.
As Frost said, ” And I took the road less traveled.”
John Muir is a boss. I love this quote: “The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”
It all depends on your age.
Great list of quotes.
I especially like 6. “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
I like the quotes, though you have one quote that isn’t Muir’s – “In William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, Act III, Scene iii – Ulysses, speaking to Achilles says that “One Touch of Nature Makes the Whole World Kin”.”
One note to add to Shakespeare quote would be: One step when traveling and the whole World is kin.
My favorite of them all “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
And perfectly apt for the worlds current situation.
Agree completely with his view on losing our feeling to overworking. Everyday i sit in my cubicle looking out the window thinking “there has to be more than this”…I need the mountains.
….”for my poems there has to be more than where this”….I need the inspirational infinity horizons of the ocean.
Beautiful quotes. My heart is afloat as I daydream of wilderness ♡
I have “The Mountains are calling and I must go” tattooed on my arm.
Muir actually said, “God never made an ugly landscape. All that the sun shines on is beautiful, so long as it is wild.”
Source for this version of this quote is: “The Scenery of California,” California Early History: Commercial Position: Climate: Scenery. San Francisco: California State Board of Trade, 1897, 16.
Some prefer to leave out the appellation, “God” from Muir’s statement – finding it more palatable to them, but truthfully, Muir will not fit into such a politically-correct box. He found nature “the perfect cathedral” for worship and actually read the New Testament often.
Such an important distinction. Thank you for calling it out.
using the the word “god” should not be lost. It is the contextual thread that often lost in the brevity of what is being said.
Thank you Ruthie for that clarification.
Oh … and the Redwoods forest at Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey, California.
Moving to Big Sur or maybe only dreaming?
The Old and the New Testaments were written in nature. Where else would you get inspired?
Great Out Doors
Since I am here only for a few brief moments, there are not a better moment that excuses the slackness of my experiences then being in the Great Out Doors.
Too bad so many “conservationist” of today, the intellectual (cry) babies of Muir, fail to live by these suggestions, and instead are forcefully shoving their world view down our throats.
I’m fairly certain that Muir had to be quite forceful and out spoken in his fight to preserve our landscape
Muir championed preservation, not conservation.
From cityboy i went to countryguy: 800 km through the Norwegian mountains, every meter was bliss.
You forgot my favorite Muir quote:
“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.”
Aaron,
Thanks for posting a lovely and inspirational quote by Muir.
This quote is more likely translated, “each day offers a doorway to new opportunities.”
Such a great poet who brought such an appreciation to nature by many.
John Muir is my favorite and I believe everything he said is true. I can always find peace in nature!
Muir is my hero and nature my cathedral
I simply loved this article. John Muir was truly an extraordinary figure when it comes to preservation of America’s wildlife and he wrote with such enthusiasm about nature, mountains and woods that even today’s readers find inspiration in his quotes and words of wisdom. The one I like the most is this one below, mostly because I find it to be very true.
“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; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” – John Muir
Going to the mountains, the wilderness, the forests, it is enlightening, peaceful, harmonious, and life giving.
Grateful to persons as John Muir and others for their generosity and foresight.
Great article.
I just read The Mountains of California by Muir . A veritable treasure . He looks at the alpenglow as the sun is setting on the Sierras and writes” The was the alpenglow, to me one of he most impressive of all terrestrial manifestations of God!” And then adds a spiritual touch when he says “At the touch of this divine light, the mountains seem to kindle to a rapt, religious consciousness and stood hushed and waiting like devout worshippers “. This 900 page tome can be read free on your free books app and is a hidden jewel. I find myself quoting it to friends.. ” How gloriously does the sun greet the mountains in the morning “, I tell them.. I hope to write an article on Muir because he proved the Sanskrit saying that ” the world is as you see it”
That’s fantastic. Thank you. I definitely need to read that one by Muir.
He was a wonderful writer – transportive – his expressions pull one into a shared, ecstatic surrender to beauty oh so rapturous …the enthrallment of wildness kindred spirits know: creation as endless masterpiece
Good article! “I never saw a discontented tree.” I love this quote. Trees know when they have enough. They know that they don’t need anything else besides good air and good earth. We could take a lesson from that.
Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
John Muir is my hero. He is the only human being to walk this earth that not only loved nature and understood it’s universal call to the soul of humanity, but was also wise enough to know that sharing his experiences with those unaware of nature’s ability to raise the consciousness of the mind while reveling in the discovery of your own soul by connecting with it, also connected us to the universe and God. There are not many that can inspire as he does.
The perfection of a tree and the infinity of a star filled night in the mountains is as refreshing to the human spirit as a sun drenched valley a thundering, majestic waterfall and the awakening of an old soul as it is to the birth of a new one.
This man has inspired millions. Let him inspire you. Heed the call of the wild and the restlessness of your soul. Give way to your true self and become one with the universe while marveling a giant Sequoia and the endless blue sky. Ponder with amazement the beauty of this earth, the power of its oceans, the simple grace of the changing of its seasons and know that you are as much a part of all that surrounds you as the very air you breathe and the wonderful sights and sounds you see, hear and imagine!
I agree but, don’t forget the contributions of Aldo Leopold.
“Into the forest I go
To lose my mind and find my soul.”
That is the purpose of life.
John Muir was definitely an enlighten being.
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” is William Shakespeare not JM but JM still a boss
“Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God.”
Look to nature for sustenance and you will tranquility of spirit.
Marjorie Kinnen Rawlings
So true.
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
Also true.
Yall put your cell phones down and just go walk in woods. Or call your Mom. Lol!
The mountains are calling and I must go………skiing
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.–Muir
From the Yellowstone National Park (text by Muir). Editor’s preface. This book was penned by Muir the explorer-naturalist , in 1898. It was then published as an article in Atlantic Monthly and again in 1901 as a chapter in Muir’s book Our National Parks, and may well be his most literary piece of nature writing. At least it does contain his most-often quoted expression:
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
Mountaineers Books (Seattle) has republished, many times, the the tome, John Muir, The Eight Wilderness Discovery Books. It’s a most expansive piece and includes many sections from other earlier books. I compliment Adventure Journal and the writer of this piece – all giving honor to a most iconic human and lover of wilderness. Often in my mind; his tale of climbing an evergreen tree, perching on a high branch, & then a gale of wind blew in and he rode the storm like a sailor on rocking ship. When it calmed he spoke of the rage of the breeze but also his own inner glory – of experiencing nature in that manner. Sad, too many these days, disaffected and disconnected from nature and wild lands.
I note that David above, has included the “good tidings” quote. I felt the editors preface though set up the lines which are so often quoted. NIce that so many are connected to him and his writing. Each generation hopefully doing the same, and with Abbey and Stegner too.
“I’d rather be in the mountains thinking about God, than in church thinking about the mountains.”
I’m a bit obsessed with him and his writing. I get overwhelmed with emotion when I read his work. I’ve been lucky enough to see what he’s seen, though as he would note it changes over the years.
Some of my favs:
“No pain here, no dull empty hours, no fear of the past, no fear of the future. These blessed mountains are so compactly filled with God’s beauty, no petty personal hope or experience has room to be”
“The most extravagant description I might give of this view to any one who has not seen similar landscapes with his own eyes would not so much as hint its grandeur and the spiritual glow that covered it.”
“For little can they tell to those who have not themselves seen similar wildness, and like a language learned it.”
“Nevermore, however weary, should one faint by the way who gains the blessings of one mountain day; whatever his fate, long life, short life, stormy or calm, he is forever rich.”
I love this article and all the comments.
HBD John Muir. The legend that keeps me chasing my North Star dreams of more time outside.
I often commune with nature and consider this place to be my Church. It is where I feel connected to The Divine… can be still and open to receive my Instructions… my Guidance to live in the world beyond the trees.
Thank you AJ (and Jack Davis for sending me this article)! With tenderness, you have invited me to open my heart to John Muir and whet my appetite for his wisdom.
He also said about the Native Americans who lived in the Yosemite Valley “they seemed to have no right place in the landscape, and I was glad to see them fading out of sight down the pass.”
Why is every article about Muir a hagiography? He had some terribly racist views about Native Americans.
Thank you.
https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/life/racist-or-admirer-of-native-americans-raymond-bennett.aspx
I suggest reading this for a full understanding
Thank you for the clarification!
I was like “what?””
I’m so happy to know that John Muir was not a racist!
I didn’t think he could be.
Thank you Andrew. I was just about to post something on this. While I also enjoy Muir the poet and mountaineer and I have had many opportunities to spend time in similar places as him, the places Muir described were places barren of their prior human inhabitants as a result of disease and forced relocation. Many errors in managing these “wild” places have been committed by people and agencies blindly following his preservation ethic. What Muir perceived as wild had indeed been managed for many thousands of years by the native peoples. When that conservation ethic was supplanted by Muir’s preservation ethic, the rest of society lost that knowledge of how lands could be truly sustainably managed. For example, wildfire. Without the purposely set and cleansing brushfires by native peoples, the forest grew thickly and unchecked, add a hundred years of fire suppression, then sprinkle over that a drying and warming climate and you get the current recipe of disastrous high heat fire events where even the soil is destroyed.
Good point, Terry.
Thanks for this Andrew. We need new heroes. Muir wrote eloquently of landscapes that are certainly stunning/moving, but were created by genocide. And, in terms of real conservation impact, he’s at least partially responsible for our model of fortress conservation that has produced a pyrrhic victory: plenty parks that are unable to flatten the curve of rapid biodiversity loss.
We can and must do better than idolizing Muir — for the good of humans, flora, and fauna alike.
You can’t beat #11 for an honest statement of today’s reality
Respecting our earth and caring for all that it stands for,it’s a privilege to be on the beauty that it gives us.
Ralph Waldo Emerson cites,
“Adopt the pace of nature:
her secret is patience.”
Interestingly, many folks with eyes glazed over looking at His Holiness the iPhone are reading quotes by John Muir wishing they were in the mountains, especially in these times we live in currently.
I grew up appreciating this beauty he speaks of, the sunlight filtering though the Douglas Firs and also the Sequoias!
Looking for Trilliums.
The enrichment of my soul from spending 7 a.m. til 7p.m. in the woods alone has never left me… I start my 80th year this September, Lord Willing, and “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree!”
Thank You Lord for Blessing Me.
It’s great that this keeps getting posted. Such a delight to read his quotes. Is it just coincidence that Earth Day follows Muir’s birthday?
My favorite quote is ” Of all the paths you walk in life, make sure a few of them are dirt”
I discovered John Muir through the famous quote ” The mountains are calling and I must go” my favorite quote of his is:-
“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; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”