Don't just live the length of your life - live the width of it as well.
Diane AckermanRead
Gardeners may create order briefly out of chaos, but nature always gets the last word, and what it says is usually untidy by human standards. But I find all states of nature beautiful, and because I want to delight in my garden, not rule it, I just accept my yen to tame the chaos on one day and let the Japanese beetles run riot on the next.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the balance between human desire for order and nature's inherent chaos.
Diane Ackerman articulates the relationship between human efforts to cultivate and impose order in gardening and the unpredictable, wild beauty of nature. While gardeners strive to create a harmonious, tidy environment, nature's essence often defies these attempts, reminding us that true beauty can be found in its chaos, and that we can embrace both the desire to control and the acceptance of disorder. This dual perspective encourages a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world.
Themes
NatureChaosBeautyGardeningAcceptance
In practice
Example use cases
During a nature walk, one could use this quote to discuss the beauty found in untamed environments.
More from Diane Ackerman
All quotes →We try to exile ourselves more and more from nature - not always consciously: We build houses; we dismiss nature; nature has to be outside, because we're inside. God forbid something like a cockroach comes inside, or some dust.
Diane AckermanRead
We ogle plants and animals up close on television, the Internet and in the movies. We may not worship the animals we see, but we still regard them as necessary physical and spiritual companions. Technological nature can't completely satisfy that yearning.
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Because IQ tests favor memory skills and logic, overlooking artistic creativity, insight, resiliency, emotional reserves, sensory gifts, and life experience, they can't really predict success, let alone satisfaction.
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American writer_x000D_ _x000D_ 1803-1882_x000D_ _x000D_ Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.
Diane AckermanRead
In rare moments of deep play, we can lay aside our sense of self, shed time's continuum, ignore pain, and sit quietly in the absolute present, watching the world's ordinary miracles. No mind or heart hobbles. No analyzing or explaining. No questing for logic. No promises. No goals. No relationships. No worry. One is completely open to whatever drama may unfold.
Diane AckermanRead
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