...We're allotted a little space on earth and that we survive in that wilderness that can take back what it has given, as easily as blowing its breath on us or sending the sea to tell us we are not so big. When we forget how close the wilderness is in the night, my grandpa said, someday it will come in and get us, for we will have forgotten how terrible and real it can be.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the fragility of human existence within the vastness of nature and the importance of remembering our connection to it.
Ray Bradbury's quote reflects on the delicate balance between humanity and the natural world. It suggests that while we may occupy a small part of the earth, we must remain aware of the wilderness around us, as it is powerful and can reclaim its space at any moment. The reference to forgetting how close the wilderness is serves as a warning that ignoring our relationship with nature can lead to dire consequences.
In practice
In a speech about environmental conservation, one might quote this to highlight the importance of recognizing our connection to nature.
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.
I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.
The first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it'd be better for his health.
You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
Nature knows that people are a tide that swells and in time will ebb, and all their works dissolve ... As for us: We must uncenter our minds from ourselves. We must unhumanize our views a little and become confident as the rock and ocean that we are made from.
Blessed be the Lord for the beauty of summer and spring, for the air, the water, the verdure, and the song of birds.
What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?
The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the 'Living Infinite.
Nature reserves the right to inflict upon her children the most terrifying jests.
The oak tree:_x000D_ _x000D_ not interested_x000D_ _x000D_ in cherry blossoms.
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