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.
John MuirRead
To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world.
Interpretation
John Muir highlights the beauty and allure of Alaska for those who appreciate the wilderness.
This quote expresses the sentiment that Alaska, with its stunning natural landscapes and untouched wilderness, is a paradise for those who find joy and inspiration in nature. Muir, a naturalist and advocate for the preservation of wilderness, reflects on how the raw beauty of this region captivates the hearts of outdoor lovers and serves as an embodiment of nature's grandeur.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about conservation efforts to emphasize the importance of wilderness.
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.
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can".
The forests of America, however slighted by man, must have been a great delight to God; for they were the best he ever planted. The whole continent was a garden, and from the beginning, it seemed to be favored above all the other wild parks and gardens of the globe.
From the dust of the earth, from the common elementary fund, the Creator has made Homo sapiens. From the same material he has made every other creature, however noxious and insignificant to us. They are earth-born companions and our fellow mortals.
...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.
I think people had somehow gotten the sense that we have explored everything, when that isn't the case. We so know so little about the ocean, and so much of it is being destroyed.
Great oaks grow from little acorns. He has a green thumb. He has green fingers. He's sowing his wild oats. Here Ceres' gifts in waving prospect stand, And nodding tempt the joyful reaper's hand.
During all these years there existed within me a tendency to follow Nature in her walks.
Why is it so easy to save the banks - but so hard to save the biosphere?
Perhaps the single most important thing that we can do to undo the harm we have done is to fix firmly in our minds the thought: the earth is alive.
There, by the starlit fences The wanderer halts and hears My soul that lingers sighing About the glimmering weirs.
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