You cannot see the Grand Canyon in one view, as if it were a changeless spectacle from which a curtain might be lifted, but to see it you have to toil from month to month through its labyrinths.
John Wesley PowellRead
The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The beauty and grandeur of the Grand Canyon cannot be fully captured by words or images.
John Wesley Powell emphasizes the limitations of both language and art in conveying the true magnificence of natural wonders like the Grand Canyon. Despite the best efforts of speech and graphic representation, the essence of such a monumental landscape is something that ultimately transcends mere description, illustrating the profound connection between nature and human experience.
Themes
Grand CanyonNatureBeautyArtLanguageExpressionLimitations
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of nature conservation.
More from John Wesley Powell
All quotes →Similar quotes
Any observer is an intruder in the domain of a wild animal and must remember that the rights of that animal supersede human interests. An observer must also keep in mind that an animal's memories of one day's contact might well be reflected in the following day's behavior.
Dian FosseyRead
. . . the time has also come to identify and preserve free-flowing stretches of our great rivers before growth and development make the beauty of the unspoiled waterway a memory.
Lyndon B. JohnsonRead
We had always dwelled together, beneath a tropical sun, in the Valley of the Many Colored Grass.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
There's a lot of money to be made by strip-mining and drilling the dirtiest oil on the planet. But why should the rest of us pay the price?
Robert RedfordRead
So fine was the morning except for a streak of wind here and there that the sea and sky looked all one fabric, as if sails were stuck high up in the sky, or the clouds had dropped down into the sea.
Virginia WoolfRead
The water rose further and dressed Simon's coarse hair with brightness. The line of his cheek silvered and the turn of his shoulder became sculptured marble.
William GoldingRead