John Muir, often hailed as the “Father of National Parks,” was more than just a naturalist; he was a philosopher, a writer, and a visionary whose words continue to resonate deeply with those who seek solace and inspiration in the natural world. His eloquent prose and profound understanding of nature have gifted us with timeless insights, urging us to appreciate and protect the wilderness. This collection of John Muir Quotations offers a glimpse into his remarkable mind and his enduring love for the wild.
“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.” — Our National Parks
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” — Wilderness World of John Muir
“Civilization has not much to brag about. It drives its victims in flocks, repressing the growth of individuality.” — Son of the Wilderness
“I might have become a millionaire, but I chose to become a tramp!” — Son of the Wilderness
“After a whole day in the woods, we are already immortal.” — John of the Mountains
“Therefore we are all, in some sense, mountaineers, and going to the mountains is going home.” — Steep Trails
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” — The Yosemite
“It’s always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” — John of the Mountains
“But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” — Steep Trails
“I have always befriended animals and have said many a good word for them. Even to the least-loved mosquitoes I gave many a meal, and told them to go in peace.” — John of the Mountains
“It is by far the grandest of all the special temples of Nature I was ever permitted to enter.” — Letters to a Friend, July 26, 1868 (about Yosemite)
“Both ocean and sky are already about as rosy as possible—the one with stars, the other with dulse, and foam, and wild light.” — Steep Trails
“It is a vast wilderness of rocks in a sea of light, colored and glowing like oak and maple woods in autumn, when the sun gold is richest.” — Steep Trails (about the Grand Canyon)
“The sun shines not on us but in us.” — John of the Mountains
“The battle for conservation must go on endlessly. It is part of the universal warfare between right and wrong.” — Son of the Wilderness
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out until sundown, for going out I found, was really going in.” — John of the Mountains
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” — Often attributed to Muir, though its exact source is uncertain.
“The mountains are calling and I must go.” — Letter to his sister, Sarah Muir Galloway, September 3, 1873.
“Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.” — Son of the Wilderness
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” — My First Summer in the Sierra
“Most people are on the world, not in it—having no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them—undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate.” — John of the Mountains
“The world, we are told, was made especially for man—a presumption not supported by all the facts.” — A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf
“There is not a fragment in all nature, for every relative fragment of one thing is a full harmonious unit in itself.” — A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf
“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.” — The Story of My Boyhood and Youth
“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” — Son of the Wilderness
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” — Though originally from Shakespeare (Troilus and Cressida), Muir often used and adapted this phrase in his writings.
These John Muir quotations are not just beautiful words; they are a call to action. They invite us to reconnect with the earth, to find peace in the wilderness, and to understand our place within the intricate web of life. Muir’s legacy, preserved in his powerful words, urges us to be stewards of nature, ensuring that future generations can also draw inspiration and wisdom from the wild landscapes he so deeply cherished. Let these timeless John Muir quotations inspire your next adventure into nature and deepen your appreciation for the natural world.
