John Muir Quotes

The Wisdom of John Muir

John Muir, a renowned naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club, is celebrated for his profound wisdom and eloquent reflections on nature. His words have inspired generations to appreciate and protect the natural world. Here is a collection of some of his most memorable quotes, offering a glimpse into his philosophy and love for the wilderness.

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"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

 

• John Muir Audio Quotes

  
  

  Enjoy 16 of John Muir's famous quotes, in audio format. We can't claim that Muir recorded them, himself, but there's certainly a familiar Scottish accent. You may download the file to your device or computer and listen to them offline.

  Date created:

  09/16/2022

  Audio Transcript

  1. "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

  2. "The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness." Wilderness World of John Muir

  3. "Civilization has not much to brag about. It drives its victims in flocks, repressing the growth of individuality." Son of the Wilderness

  4. "I might have become a millionaire, but I chose to become a tramp!" Son of the Wilderness

  5. "After a whole day in the woods, we are already immortal." John of the Mountains

  6. "Therefore we are all, in some sense, mountaineers, and going to the mountains is going home." Steep Trails

  7. "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

  8. "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

  9. "But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks." Steep Trails

  10. "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

  11. "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)

  12. "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

  13. "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)

  14. "The sun shines not on us but in us." John of the Mountain

  15. "The battle for conservation must go on endlessly. It is part of the universal warfare between right and wrong." Son of the Wilderness

  16. "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