John Burroughs
John Burroughs
John Burroughswas an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the U.S. conservation movement. The first of his essay collections was Wake-Robin in 1871...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
Date of Birth3 April 1837
CountryUnited States of America
mountain-peaks mountain walks
We cannot walk through life on mountain peaks.
nature order secret
The life of nature we must meet halfway; it is shy, withdrawn, and blends itself with a vast neutral background. We must be initiated; it is an order the secrets of which are well guarded.
heart wine winter
The simplicity of winter has a deep moral. The return of Nature, after such a career of splendor and prodigality, to habits so simple and austere, is not lost either upon the head or the heart. It is the philosopher coming back from the banquet and the wine to a cup of water and a crust of bread.
sea fishing rivers
The fisherman has a harmless, preoccupied look; he is a kind of vagrant, that nothing fears. He blends himself with the trees and the shadows. All his approaches are gentle and indirect. He times himself to the meandering, soliloquizing stream; he addresses himself to it as a lover to his mistress; he woos it and stays with it till he knows its hidden secrets. Where it deepens his purpose deepens; where it is shallow he is indifferent. He knows how to interpret its every glance and dimple; its beauty haunts him for days.
4th-of-july independence july-4
That which distinguishes this day from all others is that then both orators and artillerymen shoot blank cartridges.
inspirational humor opportunity
The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are.
years civilization religion
Science has done more for the development of western civilization in one hundred years than Christianity did in eighteen hundred years.
life spiritual thinking
The lesson which life repeats and constantly enforces is 'look under foot.' You are always nearer the divine and the true sources of your power than you think.
nature where-you-are
The place to observe nature is where you are.
heart night self
Communing with God is communing with our own hearts, our own best selves, not with something foreign and accidental. Saints and devotees have gone into the wilderness to find God; of course they took God with them, and the silence and detachment enabled them to hear the still, small voice of their own souls, as one hears the ticking of his own watch in the stillness of the night.
time fate hands
Serene, I fold my hands and wait, Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea; I rave no more 'gainst time or fate, For lo! my own shall come to me.
life sports thinking
If you think you can do it, you can.
believe optimism mind
It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative.
flower grace special
The gift of perfume to a flower is a special grace like genius or like beauty, and never becomes common or cheap.