His simplicity was his power. He knew nature as no one else did... His affection for the commonplace little pine-needle was as genuine as that for the most beautiful flower or the grandest tree, and the little flakes of snow and the little crumbs of granite were each to him real life, and each has a personality worthy of his wonderful mind's attention; and he talked and wrote of them as he did of the ouzel or the Douglas squirrel- made real persons of them, and they talked and lived with him and were a part of his life as is our own flesh and blood. One cannot describe Mount Rainier, one cannot describe the Grand Canyon, one cannot describe his beloved Yosemite; humanity is silent in their presence. So it was with John Muir to all who knew him; so has his influence affected mankind, and so will his life and work impress generations to come. This most wonderful of men, lifted above death and time by his human sympathy no less than by his genius, will forever influence the world, and it will be the better for his example and his inspiration.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- John Muir was powerful because he treated simple natural items with deep respect and attention.
- In plain terms
- He was powerful because he respected small things in nature.
- What can you take from it?
- Respect for small things creates true influence.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What small thing deserves your attention?
- How do you respect nature?
Another view
Simplicity does not guarantee power in all contexts.
More from John Muir
Never have I met another man of such singleness of mind in his devotion to nature as Muir. He lived and moved and had his being as a devotee. Of himself he too…
Permalink to quote #86 To few men was it given to realize so completely the elements of eternity- of time-effacing enjoyment in work- as it was to John Muir. The secret of it all was…
Permalink to quote #88 The impression of his personality was so strong on those who knew him that all words seem cheap beside it. Those who never knew him can never, through any word…
Permalink to quote #85
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