Quotes are a great way to get excited about the great outdoors when you’re not actually out adventuring in the mountains. Whether you’re looking for a new quote for your latest Instagram post or you’re in need of a bit of inspiration, here are some of our favorite outdoor-themed words of wisdom to check out:
Inspirational Outdoor Quotes
Looking for a little dose of inspiration or motivation in your day? There’s nothing better than a good quote to give you the spark of creativity you need to plan your next outdoor adventure.
Here are some of the best heartwarming and uplifting outdoor quotes around:
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” - Albert Einstein
“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” - Henry David Thoreau
“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” - Jack Kerouac
“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” - Barry Findlay
“You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” - Andre Gide
“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
“To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.” - Terry Tempest Williams
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” - Edward Abbey
“Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way!” - Dr. Seuss
“The wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask.” - Nancy Wynne Newhall
Outdoor Adventure Quotes
Adventure can be fun and exciting, as well as a fantastic learning experience. Here are some great nuggets of wisdom to get you motivated to go out and explore:
“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” - Henry David Thoreau
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius
“A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step.” - Lao Tzu
“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J.R.R. Tolkein
“After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.” - G.M. Trevelyan
“On every mountain, there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley.” - Theodore Roethke
“Adventure isn’t all about rowing oceans or climbing mountains. Adventure in its purest form is simply a way of thinking. Live by that philosophy and you’ll make more of the short time we’ve been given on this rock.” - Sean Conway
“I really believe that, as human beings, we have an innate need to explore, to see what’s around the corner.” - Jimmy Chin
“The word adventure has gotten overused. For me, when everything goes wrong - that’s when adventure starts.” - Yvon Chouinard
“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” - Greg Child
“Hiking is not escapism; it’s realism. The people who choose to spend time outdoors are not running away from anything; we are returning to where we belong.” - Jennifer Pharr Davis
“It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.” - Robert W. Service
“You never conquer a mountain. You stand on the summit a few brief moments and then the wind blows away your footprints.” - Arlene Blum
“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” - Ed Viesturs
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” - Sir Edmund Hillary
“Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” - Hermann Buhl
“Never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost, and you see a path. By all means, you should follow that.” - Ellen Degeneres
“I like being near the top of a mountain. One can’t get lost here.” - Wisława Szymborska
Outdoor Quotes About Life
The great outdoors is a fantastic metaphor for life itself. These wise words help remind us of what matters most:
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery - air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.'” - Sylvia Plath
“My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.” - Claude Monet
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” - Rachel Carson
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the Earth.” - Henry David Thoreau
“Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself.” - L. Wolfe Gilbert
“I didn’t go up there to die. I went up there to live.” - Reinhold Messner, on climbing Mount. Everest
“If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than aeroplanes. In wilderness, I sense the miracle of life, and behind it, our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia. Real freedom lies in wilderness, not civilization.” - Charles Lindbergh
“If happiness is the goal - and it should be, then adventures should be top priority.” - Richard Branson
“The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what really matters.” - Conrad Anker
“A man does not climb a mountain without bringing some of it away with him and leaving something of himself upon it.” - Martin Conway
“The best climber in the world is the one who’s having the most fun.” - Alex Lowe
“The smaller we come to feel ourselves compared to the mountain, the nearer we come to participating in its greatness. I do not know why this is so.” - Arne Naess
“Life is complex. Each one of us must make his own path. The right road for one is the wrong road for another. It is not paved in blacktop; it is not brightly lit, and it has no road signs. It is a rocky path through the wilderness.” - M. Scott Peck
Outdoor Nature Quotes
Many of us head outside to get back to nature. Here are some great quotes about how nature inspires and moves us to do great things:
“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach of us more than we can ever learn from books.” - John Lubbock
“The Earth has music for those who listen.” - William Shakespeare
“The antidote to exhaustion isn’t rest. It’s nature.” - Shikoba
“Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms, you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.” - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” - Alice Walker
“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.” - Aristotle
“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” - Laura Ingalls Wilder
“If you can’t be in awe of mother nature, there’s something wrong with you.” - Alex Trebek
“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!.’” - Robin Williams
“Fishing is a quest for knowledge and wonder as much as a pursuit of fish; it is as much an acquaintance with beavers, dippers, and other fishermen as it is the challenge of catching trout.” - Paul Schullery
“To stick your hands into the river is to feel the cords that bind the earth together in one piece.” - Barry Lopez
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” - Gary Snyder
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” - Edward Abbey
Get Out and Explore!
We hope you enjoyed our list of outdoor quotes as much as we do. If you found your next motto or favorite saying in our list, let us know below! Also, feel free to share this article with your friends to spread the outdoor inspiration far and wide.
