Quotes & anectdotes from the wise, the foolish, the courageous & the drunk

John Burroughs Writer

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Apr 3, 1837
  • Died: Mar 29, 1921

John Burroughs was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the U.S. conservation movement. The first of his essay collections was Wake-Robin in 1871.

In the words of his biographer Edward Renehan, Burroughs' special identity was less that of a scientific naturalist than that of "a literary naturalist with a duty to record his own unique perceptions of the natural world." The result was a body of work whose resonance with the tone of its cultural moment explains both its popularity at that time, and its relative obscurity since.

Leap, and the net will appear. motivation

If you think you can do it, you can. motivation

Science has done more for the development of western civilization in one hundred years than Christianity did in eighteen hundred years. science

If we take science as our sole guide, if we accept and hold fast that alone which is verifiable, the old theology must go. being alone & science

A man can get discouraged many times but he is not a failure until he begins to blame somebody else and stops trying. failure

To me - old age is always ten years older than I am. aging & birthday

Joy in the universe, and keen curiosity about it all - that has been my religion. religion

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. nature

The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. greatness

The secret of happiness is something to do. happiness

Travel and society polish one, but a rolling stone gathers no moss, and a little moss is a good thing on a man. society & travel

I seldom go into a natural history museum without feeling as if I were attending a funeral. history

Nature teaches more than she preaches. There are no sermons in stones. It is easier to get a spark out of a stone than a moral. nature

The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention. wisdom

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else. failure

To treat your facts with imagination is one thing, to imagine your facts is another. imagination

The Kingdom of Heaven is not a place, but a state of mind. religion

St. Patrick's Day March 17, 2025

There is no language like the Irish for soothing and quieting. 3 wisdom & wit from John Millington Synge

3 wisdom & wit from John Millington Synge

Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy. 28 thoughts from William Butler Yeats

28 thoughts from William Butler Yeats

Geographically, Ireland is a medium-sized rural island that is slowly but steadily being consumed by sheep. 27 quotes from Dave Barry

27 quotes from Dave Barry

We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English. 74 quotes from Winston Churchill

74 quotes from Winston Churchill