--- title: "8 Nature of Beauty Quotes By Annie Dillard" description: "8 Nature of Beauty quotes by Annie Dillard. Plus more from Annie Dillard and more Nature of Beauty sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/annie-dillard-509_bird_the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into_25101.jpg" --- > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/annie-dillard-509_bird_the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into_25101.jpg) > [At its best, the sensation of writing is that of any unmerited grace. It is handed to you, but only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/at-its-best-the-sensation-of-writing-is-that-of-any-unmerited-grace/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/annie-dillard-509_best_at-its-best-the-sensation-of-writing-is_124191.jpg) > [Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we sense them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-or-not-we-sense-them/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-o_341161.jpg) > [The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-answer-must-be-i-think-that-beauty-and-grace-are-performed/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/annie-dillard-509_answers_the-answer-must-be-i-think-that-beauty-a_496481.jpg) > [ “...beauty and grace \[in nature\] are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/beauty-and-grace-in-nature-are-performed-whether-or-not-we-will-or/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/292/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-in-nature-are-performed_1004589.jpg) > [Experiencing the present purely is being empty and hollow; you catch grace as a man fills his cup under a waterfall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/experiencing-the-present-purely-is-being-empty-and-hollow-you-catch/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/annie-dillard-509_all-time_experiencing-the-present-purely-is-being_1131896.jpg) > [“Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-or-not-we-will-or-sense-them/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-o_1777556.jpg) > [As a thinker I keep discovering that beauty itself is as much a fact, and a mystery...I consider nature's facts -- its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/as-a-thinker-i-keep-discovering-that-beauty-itself-is-as-much-a-fact/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/annie-dillard-509_beautiful_as-a-thinker-i-keep-discovering-that-bea_2294901.jpg) ## Other authors on Nature of Beauty - [Lailah Gifty Akita 97 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/lailah-gifty-akita/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-william-shakespeare-95899.jpg) William Shakespeare 16 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/william-shakespeare/) - [Ralph Waldo Emerson 12 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/ralph-waldo-emerson/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-victor-hugo-93504.jpg) Victor Hugo 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/victor-hugo/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-tullian-tchividjian-92416.jpg) Tullian Tchividjian 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/tullian-tchividjian/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-dietrich-bonhoeffer-29418.jpg) Dietrich Bonhoeffer 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b004/author-ann-voskamp-13597.jpg) Ann Voskamp 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/ann-voskamp/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-max-lucado-65870.jpg) Max Lucado 10 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/max-lucado/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-edmund-burke-31567.jpg) Edmund Burke 10 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/edmund-burke/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-calvin-51107.jpg) John Calvin 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/john-calvin/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b006/author-charles-spurgeon-22605.jpg) Charles Spurgeon 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/charles-spurgeon/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-dryden-51272.jpg) John Dryden 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/john-dryden/) ## More by Annie Dillard > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The creatures I seek do not want to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-creatures-i-seek-do-not-want-to-be-seen/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing moves a woman so deeply as the boyhood of the man she loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nothing-moves-a-woman-so-deeply-as-the-boyhood-of-the-man-she-loves/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It should surprise no one that the life of the writer - such as it is - is colorless to the point of sensory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-should-surprise-no-one-that-the-life-of-the-writer-such-as-it-is/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The sense impressions of one-celled animals are not edited for the brain. This is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-sense-impressions-of-one-celled-animals-are-not-edited-for-the/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“What can we make of the inexpressible joy of children? It is a kind of gratitude, I think—the gratitude of the ten-year-old who wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/what-can-we-make-of-the-inexpressible-joy-of-children-it-is-a-kind-of/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed. In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/annie-dillard/#itemlist", "name": "8 Nature of Beauty Quotes By Annie Dillard", "numberOfItems": 8, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing from a limb and not falling, accelerating thirty-two feet per second, through empty air. Just a breath before he would have been dashed to the ground, he unfurled his wings with exact, deliberate care, revealing the broad bars of white, spread his elegant white-banded tail, and so floated onto the grass. I had just rounded a corner when his insouciant step caught my eye; there was no one else in sight. The fact of his free fall was like the old philosophical conundrum about the tree that falls in the forest. The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/annie-dillard-509_bird_the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into_25101.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/annie-dillard-509_bird_the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into_25101.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/annie-dillard-509_bird_the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into_25101.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his…” — Annie Dillard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At its best, the sensation of writing is that of any unmerited grace. It is handed to you, but only if you look for it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/at-its-best-the-sensation-of-writing-is-that-of-any-unmerited-grace/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/annie-dillard-509_best_at-its-best-the-sensation-of-writing-is_124191.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/annie-dillard-509_best_at-its-best-the-sensation-of-writing-is_124191.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/annie-dillard-509_best_at-its-best-the-sensation-of-writing-is_124191.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At its best, the sensation of writing is that of any unmerited grace. It is handed to you, but only if you…” — Annie Dillard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we sense them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-or-not-we-sense-them/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-o_341161.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-o_341161.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-o_341161.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we sense them.” — Annie Dillard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-answer-must-be-i-think-that-beauty-and-grace-are-performed/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/annie-dillard-509_answers_the-answer-must-be-i-think-that-beauty-a_496481.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/annie-dillard-509_answers_the-answer-must-be-i-think-that-beauty-a_496481.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/annie-dillard-509_answers_the-answer-must-be-i-think-that-beauty-a_496481.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The…” — Annie Dillard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...beauty and grace [in nature] are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/beauty-and-grace-in-nature-are-performed-whether-or-not-we-will-or/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/292/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-in-nature-are-performed_1004589.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/292/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-in-nature-are-performed_1004589.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/292/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-in-nature-are-performed_1004589.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...beauty and grace [in nature] are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is…” — Annie Dillard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Experiencing the present purely is being empty and hollow; you catch grace as a man fills his cup under a waterfall.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/experiencing-the-present-purely-is-being-empty-and-hollow-you-catch/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/annie-dillard-509_all-time_experiencing-the-present-purely-is-being_1131896.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/annie-dillard-509_all-time_experiencing-the-present-purely-is-being_1131896.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/annie-dillard-509_all-time_experiencing-the-present-purely-is-being_1131896.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Experiencing the present purely is being empty and hollow; you catch grace as a man fills his cup under a…” — Annie Dillard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-or-not-we-will-or-sense-them/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-o_1777556.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-o_1777556.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/annie-dillard-509_beauty_beauty-and-grace-are-performed-whether-o_1777556.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.” — Annie Dillard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a thinker I keep discovering that beauty itself is as much a fact, and a mystery...I consider nature's facts -- its beautiful and grotesque forms and events -- in terms of the import to thought and their impetus to the spirit. In nature I find grace tangled in a rapture with violence; I find an intricate landscape whose forms are fringed in death; I find mystery, newness, and a kind of exuberant, spendthrift energy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/as-a-thinker-i-keep-discovering-that-beauty-itself-is-as-much-a-fact/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/annie-dillard-509_beautiful_as-a-thinker-i-keep-discovering-that-bea_2294901.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/annie-dillard-509_beautiful_as-a-thinker-i-keep-discovering-that-bea_2294901.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac1/annie-dillard-509_beautiful_as-a-thinker-i-keep-discovering-that-bea_2294901.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a thinker I keep discovering that beauty itself is as much a fact, and a mystery...I consider nature's…” — Annie Dillard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/annie-dillard/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/annie-dillard/", "name": "Nature of Beauty Quotes by Annie Dillard", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/annie-dillard/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/annie-dillard-509_bird_the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into_25101.jpg" }, "description": "8 Nature of Beauty quotes by Annie Dillard. Plus more from Annie Dillard and more Nature of Beauty sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/annie-dillard/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/annie-dillard/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nature Of Beauty", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Annie Dillard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/annie-dillard/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```