Hegel Quote by Allegra Goodman
““The woods are lovely, dark, and deep," Jess intoned as they took the path down from the parking lot. She had imagined finding a spot to read and meditate, leaving Emily to walk alone for half an hour, but the trees were so tall, and the light filtering down so green that she forgot her stratagem, and her troubles as well. The saplings here were three hundred years old, their bark still purple, their branches supple, foliage feathery in the gloaming. They rose up together with their ancestors, millennia-old redwoods outlasting storms, regenerating after lightning, sending forth new spires from blasted crowns. What did Hegel matter when it came to old-growth? Who cared about world-historical individuals? Not the salamanders or the moss. Not the redwoods, which were prehistoric. Potentially post-historic too.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Other Side of the River by Allegra Goodman, 2015
The narrator discovers that immersing in ancient, towering redwoods offers a meditative escape, questioning philosophical concerns about history and individuality in the face of timeless nature.
In simple terms: Redwoods provide peace, making philosophy seem irrelevant.
Key Takeaway
Seek nature to quiet intellectual anxieties.
Themes
nature
philosophy
meditation
history
Mood
tranquil
thoughtful
Type
reflective
inspirational
When to use this quote
- hiking
- forest retreats
- creative writing
- mindfulness practice
Key Concepts
existentialism
environmental awe
Questions to Reflect On
- How does nature affect your thinking?
- What philosophical ideas fade in natural settings?
A Different Perspective
Nature cannot solve all existential questions.
![“Yet mere membership as a matter of duty is not enough for Hegel, given the grandeur of the state’s divine historical purpose: “One must worship the state as a terrestrial divinity.”[211]” quote by Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/371/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_quote_yet-mere-membership-as-a-matter-of-duty_229759.jpg)
