--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My passion for gardening may strike some…" description: "\"My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of overwhelming problems that beset the world. It is n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/andrew-weil-3294_beautiful_my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some_1902140.jpg" --- # My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or… ![“My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of overwhelming problems that beset the world. It is neither. I have found that each garden is just what Voltaire proposed in Candide: a microcosm of a just and beautiful society.” quote by Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/andrew-weil-3294_beautiful_my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some_1902140.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/andrew-weil-3294_beautiful_my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some_1902140.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/andrew-weil-3294_beautiful_my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some_1902140.jpg) > “My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of overwhelming problems that beset the world. It is neither. I have found that each garden is just what Voltaire proposed in Candide: a microcosm of a just and beautiful society.” [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gardening is presented as a personal, constructive response to global issues, not selfishness or resignation. **In simple terms:** Gardening is a hopeful, active choice. Key Takeaway Cultivate your garden as a model of justice and beauty. Themes environment personal responsibility hope community sustainability Mood reflective optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - urban gardening - community projects - personal stress relief - educational programs Key Concepts microcosm voluntary action ethical living Questions to Reflect On - How can your garden inspire broader social change? - What responsibilities come with creating a just microcosm? A Different Perspective May overlook larger systemic problems that require collective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Candide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candide/) [Candide Microcosm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candide-microcosm-2813372/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Just Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-voltaire-1349360/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Microcosm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/microcosm/) [My passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-passion/) [Overwhelming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overwhelming/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passion Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion-gardening-2813373/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Resignation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resignation/) [Selfish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfish/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voltaire/) [Voltaire Proposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voltaire-proposed-2813371/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The time has come for writers, especially those who are artists, to admit that in this world one cannot make anything out, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/the-time-has-come-for-writers-especially-those-who-are-artists-to/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [I tend to look at the world more from Voltaire's perspective. Incidentally, if you haven't read Candide lately, it's a fabulous book. It's riotously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meyer/i-tend-to-look-at-the-world-more-from-voltaire-s-perspective/) [George Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meyer/) > [Optimism and happiness are not the same thing, but they are becoming interchangeable, and it seemed to me that Voltaire's Candide gave me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ravenhill/optimism-and-happiness-are-not-the-same-thing-but-they-are-becoming/) [Mark Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ravenhill/) > [“My dear young lady, when you are in love, and jealous, and have been flogged by the Inquisition, there's no knowing what you may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/my-dear-young-lady-when-you-are-in-love-and-jealous-and-have-been/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Translating Candide into tweets has really deepened my appreciation of his writing - it wouldn't work so well with nineteenth-century authors. Every single sentence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ravenhill/translating-candide-into-tweets-has-really-deepened-my-appreciation/) [Mark Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ravenhill/) > [“It is man´s faith to live either on agonies of fear and turmoil or in the prostration of boredom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-man-s-faith-to-live-either-on-agonies-of-fear-and-turmoil-or-in/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I should like to know which is worse: to be ravished a hundred times by pirates, and have a buttock cut off, and run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/i-should-like-to-know-which-is-worse-to-be-ravished-a-hundred-times/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Hyper-selectionism has been with us for a long time in various guises; for it represents the late nineteenth century's scientific version of the myth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/hyper-selectionism-has-been-with-us-for-a-long-time-in-various-guises/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [You're a bitter man," said Candide. That's because I've lived," said Martin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/you-re-a-bitter-man-said-candide-that-s-because-i-ve-lived-said-martin/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Dogs, monkeys, and parrots are a thousand times less miserable than we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/dogs-monkeys-and-parrots-are-a-thousand-times-less-miserable-than-we/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Optimism," said Cacambo, "What is that?" "Alas!" replied Candide, "It is the obstinacy of maintaining that everything is best when it is worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/optimism-said-cacambo-what-is-that-alas-replied-candide-it-is-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Everything is not as good as in El-Dorado; but everything is not so bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/everything-is-not-as-good-as-in-el-dorado-but-everything-is-not-so-bad/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [All men are by nature free; you have therefore an undoubted liberty to depart whenever you please, but will have many and great difficulties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/all-men-are-by-nature-free-you-have-therefore-an-undoubted-liberty-to/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [ “The shrieks were coming from two quite naked girls, who were pursued by a pair of apes snapping at their bottoms. \[...\] So he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-shrieks-were-coming-from-two-quite-naked-girls-who-were-pursued/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Rereading Candide, I was struck by the link between optimism and the optimal, the idea that we have been placed in this optimal world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ravenhill/rereading-candide-i-was-struck-by-the-link-between-optimism-and-the/) [Mark Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ravenhill/) ## More by Andrew Weil > [Low levels of vitamin D in the population as a whole suggest that most people need to take a vitamin D supplement. This may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/low-levels-of-vitamin-d-in-the-population-as-a-whole-suggest-that/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [While sleep is clearly vital to emotional well-being, what is it, exactly, about sleep that is so necessary? As it turns out, mood disorders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/while-sleep-is-clearly-vital-to-emotional-well-being-what-is-it/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [I believe that it may be normal, healthy, and even productive to experience mild to moderate depression from time to time as part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/i-believe-that-it-may-be-normal-healthy-and-even-productive-to/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [Insurance companies, whether private or government owned, must be compelled to pay for health-promoting measures. In turn, this will encourage physicians to offer such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/insurance-companies-whether-private-or-government-owned-must-be/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [Studies have shown that people who are physically active sleep better than those who are sedentary. The more energy you expend during the day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/studies-have-shown-that-people-who-are-physically-active-sleep-better/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [The most common objection that I hear to walking as exercise is that it's too easy, that only sweaty, strenuous activity offers real benefits.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/the-most-common-objection-that-i-hear-to-walking-as-exercise-is-that/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [In Europe, when tobacco was first introduced, it was immediately banned. In Turkey, if you got caught with tobacco, you had your nose slit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/in-europe-when-tobacco-was-first-introduced-it-was-immediately-banned/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [My personal opinion is that the neutral position on the mood spectrum—what I called emotional sea level—is not happiness but rather contentment and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/my-personal-opinion-is-that-the-neutral-position-on-the-mood-spectrum/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [Technology has a shadow side. It accounts for real progress in medicine, but has also hurt it in many ways, making it more impersonal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/technology-has-a-shadow-side-it-accounts-for-real-progress-in/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [The notion that a human being should be constantly happy is a uniquely modern, uniquely American, uniquely destructive idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/the-notion-that-a-human-being-should-be-constantly-happy-is-a/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/if-i-had-to-limit-my-advice-on-healthier-living-to-just-one-tip-it/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [The essence of health is inner balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/the-essence-of-health-is-inner-balance/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [Even low-calorie diets and vigorous exercise fail to work in the long term for at least some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/even-low-calorie-diets-and-vigorous-exercise-fail-to-work-in-the-long/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [American businesses are struggling to pay outrageous, exploitive insurance bills for their employees, hampering our ability to compete globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/american-businesses-are-struggling-to-pay-outrageous-exploitive/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [Routines may include taking a warm bath or a relaxing walk in the evening, or practicing meditation/relaxation exercises. Psychologically, the completion of such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/routines-may-include-taking-a-warm-bath-or-a-relaxing-walk-in-the/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) [Explore all 134 Andrew Weil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) ## More Beautiful quotes > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) [Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of overwhelming problems that beset the world. It is neither. I have found that each garden is just what Voltaire proposed in Candide: a microcosm of a just and beautiful society.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Weil" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some-as-selfish-or-merely-an-act/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beautiful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some-as-selfish-or-merely-an-act/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/andrew-weil-3294_beautiful_my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some_1902140.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/andrew-weil-3294_beautiful_my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some_1902140.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/andrew-weil-3294_beautiful_my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some_1902140.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of…” — Andrew Weil", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Andrew Weil", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My passion for gardening may strike...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some-as-selfish-or-merely-an-act/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/my-passion-for-gardening-may-strike-some-as-selfish-or-merely-an-act/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```