--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Old woods and deep. At one time in the…" description: "\"“Old woods and deep. At one time in the world there were woods that no one owned and these were like them.”\" — Cormac McCarthy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/cormac-mccarthy-181_old-wood_old-woods-and-deep-at-one-time-in-the-wo_3224167.jpg" --- # Old woods and deep. At one time in the world there were… ![“Old woods and deep. At one time in the world there were woods that no one owned and these were like them.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/cormac-mccarthy-181_old-wood_old-woods-and-deep-at-one-time-in-the-wo_3224167.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/cormac-mccarthy-181_old-wood_old-woods-and-deep-at-one-time-in-the-wo_3224167.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/cormac-mccarthy-181_old-wood_old-woods-and-deep-at-one-time-in-the-wo_3224167.jpg) > ““Old woods and deep. At one time in the world there were woods that no one owned and these were like them.”” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on a time when nature was untouched and unclaimed, suggesting a loss of wilderness. **In simple terms:** Nature once was free and unowned. Key Takeaway Cherish and protect remaining wild places. Themes environment nature ownership loss conservation Mood reflective somber Type philosophical environmental When to use this quote - hiking - environmental activism - land management - education - policy making Key Concepts Ecology philosophy nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance progress with preserving wild spaces? - What does “ownership” of nature mean to you? A Different Perspective Modern development often limits true wilderness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [At one time in the world there were woods that no one owned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/at-one-time-in-the-world-there-were-woods-that-no-one-owned/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“So you see, the real question isn't how I left this world to go to the woods. It's how I made myself come back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/so-you-see-the-real-question-isn-t-how-i-left-this-world-to-go-to-the/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [When a fellow's got what he set out for in this world, he should go off into the woods for a few weeks now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/when-a-fellow-s-got-what-he-set-out-for-in-this-world-he-should-go/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) > [Very old are the woods; And the buds that break Out of the brier's boughs, When March winds wake, So old with their beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/very-old-are-the-woods-and-the-buds-that-break-out-of-the-brier-s/) [Walter de La Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [I am for the woods against the world, But are the woods for me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-blunden/i-am-for-the-woods-against-the-world-but-are-the-woods-for-me/) [Edmund Blunden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-blunden/) > [The whole world is, to me, very much "alive" - all the little growing things, even the rocks. I can't look at a swell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-whole-world-is-to-me-very-much-alive-all-the-little-growing/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [There are three things that grow more precious with age; old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/there-are-three-things-that-grow-more-precious-with-age-old-wood-to/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [He lay listening to the water drip in the woods. Bedrock, this. The cold and the silence. The ashes of the late world carried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lay-listening-to-the-water-drip-in-the-woods-bedrock-this-the-cold/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“SHE LET US INTO THE house, which had the subtle smell of old wood and old wool—as I used to imagine Victorian homes smelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/she-let-us-into-the-house-which-had-the-subtle-smell-of-old-wood-and/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“In any age, there is no shortage of people willing to embark on a hazardous adventure. Columbus and Magellan filled eight ships between them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-nichols/in-any-age-there-is-no-shortage-of-people-willing-to-embark-on-a/) Peter Nichols > [In the middle of nowhere, an old wooden bridge is a golden bridge!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-the-middle-of-nowhere-an-old-wooden-bridge-is-a-golden-bridge/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I stood there for a second, savouring the smell of stale sweat and cheap beer. My feet stuck to the floor as I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-jolly/i-stood-there-for-a-second-savouring-the-smell-of-stale-sweat-and/) Grant Jolly > [It's so much fun to dream in your driveway. I had an old wooden backboard in my driveway. That's where my friends and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/it-s-so-much-fun-to-dream-in-your-driveway-i-had-an-old-wooden/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [Well, I could be wrong, but I believe diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/well-i-could-be-wrong-but-i-believe-diversity-is-an-old-old-wooden/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [“I looked from the gadget-readied spear and body armor to my slender staff of plain old wood and leather duster. "My dick is better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-looked-from-the-gadget-readied-spear-and-body-armor-to-my-slender/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Old wood quotes > [“I looked from the gadget-readied spear and body armor to my slender staff of plain old wood and leather duster. "My dick is better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-looked-from-the-gadget-readied-spear-and-body-armor-to-my-slender/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Well, I could be wrong, but I believe diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/well-i-could-be-wrong-but-i-believe-diversity-is-an-old-old-wooden/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [It's so much fun to dream in your driveway. I had an old wooden backboard in my driveway. That's where my friends and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stevens/it-s-so-much-fun-to-dream-in-your-driveway-i-had-an-old-wooden/) [Brad Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stevens/) > [“I stood there for a second, savouring the smell of stale sweat and cheap beer. My feet stuck to the floor as I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-jolly/i-stood-there-for-a-second-savouring-the-smell-of-stale-sweat-and/) Grant Jolly > [In the middle of nowhere, an old wooden bridge is a golden bridge!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-the-middle-of-nowhere-an-old-wooden-bridge-is-a-golden-bridge/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“In any age, there is no shortage of people willing to embark on a hazardous adventure. Columbus and Magellan filled eight ships between them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-nichols/in-any-age-there-is-no-shortage-of-people-willing-to-embark-on-a/) Peter Nichols > [“SHE LET US INTO THE house, which had the subtle smell of old wood and old wool—as I used to imagine Victorian homes smelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/she-let-us-into-the-house-which-had-the-subtle-smell-of-old-wood-and/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“and uncle had a pair of Retrievers that came along to cool off from the heat, and the two dogs ran and jumped in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-k-smith/and-uncle-had-a-pair-of-retrievers-that-came-along-to-cool-off-from/) Steven K. Smith > [There are three things that grow more precious with age; old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/there-are-three-things-that-grow-more-precious-with-age-old-wood-to/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > ['Established' is a good word, much used in garden books, 'the plant, when established' ... Oh, become established quickly, quickly, garden! For I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-bethell/established-is-a-good-word-much-used-in-garden-books-the-plant-when/) Ursula Bethell > [“build a new ship out of old wood or you're destined to sink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-smith/build-a-new-ship-out-of-old-wood-or-you-re-destined-to-sink/) [Andrea Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-smith/) > [The whole world is, to me, very much "alive" - all the little growing things, even the rocks. I can't look at a swell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-whole-world-is-to-me-very-much-alive-all-the-little-growing/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [If there is anything in life in which I take a pardonable pride, it is my friendship for certain old woodsmen and hunters; obscure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-rutledge/if-there-is-anything-in-life-in-which-i-take-a-pardonable-pride-it-is/) [Archibald Rutledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-rutledge/) > [“One evening, after a particularly terrible row, the prince smashed his princess over the head with an old wooden clock and she tumbled to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-warra/one-evening-after-a-particularly-terrible-row-the-prince-smashed-his/) Brooke Warra > [“He agreed with Francis Bacon: Old friends to trust, old wood to burn, old authors to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-jackson-braun/he-agreed-with-francis-bacon-old-friends-to-trust-old-wood-to-burn/) [Lilian Jackson Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-jackson-braun/) Browse all 71 Old wood quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Old woods and deep. 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