---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Annie Dillard was a pioneer in her…"
description: "\"“Annie Dillard was a pioneer in her Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1974. Among other notable examples are David M. Carroll’s Fo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/edward-o-wilson-12084_natural-history_annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgr_361714.jpg"
---

#  Annie Dillard was a pioneer in her Pilgrim at Tinker…

![“Annie Dillard was a pioneer in her Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1974. Among other notable examples are David M. Carroll’s Following the Water: A Hydromancer’s Notebook (2009); David George Haskell’s The Forest Unseen (2012); and Dave Goulson’s A Buzz in the Meadow: The…” quote by Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/edward-o-wilson-12084_natural-history_annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgr_361714.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/edward-o-wilson-12084_natural-history_annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgr_361714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/edward-o-wilson-12084_natural-history_annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgr_361714.jpg)

> ““Annie Dillard was a pioneer in her Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1974. Among other notable examples are David M. Carroll’s Following the Water: A Hydromancer’s Notebook (2009); David George Haskell’s The Forest Unseen (2012); and Dave Goulson’s A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm (2015).””

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage highlights pioneering nature writers whose works blend scientific observation with literary art, earning high honors.

**In simple terms:** Nature writers blend science and literature, earning acclaim.

Key Takeaway

Explore nature writing for inspiration.

Themes

nature science literature award pioneering

Mood

thoughtful inspired

Type

informative celebratory

When to use this quote

- education
- reading clubs
- environmental advocacy
- academic curricula

Key Concepts

environmentalism creative nonfiction

Questions to Reflect On

- Which nature writer has most inspired you?
- How does literary style affect scientific communication?

A Different Perspective

The list may overlook other influential voices in the genre.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Natural history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-history/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [I was with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq, really in the middle of nowhere, about 80 miles south of Baghdad. And it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-atkinson/i-was-with-the-101st-airborne-division-in-iraq-really-in-the-middle/)

[Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/)

> [“The resulting article—an almost hour-by-hour reconstruction of the massacre—was published across four full pages of The New York Times on September 26, 1982; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/the-resulting-article-an-almost-hour-by-hour-reconstruction-of-the/)

[Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/)

> [I just wrote the book and was amazed and astounded that it became a bestseller and won the Pulitzer Prize. It still hasn't sunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-just-wrote-the-book-and-was-amazed-and-astounded-that-it-became-a/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [When 'Next to Normal' won the Pulitzer, that was the moment I felt the show was being defined. There's a certain confidence that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/when-next-to-normal-won-the-pulitzer-that-was-the-moment-i-felt-the/)

[Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/)

> [When Larry Wright won the Pulitzer for The Looming Tower we all strutted around for weeks, until some sourpuss among us noted that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-crook/when-larry-wright-won-the-pulitzer-for-the-looming-tower-we-all/)

[Elizabeth Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-crook/)

> [After I won the Pulitzer, there was this sense of, 'OK, that's enough for you. Now go away.' What I wanted was to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-norman/after-i-won-the-pulitzer-there-was-this-sense-of-ok-that-s-enough-for/)

[Marsha Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-norman/)

> [My eyes widened at the ball of orange fluff squeezing out from under the counter, blinking and stretching. I looked again, not believing. “It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/my-eyes-widened-at-the-ball-of-orange-fluff-squeezing-out-from-under/)

[Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/)

> [I think that the Pulitzer Prize is definitely a blessing, but it's also a curse. Because I think that it is a blessing because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nilo-cruz/i-think-that-the-pulitzer-prize-is-definitely-a-blessing-but-it-s/)

[Nilo Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nilo-cruz/)

> [Every compulsion is put upon writers to become safe, polite, obedient, and sterile. In protest, I declined election to the National Institute of Arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/every-compulsion-is-put-upon-writers-to-become-safe-polite-obedient/)

[Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/)

> [One thing about winning a Pulitzer, it means you know what the first three words of your obituary will be: Pulitzer Prize-winner. After winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-page/one-thing-about-winning-a-pulitzer-it-means-you-know-what-the-first/)

[Clarence Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-page/)

> [If I were a writer, the Pulitzer Prize would be important to me. This is my profession, so an Oscar is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/if-i-were-a-writer-the-pulitzer-prize-would-be-important-to-me-this/)

[Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/)

> [The paper nominated me 12 or 13 times for the Pulitzer Prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/the-paper-nominated-me-12-or-13-times-for-the-pulitzer-prize/)

[Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/)

> [When I look at Perfidia, I think, "That's a Pulitzer Prize winner. That's a National Book Award winner." It's not going to get it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/when-i-look-at-perfidia-i-think-that-s-a-pulitzer-prize-winner-that-s/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [The Pulitzer Prize is an idea; it's a vote of confidence. Like literature, it exists purely in the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/the-pulitzer-prize-is-an-idea-it-s-a-vote-of-confidence-like/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [The Pulitzer Prize was established when Joseph Pulitzer died in 1911, leaving a bequest to create the eponymous award. An immigrant from Hungary, Pulitzer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/the-pulitzer-prize-was-established-when-joseph-pulitzer-died-in-1911/)

[Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/)

## More by Edward O. Wilson

> [“Nature is the birthright of everyone on Earth. The millions of species we have allowed to survive are our phylogenetic kin. Their long-term history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/nature-is-the-birthright-of-everyone-on-earth-the-millions-of-species/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Traditional religious beliefs have been eroded, not so much by humiliating disproofs of their mythologies as by the growing awareness that beliefs are really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/traditional-religious-beliefs-have-been-eroded-not-so-much-by/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [ “\[E\]very major religion today is a winner in the Darwinian struggle waged among cultures, and none ever flourished by tolerating its rivals.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/e-very-major-religion-today-is-a-winner-in-the-darwinian-struggle/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Overall, it seems now possible to draw a reasonably good explanation of why the human condition is a singularity, why the likes of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/overall-it-seems-now-possible-to-draw-a-reasonably-good-explanation/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“let’s also promote the humanities, that which makes us human, and not use science to mess around with the wellspring of this, the absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/let-s-also-promote-the-humanities-that-which-makes-us-human-and-not/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Moreover, we look in vain to philosophy for the answer to the great riddle. Despite its noble purpose and history, pure philosophy long ago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/moreover-we-look-in-vain-to-philosophy-for-the-answer-to-the-great/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“The creation myth is a Darwinian device for survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/the-creation-myth-is-a-darwinian-device-for-survival/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Human beings and their social orders are intrinsically imperfectible and fortunately so. In a constantly changing world, we need the flexibility that only imperfection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/human-beings-and-their-social-orders-are-intrinsically-imperfectible/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Another principle that I believe can be justified by scientific evidence so far is that nobody is going to emigrate from this planet not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/another-principle-that-i-believe-can-be-justified-by-scientific/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“To explore and affiliate with life is a deep and complicated process in mental development. To an extent still undervalued in philosophy and religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/to-explore-and-affiliate-with-life-is-a-deep-and-complicated-process/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Social intelligence was therefore always at a high premium. A sharp sense of empathy can make a huge difference, and with it in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/social-intelligence-was-therefore-always-at-a-high-premium-a-sharp/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Somewhere close I knew spear-nosed bats flew through the tree crowns in search of fruit, palm vipers coiled in ambush in the roots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/somewhere-close-i-knew-spear-nosed-bats-flew-through-the-tree-crowns/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Meat yields higher energy per gram eaten than does vegetation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/meat-yields-higher-energy-per-gram-eaten-than-does-vegetation/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“Dawkins is an eloquent science journalist. What else is he? I mean journalism is a high and influential profession. But he’s not a scientist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/dawkins-is-an-eloquent-science-journalist-what-else-is-he-i-mean/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“HISTORY IS A bath of blood,” wrote William James,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/history-is-a-bath-of-blood-wrote-william-james/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

[Explore all 56 Edward O. Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

## More Natural history quotes

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [The perfect woman is a higher type of humanity than the perfect man, and also something much rarer. The natural history of animals furnishes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-perfect-woman-is-a-higher-type-of-humanity-than-the-perfect-man/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“What the Boy chiefly dabbled in was natural history and fairy tales, and he just took them as they came, in a sandwichy sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/what-the-boy-chiefly-dabbled-in-was-natural-history-and-fairy-tales/)

[Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/)

> [The use of natural history is to give us aid in supernatural history: the use of the outer creation, to give us language for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-use-of-natural-history-is-to-give-us-aid-in-supernatural-history/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“Every new discovery about the genome is consistent with evolution having happened. Whether we find it appealing or not is another question, but personally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/every-new-discovery-about-the-genome-is-consistent-with-evolution/)

[Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/)

> [“Birds were what became of dinosaurs. Those mountains of flesh whose petrified bones were on display at the Museum of Natural History had done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/birds-were-what-became-of-dinosaurs-those-mountains-of-flesh-whose/)

[Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/)

> [“The BBC's flagship natural history programme, was first shown in 1977, with The Bird That Beat The US Navy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-huw-davies/the-bbc-s-flagship-natural-history-programme-was-first-shown-in-1977/)

[Gareth Huw Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-huw-davies/)

> [The philosophy that I have worked under most of my life is that the serious study of natural history is an activity which has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-tory-peterson/the-philosophy-that-i-have-worked-under-most-of-my-life-is-that-the/)

[Roger Tory Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-tory-peterson/)

> [“I feel the need to fall in love with the world, to forge that relationship ever more strongly. But maybe I don’t have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharman-apt-russell/i-feel-the-need-to-fall-in-love-with-the-world-to-forge-that/)

[Sharman Apt Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharman-apt-russell/)

> [ \[In the Field Museum of Natural History\] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/in-the-field-museum-of-natural-history-we-could-see-very-simple/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [Yes, Isaac Taylor, who has just published 'The World of Mind,' is the Isaac Taylor, author of the 'Natural History of Enthusiasm.' I dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/yes-isaac-taylor-who-has-just-published-the-world-of-mind-is-the/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“The ridge of the Lammer-muir hills... consists of primary micaceous schistus, and extends from St Abb's head westward... The sea-coast affords a transverse section…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-playfair/the-ridge-of-the-lammer-muir-hills-consists-of-primary-micaceous/)

[John Playfair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-playfair/)

> [Chicago is a wonderful area because it's blessed with a tremendous number of museums of various sorts, not only the Art Institute of Chicago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/chicago-is-a-wonderful-area-because-it-s-blessed-with-a-tremendous/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [In a sense, Open City is a kind of Wunderkammer, one of those little rooms assembled with bric-a-brac by Renaissance scholars. I don't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/in-a-sense-open-city-is-a-kind-of-wunderkammer-one-of-those-little/)

[Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/)

> [“I think he’s into the nerdy schoolgirl thing. He talks about you like you’re something he found in a natural history museum.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-think-he-s-into-the-nerdy-schoolgirl-thing-he-talks-about-you-like/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

[Browse all 198 Natural history quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-history/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Annie Dillard was a pioneer in her Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1974. Among other notable examples are David M. Carroll’s Following the Water: A Hydromancer’s Notebook (2009); David George Haskell’s The Forest Unseen (2012); and Dave Goulson’s A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm (2015).”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward O. Wilson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek-which-won/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Natural history"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek-which-won/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/edward-o-wilson-12084_natural-history_annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgr_361714.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/edward-o-wilson-12084_natural-history_annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgr_361714.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab7/edward-o-wilson-12084_natural-history_annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgr_361714.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Annie Dillard was a pioneer in her Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1974. Among other…” — Edward O. Wilson",
                "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": "Edward O. Wilson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Annie Dillard was a pioneer in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek-which-won/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/annie-dillard-was-a-pioneer-in-her-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek-which-won/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
