---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ultimately when I gave up the use of…"
description: "\"Ultimately when I gave up the use of motorized vehicles, I walked everywhere, from town to town, across states and two continents. When I stopped talki..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/john-francis-71852_across_ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-mot_654942.jpg"
---

#  Ultimately when I gave up the use of motorized vehicles, I…

![“Ultimately when I gave up the use of motorized vehicles, I walked everywhere, from town to town, across states and two continents. When I stopped talking, I mean literally I stopped speaking. I took a complete vow of silence.” quote by John Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/john-francis-71852_across_ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-mot_654942.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/john-francis-71852_across_ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-mot_654942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/john-francis-71852_across_ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-mot_654942.jpg)

> “Ultimately when I gave up the use of motorized vehicles, I walked everywhere, from town to town, across states and two continents. When I stopped talking, I mean literally I stopped speaking. I took a complete vow of silence.”

John Francis

## About This Quote

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

The author describes abandoning motorized transport and speech, embracing walking and silence to deepen personal awareness and connection with the world.

**In simple terms:** He chose walking and silence for deeper living.

Key Takeaway

Practice intentional simplicity.

Themes

self-discovery mindfulness environment transport silence

Mood

peaceful introspective detached

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- long-distance walking
- silent retreats
- eco‑travel
- personal detox
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

minimalism nonverbal communication pilgrimage sustainability inner peace

Questions to Reflect On

- What insights arise from walking daily?
- How does silence affect relationships?

A Different Perspective

Silence may limit social interaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Vehicles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vehicles/) [Vow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vow/) [Vow of silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vow-of-silence/)

## Related quotes

> [The vow of silence, that's the mind-blower. See, talking is what I do... i t's a real need with me, a craving, I'm like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-schneider/the-vow-of-silence-that-s-the-mind-blower-see-talking-is-what-i-do-i/)

[Andrew Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-schneider/)

> [“I did something so stupid last night that I can’t even speak about it today. I took a vow of silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-did-something-so-stupid-last-night-that-i-can-t-even-speak-about-it/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A vow of silence (maun) taken for a worldly purpose is considered non-silence (amaun). Anything that is spoken for the purpose of the Self,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/a-vow-of-silence-maun-taken-for-a-worldly-purpose-is-considered-non/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [“I re-traced your footsteps to that miserable little Tibetan monastery. It was hard to get the monks to talk, what with that vow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-flanagan/i-re-traced-your-footsteps-to-that-miserable-little-tibetan-monastery/)

Anne Flanagan

> [I hope my New Year's Resolution to only say nice things about people isn't misinterpreted as a vow of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/i-hope-my-new-year-s-resolution-to-only-say-nice-things-about-people/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [I began observing, making paintings of my surroundings, taking a vow of silence, listening, composing music, writing, and making time for formal education. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/i-began-observing-making-paintings-of-my-surroundings-taking-a-vow-of/)

John Francis

> [I'm sitting her thinking, -God, I swear I will take a vow of silence and move to a monastery and worship you for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-m-sitting-her-thinking-god-i-swear-i-will-take-a-vow-of-silence-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Everyone always asks, was he mad at you for writing the book? and I have to say, Yes, yes, he was. He still is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/everyone-always-asks-was-he-mad-at-you-for-writing-the-book-and-i/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [We might have stopped speaking but I care about you so, so much...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-might-have-stopped-speaking-but-i-care-about-you-so-so-much/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The band never actually split up - we just stopped speaking to each other and went our own separate ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/the-band-never-actually-split-up-we-just-stopped-speaking-to-each/)

[Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/)

> [When 'Fire and Fury' came out, I thought Steve Bannon would certainly never speak to me again, and the truth is, he never stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/when-fire-and-fury-came-out-i-thought-steve-bannon-would-certainly/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [When I left England and announced I was going to be an actress, the Windsors stopped speaking to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-oxenberg/when-i-left-england-and-announced-i-was-going-to-be-an-actress-the/)

[Catherine Oxenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-oxenberg/)

> [“Grandpa stopped speaking the day he killed my brother, John.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-chan/grandpa-stopped-speaking-the-day-he-killed-my-brother-john/)

[Crystal Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-chan/)

> [“It seems I’ve stopped speaking with my voice. Part of me fell asleep and just watches.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernado-pessoa/it-seems-i-ve-stopped-speaking-with-my-voice-part-of-me-fell-asleep/)

Fernado Pessoa

> [“After a few weeks, Frank did not appear to want Martha there, but she stayed. When Frank stopped speaking to her, it made no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-masters/after-a-few-weeks-frank-did-not-appear-to-want-martha-there-but-she/)

[Olga Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-masters/)

## More by John Francis

> [I began observing, making paintings of my surroundings, taking a vow of silence, listening, composing music, writing, and making time for formal education. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/i-began-observing-making-paintings-of-my-surroundings-taking-a-vow-of/)

John Francis

> [“Silence is always with us. But we do not choose silence, silence chooses us. If you are called to be silent on your journey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/silence-is-always-with-us-but-we-do-not-choose-silence-silence/)

John Francis

> [I say I am a Planetwalker. Then I have to explain that a Planetwalker is anyone who walks the planet as a lifestyle choice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/i-say-i-am-a-planetwalker-then-i-have-to-explain-that-a-planetwalker/)

John Francis

Explore all 4 John Francis quotes

## More Across quotes

> [I realized I couldn't be a journalist because I like to take a side, to have an opinion and a point a view; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-realized-i-couldn-t-be-a-journalist-because-i-like-to-take-a-side/)

[Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/)

> [Many of us believe that we need health care reform. That being said - Americans felt like they weren't being listened to. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-of-us-believe-that-we-need-health-care-reform-that-being-said/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [What happens is this sort of bleed-over from the tabloids across your movie work. You go to a movie, you only go once. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/what-happens-is-this-sort-of-bleed-over-from-the-tabloids-across-your/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [I've never been invited to do an exhibition or do a talk in England, except once, about 10 years ago. I've given talks all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wildsmith/i-ve-never-been-invited-to-do-an-exhibition-or-do-a-talk-in-england/)

[Brian Wildsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wildsmith/)

> [Realizing that they can't get their agenda across: against religious liberty, against a culture of life, they can't get those issues across through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-parsley/realizing-that-they-can-t-get-their-agenda-across-against-religious/)

[Rod Parsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-parsley/)

> [I think if you look all across the country, the so-called Blue Dogs are all gone to kennel. There are no more Blue Dogs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-if-you-look-all-across-the-country-the-so-called-blue-dogs/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I look forward to the day that a lot of the folks that you all talk about and cover on this network will begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-look-forward-to-the-day-that-a-lot-of-the-folks-that-you-all-talk/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't know how 'X Factor' works. I was only there as a guest judge for a day. But I watched 'The Voice' a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/i-don-t-know-how-x-factor-works-i-was-only-there-as-a-guest-judge-for/)

[Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/)

> [I'm liking the Bundesliga. There's a lot of top, top defenders that you come across.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reiss-nelson/i-m-liking-the-bundesliga-there-s-a-lot-of-top-top-defenders-that-you/)

[Reiss Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reiss-nelson/)

> [In my district, I have a very clear mandate to work across the aisle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-slotkin/in-my-district-i-have-a-very-clear-mandate-to-work-across-the-aisle/)

[Elissa Slotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elissa-slotkin/)

> [Mahindra's brand strategy is about niches across areas of mobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-mahindra/mahindra-s-brand-strategy-is-about-niches-across-areas-of-mobility/)

[Anand Mahindra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-mahindra/)

> [When I was in Greenough, Montana, I came across a bear cub. I was off this path, and I thought, If there's a bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-roker/when-i-was-in-greenough-montana-i-came-across-a-bear-cub-i-was-off/)

[Al Roker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-roker/)

> [Extreme weather threatens our energy and electric grid, federal buildings, transportation infrastructure, access to natural resources, public health, our relationships across the globe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cartwright/extreme-weather-threatens-our-energy-and-electric-grid-federal/)

[Matt Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cartwright/)

> [We have a workforce crisis across the NHS with around 100,000 vacancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/we-have-a-workforce-crisis-across-the-nhs-with-around-100-000/)

[Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/)

> [It's time for all of us to unite across the state of Washington to build a working Washington. Let's get to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-inslee/it-s-time-for-all-of-us-to-unite-across-the-state-of-washington-to/)

[Jay Inslee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-inslee/)

Browse all 722 Across quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Ultimately when I gave up the use of motorized vehicles, I walked everywhere, from town to town, across states and two continents. When I stopped talking, I mean literally I stopped speaking. I took a complete vow of silence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Francis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-motorized-vehicles-i-walked/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Across"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-motorized-vehicles-i-walked/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/john-francis-71852_across_ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-mot_654942.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/john-francis-71852_across_ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-mot_654942.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f90/john-francis-71852_across_ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-mot_654942.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Ultimately when I gave up the use of motorized vehicles, I walked everywhere, from town to town, across…” — John Francis",
                "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": "John Francis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-francis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Ultimately when I gave up the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-motorized-vehicles-i-walked/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/ultimately-when-i-gave-up-the-use-of-motorized-vehicles-i-walked/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
