--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A few minutes ago every tree was excited…" description: "\"A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. Bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/john-muir-678_bells_a-few-minutes-ago-every-tree-was-excited_2229045.png" --- # A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the… ![“A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber…” quote by John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/john-muir-678_bells_a-few-minutes-ago-every-tree-was-excited_2229045.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/john-muir-678_bells_a-few-minutes-ago-every-tree-was-excited_2229045.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/john-muir-678_bells_a-few-minutes-ago-every-tree-was-excited_2229045.png) > “A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves. No wonder the hills and groves were God's first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself.” [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nature's vitality persists even when outward signs fade; inner life continues unseen. **In simple terms:** Nature lives on inside even when silent outside. Key Takeaway Seek inner harmony beyond visible signs. Themes nature spirituality environment faith Mood reverent reflective inspirational Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - forest conservation - personal meditation - environmental art - spiritual practice Key Concepts Ecology transcendence theology Questions to Reflect On - How do you nurture inner life when external noise ceases? - What does “God’s first temples” suggest about sacred spaces? A Different Perspective Silent external signs may mask ongoing inner vitality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) [Cathedrals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedrals/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Enthusiasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enthusiasm/) [Forests and trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests-and-trees/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Inspirational tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational-tree/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Music and life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-and-life/) [Olive trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olive-trees/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Temples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temples/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Tree of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-of-life/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/a-few-minutes-ago-every-tree-was-excited-bowing-to-the-roaring-storm/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [“A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/a-few-minutes-ago-every-tree-was-excited-bowing-to-the-roaring-storm-2/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [No wonder the hills and groves were God's first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/no-wonder-the-hills-and-groves-were-god-s-first-temples-and-the-more/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [I know, where you stand. Silent in the trees, and that is where I am. Silent in the trees. Why won't you speak where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twentyonepilots/i-know-where-you-stand-silent-in-the-trees-and-that-is-where-i-am/) TwentyOnePilots > [“Trees are silent guards, they are the listeners and they hold knowledge mankind has long forgotten.” - The Wolf and The Druidess”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-amiri/trees-are-silent-guards-they-are-the-listeners-and-they-hold/) Cornelia Amiri > [They kill good trees to put out bad newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-watt/they-kill-good-trees-to-put-out-bad-newspapers/) [James G. Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-watt/) > [Of all man's works of art, a cathedral is greatest. A vast and majestic tree is greater than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/of-all-man-s-works-of-art-a-cathedral-is-greatest-a-vast-and-majestic/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Of the infinite variety of fruits which spring from the bosom of the earth, the trees of the wood are the greatest in dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fenimore-cooper/of-the-infinite-variety-of-fruits-which-spring-from-the-bosom-of-the/) Susan Fenimore Cooper > [I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth's sweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-kilmer/i-think-that-i-shall-never-see-a-poem-lovely-as-a-tree-a-tree-whose/) [Joyce Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-kilmer/) > [No man manages his affairs as well as a tree does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/no-man-manages-his-affairs-as-well-as-a-tree-does/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/acts-of-creation-are-ordinarily-reserved-for-gods-and-poets-but/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beechtree, or a yellow birch, or an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-frequently-tramped-eight-or-ten-miles-through-the-deepest-snow-to/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I was raised by the song Of the murmuring grove And loving I learned Among Flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-h-lderlin/i-was-raised-by-the-song-of-the-murmuring-grove-and-loving-i-learned/) [Friedrich Holderlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-h-lderlin/) > [Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thomas-ellis/blessed-is-the-season-which-engages-the-whole-world-in-a-conspiracy/) William Thomas Ellis > [Who leaves the pine-tree, leaves his friend, Unnerves his strength, invites his end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/who-leaves-the-pine-tree-leaves-his-friend-unnerves-his-strength/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by John Muir > [I will follow my instincts, be myself for good or ill, and see what will be the upshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-be-myself-for-good-or-ill-and-see-what/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/while-cares-will-drop-off-like-autumn-leaves/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [...full of God's thoughts, a place of peace and safety amid the most exalted grandeur and enthusiastic action, a new song, a place of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/full-of-god-s-thoughts-a-place-of-peace-and-safety-amid-the-most/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [“Here are the roots of all the life of the valleys, and here more simply than elsewhere is the eternal flux of nature manifested.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/here-are-the-roots-of-all-the-life-of-the-valleys-and-here-more/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/spring-work-is-going-on-with-joyful-enthusiasm/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Our lives are rounded with a sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/our-lives-are-rounded-with-a-sleep/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/another-glorious-day-the-air-as-delicious-to-the-lungs-as-nectar-to/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Long, blue, spiky-edged shadows crept out across the snow-fields, while a rosy glow, at first scarce discernible, gradually deepened and suffused every mountain-top, flushing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/long-blue-spiky-edged-shadows-crept-out-across-the-snow-fields-while/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/this-grand-show-is-eternal-it-is-always-sunrise-somewhere-the-dew-is/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/when-one-tugs-at-a-single-thing-in-nature-he-finds-it-attached-to-the/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [In studying the fate of our forest king, we have thus far considered the action of purely natural causes only; but, unfortunately, man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/in-studying-the-fate-of-our-forest-king-we-have-thus-far-considered/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [The forests of America, however slighted by man, must have been a great delight to God; for they were the best he ever planted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/the-forests-of-america-however-slighted-by-man-must-have-been-a-great/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Man seems to be the only animal whose food soils him, making necessary much washing and shield-like bibs and napkins. Moles living in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/man-seems-to-be-the-only-animal-whose-food-soils-him-making-necessary/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [As long as I live, I'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/as-long-as-i-live-i-ll-hear-waterfalls-and-birds-and-winds-sing-i-ll/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) [Explore all 409 John Muir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) ## More Bells quotes > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“Suddenly the air was full of that deep clangor of bells which periodically covers Rome with a roof of silver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/suddenly-the-air-was-full-of-that-deep-clangor-of-bells-which/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of Heaven ring; Some of their music, though my fights be wild, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/above-the-clouds-i-lift-my-wing-to-hear-the-bells-of-heaven-ring-some/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [“But it’s bells at twenty-seven thousand feet as the plane breaks into the clear again, as its motion steadies again; it is bells; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-it-s-bells-at-twenty-seven-thousand-feet-as-the-plane-breaks-into/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) Jerry Glanville > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [There is nothing better for me than to bring the bells in, in Scotland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharleen-spiteri/there-is-nothing-better-for-me-than-to-bring-the-bells-in-in-scotland/) [Sharleen Spiteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharleen-spiteri/) > [Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/now-see-that-noble-and-most-sovereign-reason-like-sweet-bells-jangled/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [ I became an instant fan of the show \[Underground\] seconds into the opening frames of the pilot. When that drone shot carried us through… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/i-became-an-instant-fan-of-the-show-underground-seconds-into-the/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [This world o' God's is brighter Than we ever dream or know; Its burdens growin' lighter- An' it's Love that makes 'em so! An'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lebby-stanton/this-world-o-god-s-is-brighter-than-we-ever-dream-or-know-its-burdens/) [Frank Lebby Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lebby-stanton/) > [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) [Browse all 790 Bells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. 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