--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I will follow my instincts, and be myself…" description: "\"I will follow my instincts, and be myself for good or ill.\" — John Muir" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/john-muir-678_follow_i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself_780582.png" --- # I will follow my instincts, and be myself for good or ill. ![“I will follow my instincts, and be myself for good or ill.” quote by John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/john-muir-678_follow_i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself_780582.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/john-muir-678_follow_i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself_780582.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/john-muir-678_follow_i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself_780582.png) > “I will follow my instincts, and be myself for good or ill.” [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. He declares a commitment to instinct and authenticity, regardless of outcomes, valuing personal truth over external judgment. **In simple terms:** Follow instincts, be true to yourself. Key Takeaway Live authentically, despite consequences. Themes individualism nature philosophy Mood reflective steady Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - solo hikes - personal journaling - creative projects Key Concepts self‑reliance environment ethics Questions to Reflect On - What instincts guide your decisions? - How do you handle negative outcomes? A Different Perspective May ignore practical risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Free spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-spirit/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Instincts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instincts/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [“We are all the same instincts-- Good and Evil struggled between us. It was all a matter of control. And choice. Nothing more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-all-the-same-instincts-good-and-evil-struggled-between-us-it/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Every evil has its good, and every ill an antidote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-dix/every-evil-has-its-good-and-every-ill-an-antidote/) [Dorothea Dix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-dix/) > [T is the will that makes the action good or ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-herrick/t-is-the-will-that-makes-the-action-good-or-ill/) [Robert Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-herrick/) > [Ambition! powerful source of good and ill!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/ambition-powerful-source-of-good-and-ill/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [All I can do is follow my instincts, because I'll never please everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/all-i-can-do-is-follow-my-instincts-because-i-ll-never-please-everyone/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [A woman should always follow her instincts cause when it speaks it never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-ann/a-woman-should-always-follow-her-instincts-cause-when-it-speaks-it/) Shelly-Ann > [Follow your instincts - you never know if your ideas will work out unless you try them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lulu-guinness/follow-your-instincts-you-never-know-if-your-ideas-will-work-out/) Lulu Guinness > [It is not so important where one settles down. 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Follow the path of light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikage/always-look-forward-follow-the-path-of-light/) Mikage Browse all 2,855 Follow quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I will follow my instincts, and be myself for good or ill.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Muir" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself-for-good-or-ill/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Follow" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself-for-good-or-ill/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/john-muir-678_follow_i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself_780582.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/john-muir-678_follow_i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself_780582.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/john-muir-678_follow_i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself_780582.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I will follow my instincts, and be myself for good or ill.” — John Muir", "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 Muir", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I will follow my instincts, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself-for-good-or-ill/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-and-be-myself-for-good-or-ill/#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 } } ] } ```