--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is your task to walk back from the…" description: "\"“It is your task to walk back from the woods with an animal, not a pelt, not a corpse, but something alive. Curate that energy, feed it, don’t domestic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/martin-shaw-24629_alive_it-is-your-task-to-walk-back-from-the-wo_999235.jpg" --- # It is your task to walk back from the woods with an… ![“It is your task to walk back from the woods with an animal, not a pelt, not a corpse, but something alive. Curate that energy, feed it, don’t domesticate it, make culture from it. It should be walking alongside you, not slung over your shoulder. You build your structures from its growls.” quote by Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/martin-shaw-24629_alive_it-is-your-task-to-walk-back-from-the-wo_999235.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/martin-shaw-24629_alive_it-is-your-task-to-walk-back-from-the-wo_999235.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/martin-shaw-24629_alive_it-is-your-task-to-walk-back-from-the-wo_999235.jpg) > ““It is your task to walk back from the woods with an animal, not a pelt, not a corpse, but something alive. Curate that energy, feed it, don’t domesticate it, make culture from it. It should be walking alongside you, not slung over your shoulder. You build your structures from its growls.”” [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One should retrieve living, dynamic inspiration from nature, nurturing it without exploiting or domesticating it, allowing it to inform creative work. **In simple terms:** Take alive inspiration from nature, nurture it, don’t exploit it. Key Takeaway Cultivate and integrate living energy into your creations. Themes nature creativity ethics Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - artistic projects - product design - community building - environmental advocacy Key Concepts sustainability inspiration management Questions to Reflect On - How can you responsibly harness natural inspiration? - What boundaries keep inspiration ethical? A Different Perspective Risk of romanticizing nature without practical application. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [ “When you don the pelt of a particular animal--snake, beaver, marmoset--the effect on the viewer is dramatic \[...\]. You will instantly and shockingly be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-doonan/when-you-don-the-pelt-of-a-particular-animal-snake-beaver-marmoset/) [Simon Doonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-doonan/) > [I have two speeds, nothing and full pelt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-rieu/i-have-two-speeds-nothing-and-full-pelt/) [Andre Rieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-rieu/) > [“Three will come, kin of the cat with fire in his pelt, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/three-will-come-kin-of-the-cat-with-fire-in-his-pelt-who-hold-the/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [“He looked so frustrated and perfectly serious, and yet here we were talking about his missing seal pelt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mcintyre/he-looked-so-frustrated-and-perfectly-serious-and-yet-here-we-were/) [Katherine McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mcintyre/) > [Growing up in the Pacific Northwest as a young girl, whenever I felt emotionally overwhelmed, I would take a walk in the woods. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-strong/growing-up-in-the-pacific-northwest-as-a-young-girl-whenever-i-felt/) [Brenda Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-strong/) > [If we walk in the woods, we must feed mosquitoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-walk-in-the-woods-we-must-feed-mosquitoes/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A walk in the woods is only an exalted dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-walk-in-the-woods-is-only-an-exalted-dream/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A walk in the woods can reveal many things, and it is a good time to practice transcendentalism. Look at a tree and realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-walk-in-the-woods-can-reveal-many-things-and-it-is-a-good-time-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“All over America today people would be dragging themselves to work, stuck in traffic jams, wreathed in exhaust smoke. I was going for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/all-over-america-today-people-would-be-dragging-themselves-to-work/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“It would not hurt, after all, to walk into the woods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/it-would-not-hurt-after-all-to-walk-into-the-woods/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [What is sour in the house a bracing walk in the woods makes sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/what-is-sour-in-the-house-a-bracing-walk-in-the-woods-makes-sweet/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What can you do. You get a name, you're called 'Thomas Bernhard', and it stays that way for the rest of your life. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/what-can-you-do-you-get-a-name-you-re-called-thomas-bernhard-and-it/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) > [Where is Arland?" "Rapunzel decided to walk around in the woods to get 'the feel of the battleground.' He won't leave the grounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/where-is-arland-rapunzel-decided-to-walk-around-in-the-woods-to-get/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [He needed fresh air and sunshine. A walk in the woods and afterward a good book to read by the fire. Yeah, that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lanyon/he-needed-fresh-air-and-sunshine-a-walk-in-the-woods-and-afterward-a/) [Josh Lanyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lanyon/) > [A garden should feel like a walk in the woods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-kiley/a-garden-should-feel-like-a-walk-in-the-woods/) Dan Kiley ## More by Martin Shaw > [“To be in touch with wilderness is to have stepped past the proud cattle of the field and wandered far from the twinkles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/to-be-in-touch-with-wilderness-is-to-have-stepped-past-the-proud/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [I can be very stubborn. I'm very opinionated and if people cross me at work - if people who don't know about the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/i-can-be-very-stubborn-i-m-very-opinionated-and-if-people-cross-me-at/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [I hate the standard of stupid and selfish driving we have in this country. We are the worst I've come across.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/i-hate-the-standard-of-stupid-and-selfish-driving-we-have-in-this/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [Be a vegetarian. That was the best advice I ever took. It means I'm not involved in killing, that's the main thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/be-a-vegetarian-that-was-the-best-advice-i-ever-took-it-means-i-m-not/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [I think to be a rich and successful person in Roman society would be pretty fabulous. They had all of the comforts we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/i-think-to-be-a-rich-and-successful-person-in-roman-society-would-be/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [I tend to get starstruck with sports people. I was on a chat show with retired Scottish footballer Denis Law and I just lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/i-tend-to-get-starstruck-with-sports-people-i-was-on-a-chat-show-with/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [I worked with Judi Dench in Cranford. She's not at all starry, she's very easy and funny to be around, but I had such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/i-worked-with-judi-dench-in-cranford-she-s-not-at-all-starry-she-s/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [I don't live in London - I'm based in Norfolk and have a place in Scotland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/i-don-t-live-in-london-i-m-based-in-norfolk-and-have-a-place-in/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [If someone opens a glorious Scotch or a bottle of wine, it's no more than a whimsy, but after nearly 40 years I'm used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/if-someone-opens-a-glorious-scotch-or-a-bottle-of-wine-it-s-no-more/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [“The journey simultaneously holds the contraries of solitary longing and relatedness to community, as Shaw tells us: “It’s an extraordinary, indigenous idea that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/the-journey-simultaneously-holds-the-contraries-of-solitary-longing/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [“Holy isn’t always a church or open meadow. It can be a zone of profound change, where sexuality, the mythic realms, dreams, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/holy-isn-t-always-a-church-or-open-meadow-it-can-be-a-zone-of/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [My very first professional job was with a theatre company in 1965 and the first job they gave me was literally shovelling sh\*t. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/my-very-first-professional-job-was-with-a-theatre-company-in-1965-and/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [I like watching DVDs, flying my plane, walking and going to my place in Scotland. I like yoga. It takes me a while to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/i-like-watching-dvds-flying-my-plane-walking-and-going-to-my-place-in/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [Are there any celebs I'd like to meet? I'd love to meet the Dalai Lama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/are-there-any-celebs-i-d-like-to-meet-i-d-love-to-meet-the-dalai-lama/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) > [ There have been two \[career highlights\]. Waking up in New York to hear I'd been nominated for Best Actor for a Tony Award on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-shaw/there-have-been-two-career-highlights-waking-up-in-new-york-to-hear-i/) [Martin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) [Explore all 24 Martin Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-shaw/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is your task to walk back from the woods with an animal, not a pelt, not a corpse, but something alive. Curate that energy, feed it, don’t domesticate it, make culture from it. It should be walking alongside you, not slung over your shoulder. 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