--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I am chopping trees out in the woods…" description: "\"When I am chopping trees out in the woods because I heat my house with wood, I feel myself right in the middle of God. Mahalia Jackson said \"I have see..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/pete-seeger-1942_chopping_when-i-am-chopping-trees-out-in-the-wood_1844224.jpg" --- # When I am chopping trees out in the woods because I heat… ![“When I am chopping trees out in the woods because I heat my house with wood, I feel myself right in the middle of God. Mahalia Jackson said "I have seen God. I have seen the sun rise." So, in a sense, when anyone looks in the mirror, they look at an infinitesimally small part of God.” quote by Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/pete-seeger-1942_chopping_when-i-am-chopping-trees-out-in-the-wood_1844224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/pete-seeger-1942_chopping_when-i-am-chopping-trees-out-in-the-wood_1844224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/pete-seeger-1942_chopping_when-i-am-chopping-trees-out-in-the-wood_1844224.jpg) > “When I am chopping trees out in the woods because I heat my house with wood, I feel myself right in the middle of God. Mahalia Jackson said "I have seen God. I have seen the sun rise." So, in a sense, when anyone looks in the mirror, they look at an infinitesimally small part of God.” [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes feeling a divine presence while wood‑cutting, equating personal reflection with glimpses of God. **In simple terms:** Wood‑cutting connects him to God. Key Takeaway Seek spirituality in nature. Themes spirituality nature reflection Mood peaceful reverent Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - outdoor work - meditative practice - personal worship Key Concepts mindfulness transcendence Questions to Reflect On - How does nature foster spiritual insight? - Can daily chores become sacred? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Heat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heat/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [God is seen God In the star, in the stone, in the flesh, in the soul and the clod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/god-is-seen-god-in-the-star-in-the-stone-in-the-flesh-in-the-soul-and/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [“I have seen something else under the sun: the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ecclesiastes-9-11/i-have-seen-something-else-under-the-sun-the-race-is-not-to-the-swift/) Ecclesiastes 9 11 > [It is hard to be angry when one has seen the sun rise,' she said. It seems to be true,' he admitted. 'I wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/it-is-hard-to-be-angry-when-one-has-seen-the-sun-rise-she-said-it/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [“The heavens were inexhaustible, it had rained every day since the beginning of September and except for a couple of hours I hadn’t seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/the-heavens-were-inexhaustible-it-had-rained-every-day-since-the/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [I have seen the sun with a little ray of distant light challenge all the powers of darkness, and without violence and noise, climbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-taylor/i-have-seen-the-sun-with-a-little-ray-of-distant-light-challenge-all/) [Jeremy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-taylor/) > [I have gone around observing your activities from the outside. Because of this I have also been able to see things to which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/i-have-gone-around-observing-your-activities-from-the-outside-because/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Then she smiles, like it's the first time she's seen sun after a decade of winters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cameron/then-she-smiles-like-it-s-the-first-time-she-s-seen-sun-after-a/) [Emma Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cameron/) > [Yeah. You've seen The Sun today; I've got myself a big house, settled down. Apart from the odd night out with the New Fathers'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-albarn/yeah-you-ve-seen-the-sun-today-i-ve-got-myself-a-big-house-settled/) [Damon Albarn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-albarn/) > [Then she smiles like its the first time she's seen the sun after a decade of winters..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/then-she-smiles-like-its-the-first-time-she-s-seen-the-sun-after-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Short stories that's all it's ever been Don't you worry 'bout the ending Babe, before we begin I have seen the sun That's behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/short-stories-that-s-all-it-s-ever-been-don-t-you-worry-bout-the/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [... But I'm annoying you to no purpose with my arguments. A person whose house is only open on the west can't see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-m-annoying-you-to-no-purpose-with-my-arguments-a-person-whose/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine? You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra/the-best-is-yet-to-come-and-won-t-that-be-fine-you-think-you-ve-seen/) [Frank Sinatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra/) > [The singer who really opened the door for me was Sarah Vaughan. But I listen to so much music, especially when I was growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-reeves/the-singer-who-really-opened-the-door-for-me-was-sarah-vaughan-but-i/) [Dianne Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-reeves/) > [The reason we probably started dating is because I knew who Mahalia Jackson was. Derek's like, 'What? You do?' I was like, 'Yes, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-tedeschi/the-reason-we-probably-started-dating-is-because-i-knew-who-mahalia/) [Susan Tedeschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-tedeschi/) > [As a child I always wanted to be a singer. The music my mother played in the house moved me - Aretha Franklin, Chaka…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/as-a-child-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-singer-the-music-my-mother-played/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) ## More by Pete Seeger > [Honest songs aren't written for money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/honest-songs-aren-t-written-for-money/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [My father, Charles Seeger, got me into the Communist movement. He backed out around '38. I drifted out in the 50's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/my-father-charles-seeger-got-me-into-the-communist-movement-he-backed/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [In the sixties, during the Vietnam war, when anarchists and pacifists and socialists, Democrats and Republicans, decent-hearted Americans, all recoiled with horror at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/in-the-sixties-during-the-vietnam-war-when-anarchists-and-pacifists/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Now somebody will ask me, Pete, how can you prove these songs really make a difference? And I have to confess I can't prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/now-somebody-will-ask-me-pete-how-can-you-prove-these-songs-really/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [The truth is a rabbit in a bramble patch. All you can do is circle around and say it's somewhere in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/the-truth-is-a-rabbit-in-a-bramble-patch-all-you-can-do-is-circle/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [I was about 16 years old years when my father took me to a square dance festival in North Carolina. For the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/i-was-about-16-years-old-years-when-my-father-took-me-to-a-square/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [It was Rachel Carson's famous book 'Silent Spring' that got me involved with the environment. I read it in The New Yorker, in installments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/it-was-rachel-carson-s-famous-book-silent-spring-that-got-me-involved/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [When you play the 12-string guitar, you spend half your life tuning the instrument and the other half playing it out of tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/when-you-play-the-12-string-guitar-you-spend-half-your-life-tuning/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Folks out in the country couldn't afford to pay for anybody else to make music. They had to make their own. So the peasantry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/folks-out-in-the-country-couldn-t-afford-to-pay-for-anybody-else-to/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [If there's something wrong, speak up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/if-there-s-something-wrong-speak-up/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [This world is so full of hypocrisy, the only way you can be honest is to be a hermit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/this-world-is-so-full-of-hypocrisy-the-only-way-you-can-be-honest-is/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [There is a big, beautiful world that could be destroyed by selfishness and foolishness. We musicians have it within our power to help save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/there-is-a-big-beautiful-world-that-could-be-destroyed-by-selfishness/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [And the people in the houses All went to the University And they got put in boxes Little boxes all the same, Little boxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/and-the-people-in-the-houses-all-went-to-the-university-and-they-got/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [A good song reminds us what we're fighting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/a-good-song-reminds-us-what-we-re-fighting-for/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Most conservatives just want to turn back the clock to a time before the income tax - 100 years or so. I would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/most-conservatives-just-want-to-turn-back-the-clock-to-a-time-before/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) [Explore all 196 Pete Seeger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) ## More Chopping quotes > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/) Sally Struthers > [There's a point in me where it's beyond sad, seeing the state of the world today. It's so screwed up. It's terrible, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/there-s-a-point-in-me-where-it-s-beyond-sad-seeing-the-state-of-the/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [After Nicholas hung up the phone, he watched his mother carry buckets and garden tools across the couch grass toward a bed that would,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-irwin/after-nicholas-hung-up-the-phone-he-watched-his-mother-carry-buckets/) [Stephen M. Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-irwin/) > [The American Constitution, one of the few modern political documents drawn up by men who were forced by the sternest circumstances to think out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-american-constitution-one-of-the-few-modern-political-documents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [On the other end of the spectrum, we can't use this permission to sometimes say no and use it as a wand to wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/on-the-other-end-of-the-spectrum-we-can-t-use-this-permission-to/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Now that's a tree worth chopping down. -Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/futurama/now-that-s-a-tree-worth-chopping-down-fry/) [Futurama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/futurama/) > [If you’re chopping and changing the team you don’t get that word I can’t pronounce beginning with ‘C’.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merson/if-you-re-chopping-and-changing-the-team-you-don-t-get-that-word-i/) [Paul Merson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merson/) > [I can only tell you there's a lot of bad things going on. They're chopping off heads in Syria, and they're chopping off heads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-can-only-tell-you-there-s-a-lot-of-bad-things-going-on-they-re/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [First, the three of us holed up in winter in a cabin and took the 500 hours down to twelve hours. Then we found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-pressman/first-the-three-of-us-holed-up-in-winter-in-a-cabin-and-took-the-500/) [Sam Pressman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-pressman/) > [A lot of people think medicine hunting is all Chris trekking through the jungle. Or, for that matter, the chiefs and (male) elders he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-helene/a-lot-of-people-think-medicine-hunting-is-all-chris-trekking-through/) [Zoe Helene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-helene/) > [Liars are experts in chopping logic and missing the truth slightly - 'Did God say not to eat from any tree?' In order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/liars-are-experts-in-chopping-logic-and-missing-the-truth-slightly/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [ The specific trigger for me was when the President \[Barack Obama\] put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block. Why I got into… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/the-specific-trigger-for-me-was-when-the-president-barack-obama-put/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [..."Fun?" you ask. "Weren't feminists these grim-faced, humorless, antifamily, karate-chopping ninjas who were bitter because they couldn't get a man?" Well, in fact the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-douglas/fun-you-ask-weren-t-feminists-these-grim-faced-humorless-antifamily/) [Susan J. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-j-douglas/) > [We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature’s inexhaustible sources of energy--sun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-like-tenant-farmers-chopping-down-the-fence-around-our-house/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 104 Chopping quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I am chopping trees out in the woods because I heat my house with wood, I feel myself right in the middle of God. Mahalia Jackson said \"I have seen God. 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