Nature Quote by Rebecca Solnit
““...Not till we are completely lost, or turned round,--for a man needs only to be turned round once with his eyes shut in this world to be lies,--do we appreciate the vastness and strangeness of nature. Not till we are lost, in other words, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations." Thoreau is playing with the biblical question about what it profits a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul. Lose the whole world, get lost in it, and find your soul.””
About This Quote
Only when we lose our familiar world do we truly discover ourselves and our connection to the infinite.
In simple terms: Loss reveals self and universal connections.
Key Takeaway
Embrace loss to find deeper self and relational awareness.
Themes
loss
self-discovery
nature
spirituality
Mood
introspective
poetic
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- travel
- creative retreats
- mindfulness practice
Key Concepts
existentialism
philosophy
ecology
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “getting lost” mean to you personally?
- How can we balance loss with stability?
A Different Perspective
Loss can cause trauma and disorientation.
![“[Thoreau's] famous night in jail took place about halfway through his stay in the cabin on Emerson's woodlot at Walden Pond. His two-year stint in the small cabin he built himself is often portrayed as a monastic retreat from the world of human affairs into the world of nautre, though he went back…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2c9/rebecca-solnit-569_friends-and-family_thoreau-s-famous-night-in-jail-took-plac_1778355.jpg)
![“[In mountaineering, if] we look for private experience rather than public history, even getting to the top becomes an optional narrative rather than the main point, and those who only wander in high places become part of the story.” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1e6/rebecca-solnit-569_high-places_in-mountaineering-if-we-look-for-private_78831.jpg)
