--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation…" description: "\"“Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation. That has always been part of its charm, Laroche loved orchids, but I came to believe he loved the difficulty an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/susan-orlean-2207_death_orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation-th_1290970.png" --- # Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation. That has always… ![“Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation. That has always been part of its charm, Laroche loved orchids, but I came to believe he loved the difficulty and fatality of getting them almost as much as the flowers themselves.” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/susan-orlean-2207_death_orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation-th_1290970.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/susan-orlean-2207_death_orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation-th_1290970.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f10/susan-orlean-2207_death_orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation-th_1290970.png) > ““Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation. That has always been part of its charm, Laroche loved orchids, but I came to believe he loved the difficulty and fatality of getting them almost as much as the flowers themselves.”” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The allure lies not just in the flower but in the peril and obsession of acquiring it. **In simple terms:** Obsession adds charm to pursuit. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges, not just outcomes. Themes nature obsession beauty Mood curious introspective Type literary reflective When to use this quote - collecting rare items - adventure travel - creative projects - risk‑taking hobbies Key Concepts human‑nature relationship risk passion Questions to Reflect On - Why are we drawn to dangerous quests? - How does risk shape appreciation? A Different Perspective Obsessive pursuit can become destructive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Orchid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchid/) [Orchids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids/) ## Related quotes > [Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [The old orchid hunter lay back on his pillow, his body limp... 'You'll curse the insects,' he said at least, 'and you'll curse the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/the-old-orchid-hunter-lay-back-on-his-pillow-his-body-limp-you-ll/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Love is an orchid which thrives principally on hot air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/love-is-an-orchid-which-thrives-principally-on-hot-air/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [The orchid is Mother Nature's masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn/the-orchid-is-mother-nature-s-masterpiece/) [Robyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn/) > [An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leatrice-eiseman/an-enchanting-harmony-of-fuchsia-purple-and-pink-undertones-radiant/) [Leatrice Eiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leatrice-eiseman/) > [I was fat! I was pustule-rich! I looked like a pink human grenade! When did I blossom into the irresistible little orchid that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/i-was-fat-i-was-pustule-rich-i-looked-like-a-pink-human-grenade-when/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [Just as I wonder whether it's going to die, the orchid blossoms and I can't explain why it moves my heart, why such pleasure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-die-the-orchid-blossoms-and-i/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [While PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid, the captivating 2014 color of the year, encouraged creativity and innovation, Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, exuding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leatrice-eiseman/while-pantone-18-3224-radiant-orchid-the-captivating-2014-color-of/) [Leatrice Eiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leatrice-eiseman/) > [Lord Illingworth told me this morning that there was an orchid there as beautiful as the seven deadly sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/lord-illingworth-told-me-this-morning-that-there-was-an-orchid-there/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [An orchid in a deep forest sends out its fragrance even if no one is around to appreciate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/an-orchid-in-a-deep-forest-sends-out-its-fragrance-even-if-no-one-is/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“George thrust into Alma's hand a lithograph of a spotted 'Catasetum.' The orchid had been rendered so magnificently that it seemed to grow off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/george-thrust-into-alma-s-hand-a-lithograph-of-a-spotted-catasetum/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [When I was fourteen, my father decided to initiate me into the ways of manhood, and took me to the local whorehouse. The woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/when-i-was-fourteen-my-father-decided-to-initiate-me-into-the-ways-of/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“In a sense, then, the number of orchid species on the planet is uncountable because it is constantly changing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/in-a-sense-then-the-number-of-orchid-species-on-the-planet-is/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Okay, fuck the sundial. We'll just go straight and eventually we'll get there. What I mean is that we'll get somewhere. Out of here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/okay-fuck-the-sundial-we-ll-just-go-straight-and-eventually-we-ll-get/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Being an orchid hunter has always meant pursuing beautiful things in terrible places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/being-an-orchid-hunter-has-always-meant-pursuing-beautiful-things-in/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## More by Susan Orlean > [I've used Twitter now and again to try to figure something out; it's an amazing resource. But I think you have to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-ve-used-twitter-now-and-again-to-try-to-figure-something-out-it-s/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Who on earth is going to use 'utilize' in a text message, a whopping seven characters including the always-hard-to-type 'z,' when you can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/who-on-earth-is-going-to-use-utilize-in-a-text-message-a-whopping/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When my son was born, and after a day of lying-in I was told that I could leave the hospital and take him home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-my-son-was-born-and-after-a-day-of-lying-in-i-was-told-that-i/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm happy to be reminded that an ordinary day full of nothing but nothingness can make you feel like you've won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-happy-to-be-reminded-that-an-ordinary-day-full-of-nothing-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I once had a boyfriend who couldn't write unless he was wearing a necktie and a dress shirt, which I thought was really weird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-once-had-a-boyfriend-who-couldn-t-write-unless-he-was-wearing-a/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“I, too, had set out to be remembered. I had wanted to create something permanent in my life- some proof that everything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-too-had-set-out-to-be-remembered-i-had-wanted-to-create-something/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I think of myself as something of a connoisseur of procrastination, creative and dogged in my approach to not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-of-myself-as-something-of-a-connoisseur-of-procrastination/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm very excited about my new Spotify account, which gives me access to twenty gazillion songs any time, all the time. The day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-very-excited-about-my-new-spotify-account-which-gives-me-access/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I approach stories as a private educational enterprise: I want to learn about something. 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