Animals Quote by Terry Tempest Williams
““I believe we need wilderness in order to be more complete human beings, to not be fearful of the animals that we are, an animal who bows to the incomparable power of natural forces when standing on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, an animal who understands a sense of humility when watching a grizzly overturn a stump with its front paw to forage for grubs in the lodgepole pines of the northern Rockies, an animal who weeps over the sheer beauty of migrating cranes above the Bosque del Apache in November, an animal who is not afraid to cry with delight in the middle of a midnight swim in a phospherescent tide, an animal who has not forgotten what it means to pray before the unfurled blossom of the sacred datura, remembering the source of all true visions. As we step over the threshold of the twenty-first century, let us acknowledge that the preservation of wilderness is not so much a political process as a spiritual one, that the language of law and science used so successfully to define and defend what wilderness has been in the past century must now be fully joined with the language of the heart to illuminate what these lands mean to the future.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Spiritual Value of Wilderness,” The New York Times, 1995
Wilderness connects us to humility, awe, and a deeper spiritual understanding, urging preservation beyond politics.
In simple terms: Nature teaches humility and spiritual depth.
Protect wild places.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- hiking
- wildlife observation
- environmental activism
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does wilderness shape your inner life?
- What role should spirituality play in conservation?
Balancing ecological needs with human development is complex.