--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps the wilderness we fear is the…" description: "\"“Perhaps the wilderness we fear is the pause between our own heartbeats, the silent space that says we live only by grace. Wilderness lives by this sam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/terry-tempest-williams-835_compassion_perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pa_1283061.jpg" --- # Perhaps the wilderness we fear is the pause between our… ![“Perhaps the wilderness we fear is the pause between our own heartbeats, the silent space that says we live only by grace. Wilderness lives by this same grace. Wild mercy is in our hands.” quote by Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/terry-tempest-williams-835_compassion_perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pa_1283061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/terry-tempest-williams-835_compassion_perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pa_1283061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/terry-tempest-williams-835_compassion_perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pa_1283061.jpg) > ““Perhaps the wilderness we fear is the pause between our own heartbeats, the silent space that says we live only by grace. Wilderness lives by this same grace. Wild mercy is in our hands.”” [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that the unknown wilderness mirrors the quiet moments between heartbeats, reminding us that life depends on grace and that compassion is within our reach. **In simple terms:** Wilderness reflects our inner silence and grace, urging us to hold compassion. Key Takeaway Embrace quiet moments and extend mercy. Themes nature spirituality compassion Mood contemplative hopeful Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - meditation - environmental activism Key Concepts grace mindfulness interconnectedness Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice grace in everyday pauses? - What actions can you take to practice wild mercy? A Different Perspective Grace can be fragile and easily overlooked in daily hustle. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Grace Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace-wilderness-4152080/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/) [Wilderness Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness-fear-3166108/) [Wilderness Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness-lives-2468260/) ## Related quotes > [The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-eyes-of-the-future-are-looking-back-at-us-and-they-are-praying-2/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“What others fear becomes our wilderness of fear. O, it is endless!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/what-others-fear-becomes-our-wilderness-of-fear-o-it-is-endless/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [Perhaps the Wilderness we fear is the pause between our own heartbeats, the silence that reminds us we live by grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pause-between-our-own/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Rick Bass is one of a dwindling handful of American fiction writers still celebrating the importance of place, the natural world, and the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-frank-mosher/rick-bass-is-one-of-a-dwindling-handful-of-american-fiction-writers/) [Howard Frank Mosher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-frank-mosher/) > [I have, by God’s grace, learned as a member of the Christian community what is the nature of God’s mercy, which does not leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/i-have-by-god-s-grace-learned-as-a-member-of-the-christian-community/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [The Good News is that God's mercy and forgiveness extend to those who repent. Mercy does not mean approving of something that is sinful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-paprocki/the-good-news-is-that-god-s-mercy-and-forgiveness-extend-to-those-who/) [Thomas J. Paprocki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-paprocki/) > [“A deeper intimacy with God sharpens our awareness of sin, which causes a stronger need for grace and a freer offering of mercy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisa-hope-wagner/a-deeper-intimacy-with-god-sharpens-our-awareness-of-sin-which-causes/) [alisa hope wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisa-hope-wagner/) > [GRACE is when you get the good things you don't deserve. MERCY is when you're spared from the bad things you do deserve. GOD…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/grace-is-when-you-get-the-good-things-you-don-t-deserve-mercy-is-when/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“I hug him. I close my eyes, press my face into his already strong and heavy shoulder, and I thank God for this unexpected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-simone/i-hug-him-i-close-my-eyes-press-my-face-into-his-already-strong-and/) [Sierra Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-simone/) > [“We preach grace, but we don’t always practice it. We talk about God’s mercy, but we don’t always want the people who need it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-mcbrayer/we-preach-grace-but-we-don-t-always-practice-it-we-talk-about-god-s/) [Ronnie McBrayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-mcbrayer/) > [Grace is the central invitation to life and the final word. It's the beckoning nudge and the overwhelming, undeserved mercy that urges us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hansel/grace-is-the-central-invitation-to-life-and-the-final-word-it-s-the/) [Tim Hansel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hansel/) > [“The mercy of God's grace guides me in the right path.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-mercy-of-god-s-grace-guides-me-in-the-right-path/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“All around the world, God is giving and sustaining life to the praise of his grace. His mercy is new every morning, and it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-furman/all-around-the-world-god-is-giving-and-sustaining-life-to-the-praise/) [Gloria Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-furman/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“In the United States law, federally designated wilderness is famously defined as 'an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-marris/in-the-united-states-law-federally-designated-wilderness-is-famously/) [Emma Marris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-marris/) ## More by Terry Tempest Williams > [I admire how she protects her energy and understands her limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-admire-how-she-protects-her-energy-and-understands-her-limitations/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Buddha says there are two kinds of suffering: the kind that leads to more suffering and the kind that brings an end to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/buddha-says-there-are-two-kinds-of-suffering-the-kind-that-leads-to/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I wonder how, among the Fremont, mothers and daughters shared their world. Did they walk side by side along the lake edge? What stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-wonder-how-among-the-fremont-mothers-and-daughters-shared-their/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I believe the personal is the collective. One of the ironies of writing memoir is in using the "I" it becomes an alchemical "we."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-the-personal-is-the-collective-one-of-the-ironies-of/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts... I write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-discover-i-write-to-uncover-i-write-to-meet-my-ghosts-i/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create red in a world that often appears black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-make-peace-with-the-things-i-cannot-control-i-write-to/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Hope is not attached to outcomes but is a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/hope-is-not-attached-to-outcomes-but-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I have spoken about what we can do as citizens, what we can do as a responsive citizenry, and this is where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-have-spoken-about-what-we-can-do-as-citizens-what-we-can-do-as-a/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The moment Eve bit into the apple, her eyes opened and she became free. She exposed the truth of what every woman knows: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-moment-eve-bit-into-the-apple-her-eyes-opened-and-she-became-free/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I accept the Organic Trinity of Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal with as much authority as I accept the Holy Trinity. Both are sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-accept-the-organic-trinity-of-mineral-vegetable-and-animal-with-as/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Good writing must stay open to the questions and not fall prey to the pull of a polemic, otherwise, words simply become predictable, sentimental,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/good-writing-must-stay-open-to-the-questions-and-not-fall-prey-to-the/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I believe we must do things in our lives for the right reasons, because we enjoy doing them, with no expectation of getting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-we-must-do-things-in-our-lives-for-the-right-reasons/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [A mother and daughter are an edge. Edges are ecotones, transitional zones, places of danger or opportunity. House-dwelling tension. When I stand on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-mother-and-daughter-are-an-edge-edges-are-ecotones-transitional/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“To be read. To be heard. To be seen. I want to be read, I want to be heard. I don't need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/to-be-read-to-be-heard-to-be-seen-i-want-to-be-read-i-want-to-be/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-eyes-of-the-future-are-looking-back-at-us-and-they-are-praying/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) [Explore all 357 Terry Tempest Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## More Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) [Segun Magbagbeola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segun-magbagbeola/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) [Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Perhaps the wilderness we fear is the pause between our own heartbeats, the silent space that says we live only by grace. Wilderness lives by this same grace. Wild mercy is in our hands.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Tempest Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pause-between-our-own-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compassion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pause-between-our-own-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/terry-tempest-williams-835_compassion_perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pa_1283061.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/terry-tempest-williams-835_compassion_perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pa_1283061.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/terry-tempest-williams-835_compassion_perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pa_1283061.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps the wilderness we fear is the pause between our own heartbeats, the silent space that says we live…” — Terry Tempest Williams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Terry Tempest Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Perhaps the wilderness we fear is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pause-between-our-own-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/perhaps-the-wilderness-we-fear-is-the-pause-between-our-own-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```