---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I go among trees and sit still. All my…"
description: "\"I go among trees and sit still. All my stirring becomes quiet around me like circles on water.\" — Wendell Berry"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dc/wendell-berry-236_circles_i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-st_2746145.jpg"
---

#  I go among trees and sit still. All my stirring becomes…

![“I go among trees and sit still. All my stirring becomes quiet around me like circles on water.” quote by Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dc/wendell-berry-236_circles_i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-st_2746145.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dc/wendell-berry-236_circles_i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-st_2746145.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dc/wendell-berry-236_circles_i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-st_2746145.jpg)

> “I go among trees and sit still. All my stirring becomes quiet around me like circles on water.”

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Being among trees brings a calming silence that settles the mind.

**In simple terms:** Nature quiets inner turmoil.

Key Takeaway

Seek stillness in natural settings.

Themes

nature mindfulness solitude

Mood

peaceful reflective

Type

inspirational spiritual

When to use this quote

- gardening
- forest walks
- meditation
- creative writing
- stress relief

Key Concepts

environmentalism contemplation

Questions to Reflect On

- What natural setting helps you feel calm?
- How can you create quiet moments indoors?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone can access natural spaces easily.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Stirring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stirring/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/)

## Related quotes

> [Circles in water as they wider flow The less conspicuous in their progress grow, And when at last they trench upon the shore, Distinction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-crabbe/circles-in-water-as-they-wider-flow-the-less-conspicuous-in-their/)

[George Crabbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-crabbe/)

> [I go among trees and sit still. All my stirring becomes quiet around me like circles on water. My tasks lie in their places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-stirring-becomes-quiet-around/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [We clasp the hands of those who go before us, and the hands of those who come after us; we enter the little circle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/we-clasp-the-hands-of-those-who-go-before-us-and-the-hands-of-those/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The U.S. victory in Gulf War was a stirring victory for the forces of aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/the-u-s-victory-in-gulf-war-was-a-stirring-victory-for-the-forces-of/)

[Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/)

> [Sometimes an answer not yet blowin' in the wind is stirring in the breeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/sometimes-an-answer-not-yet-blowin-in-the-wind-is-stirring-in-the/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [So it can be for us as we allow the stirrings of hope to motivate us to action; and then as we act so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-baxter/so-it-can-be-for-us-as-we-allow-the-stirrings-of-hope-to-motivate-us/)

[David S. Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-baxter/)

> [There is in St. Paul's definite, soul-stirring assertion of the wrath of God and the reality of the judgment at hand, a truth more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-allen/there-is-in-st-paul-s-definite-soul-stirring-assertion-of-the-wrath/)

[Roland Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-allen/)

> [You educate people, especially young people, by stirring their passions, so you take every opportunity to grab the imagination of your employees, you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-roddick/you-educate-people-especially-young-people-by-stirring-their-passions/)

[Anita Roddick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-roddick/)

> [I'm still secretly a bit of a punk. Love The Clash and a bit of the Pistols. I guess as I've got older I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iwan-rheon/i-m-still-secretly-a-bit-of-a-punk-love-the-clash-and-a-bit-of-the/)

[Iwan Rheon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iwan-rheon/)

> [Have you ever watched someone become American? Last week, at a national citizenship conference I organize, thirty immigrants from 17 countries swore an oath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/have-you-ever-watched-someone-become-american-last-week-at-a-national/)

[Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/)

> [Much of what I say might sound like it's stirring up trouble, but it's the truth!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/much-of-what-i-say-might-sound-like-it-s-stirring-up-trouble-but-it-s/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [I like stirring the pot - I think it's part of my duty, to shake people up a bit - make them look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-bawden/i-like-stirring-the-pot-i-think-it-s-part-of-my-duty-to-shake-people/)

[Nina Bawden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-bawden/)

> [Poetry should be vital--either stirring our blood by its divine movements or snatching our breath by its divine perfection. To do both is supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/poetry-should-be-vital-either-stirring-our-blood-by-its-divine/)

[Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/)

> [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/)

> [Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/above-coblentz-almost-every-mountain-has-a-ruin-and-a-legend-one/)

[Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/)

## More by Wendell Berry

> [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in mariage. My grandfather made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-two-families-sundered-in-the-ruin-of-a-friendship-were-united/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The living can't quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can't because they don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-living-can-t-quit-living-because-the-world-has-turned-terrible/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“I knew a man who, in the age of chain-saws, went right on cutting his wood with a handsaw and an axe. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-knew-a-man-who-in-the-age-of-chain-saws-went-right-on-cutting-his/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The concept of country, homeland, dwelling place becomes simplified as "the environment" -- that is, what surrounds us, we have already made a profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-concept-of-country-homeland-dwelling-place-becomes-simplified-as/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“That we can prescribe the terms of our own success, that we can live outside or in ignorance of the Great Economy are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/that-we-can-prescribe-the-terms-of-our-own-success-that-we-can-live/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-dislike-the-thought-that-some-animal-has-been-made-miserable-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/laughter-is-immeasurable-be-joyful/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [These are people who are capable of devotion, public devotion, to justice. They meant what they said and every day that passes, they mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/these-are-people-who-are-capable-of-devotion-public-devotion-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

[Explore all 847 Wendell Berry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

## More Circles quotes

> [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/)

[Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/)

> [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/)

[Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/)

> [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/)

[Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/)

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [Maybe this is a way of gaslighting myself, but I think of it this way: In certain circles, my grandpa was considered to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/maybe-this-is-a-way-of-gaslighting-myself-but-i-think-of-it-this-way/)

[Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/)

> [All my life's a circle; But I can't tell you why; Season's spinning round again; The years keep rollin' by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/all-my-life-s-a-circle-but-i-can-t-tell-you-why-season-s-spinning/)

[Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/)

> [There's when a phrase circles in my head in a number of ways for any number of days, weeks, or months, and then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/there-s-when-a-phrase-circles-in-my-head-in-a-number-of-ways-for-any/)

[Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/)

> [I have no name for what circles so perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-have-no-name-for-what-circles-so-perfectly/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fight-against-syphilis-demands-a-fight-against-prostitution/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [Tell them you came, and saw, and looked into my eyes and saw the shadow of the guard receding. Thoughts in time and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/tell-them-you-came-and-saw-and-looked-into-my-eyes-and-saw-the-shadow/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [ \[Wise men\] have tried to understand our state of being, by grasping at its stars, or its arts, or its economics. But, if there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/wise-men-have-tried-to-understand-our-state-of-being-by-grasping-at/)

[Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/)

> [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/)

[Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/)

[Browse all 1,860 Circles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I go among trees and sit still. All my stirring becomes quiet around me like circles on water.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wendell Berry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-stirring-becomes-quiet-around-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Circles"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-stirring-becomes-quiet-around-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dc/wendell-berry-236_circles_i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-st_2746145.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dc/wendell-berry-236_circles_i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-st_2746145.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dc/wendell-berry-236_circles_i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-st_2746145.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I go among trees and sit still. All my stirring becomes quiet around me like circles on water.” — Wendell Berry",
                "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": "Wendell Berry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I go among trees and sit...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-stirring-becomes-quiet-around-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-go-among-trees-and-sit-still-all-my-stirring-becomes-quiet-around-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
