16 John Muir Quotes To Inspire You To Get Outdoors And Get Inspired By Nature This Summer
Daniel Johnson
Updated on March 13, 2026
Have you always wanted to take get out into the wilderness? Do you scroll through beautiful nature Instagram accounts of lakes and mountains and wish you were there? Then I've got you covered. I know, nature can be scary. There are weird bugs and large animals and sometimes you can't even get WiFi. But once you're out there amid the sound of trees and the rush of waterfalls, nothing quite compares.
One person who truly understood this feeling was John Muir, Scottish-American author, activist, co-founder of the Sierra Club, and so-called "Wilderness Prophet." John Muir spent most of his life advocating for the conservation of the outdoors and our natural heritage, especially our national parks. He spent more time hiking and camping and adventuring all over the world. He even did a solo three day camping trip in Yosemite with none other than Teddy Roosevelt. John Muir studied nature with a reverence that needs to be rekindled. To be honest I wish I loved anything and much as John Muir loved nature. He's the Bob Ross of nature writing. Most of his letters and essays were about the things we lose in busy, corporate societies. And that was before we had Facebook and Instagram.
For city-slickers like me, the idea of walking ten miles to get to a mountain summit was daunting. But then, I did it, and in that moment everything faded away — the stress, the worry, the chaos. If I can do it, anyone can. Start slow, leave no trace, and take your time. Here are some John Muir quotes to inspire you: