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To be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

John Burroughs

The secret of happiness is something to do.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Do Happiness Secret Something
Joy in the universe, and keen curiosity about it all – that has been my religion.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Curiosity Joy Keen Religion Universe
It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Affirmative Always Believe Deny Easier Mind Nature
The Infinite cannot be measured. The plan of Nature is so immense, but she has no plan, no scheme, but to go on and on forever. What is size, what is time, distance, to the Infinite?
JOHN BURROUGHS

Cannot Forever Go Immense Infinite Measure Nature Plan Scheme
He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Admiration Beauty Equal Marvel Summer Winter Wonder World
England is like the margin of a spring-run: near its source, always green, always cool, always moist, comparatively free from frost in winter and from drought in summer.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Always Comparitively Country Drought Green Margin Near Run Source Spring Summer Winter
I have discovered the secret of happiness. It is work.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Discover Secret Happiness Work
A man can get discouraged many times but he is not a failure until he begins to blame somebody else and stops trying.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Begin Blame Discourage Else Failure Man Many Somebody Stop Times Try
The naturist must see all things in the light of his experiences in this world.
JOHN BURROUGHS

All Experience Light Naturist See Thing World
Not so the oven-bird, or the other birds that walk, as the cow-bunting, or the quail, or the crow. They move the head forward with the movement of the feet.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Bird Bunt Cow Feet Forward Movement Oven Quall Walk
Summer is more wooing and seductive, more versatile and human, appeals to the affections and the sentiments, and fosters inquiry and the art impulse.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Affection Appeal Art Foster Human Impulse Inquiry Seductive Sentiment Summer Versatile Wooing
Some scenes you juggle two balls, some scenes you juggle three balls, some scenes you can juggle five balls.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Ball Five Juggle Scene Some Three
The common bees will never use their sting upon the queen; if she is to be disposed of, they starve her to death, and the queen herself will sting nothing but royalty, nothing but a rival queen.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Bee Common Death Dispose Nothing Queen Rival Royalty String Strive
Some men are like nails, very easily drawn; others however are more like rivets never drawn at all.
JOHN BURROUGHS

All Drawn Easy Men More Nail Rivet Some Very
How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Beautiful Color Day Grow How Last Leave Light Old
England is not a country of granite and marble, but of chalk, marl, and clay.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Chalk Clay Country Granite Marble Marl
There is something very human in this apparent mirth and mockery of the squirrels. It seems to be a sort of ironical laughter, and implies self-conscious pride and exultation in the laughter.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Apparent Conscious Execution Human Ironical Laugh Pride Self Something Sort Squirrels
Whitman will always be a strange and unwonted figure among his country’s poets, and among English poets generally: a cropping out again, after so many centuries, of the old bardic prophetic strain.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Always Among Bardic Country English Figure General Old Peot Prophetic Starin Strange
The dog is often quick to resent a kick, be it from man or beast, but I have never known him to show anger at the door that slammed to and hit him. Probably, if the door held him by his tail or his limb, it would quickly receive the imprint of his teeth.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Anger Beast Dog Door Known Often Probably Quick Resent Show Slam
We now use the word ‘nature’ very much as our fathers used the word ‘God.’
JOHN BURROUGHS

Father God Must Nature Now Our Use Word
August is the month of the high-sailing hawks. The hen hawk is the most noticeable. He likes the haze and calm of these long, warm days. He is a bird of leisure and seems always at his ease. How beautiful and majestic are his movements!
JOHN BURROUGHS

August Beautiful Calm Ease Hawk Hen High Leisure Majestic Month Most Movement Noticeable Sail
The spirit of man can endure only so much and when it is broken only a miracle can mend it.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Broken Endure Man Mend Miracle Much Only Spirit
The animal world seizes its food in masses little and big, and often gorges itself with it, but the vegetable, through the agency of the solvent power of water, absorbs its nourishment molecule by molecule.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Absorb Agency Animal Food Gorge Litle Mass Molecule Nourish Power Seize Vegetable World
Leap, and the net will appear.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Appear Leap Net Will
There is a great deal of speculation in the eye of an animal, but very little science.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Animal Deal Eye Great Little Science Speculation
All the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.
JOHN BURROUGHS

All Book Friend Read See Walk Want
Without the name, any flower is still more or less a stranger to you. The name betrays its family, its relationship to other flowers, and gives the mind something tangible to grasp. It is very difficult for persons who have had no special training to learn the names of the flowers from the botany.
JOHN BURROUGHS

Flower Less More Name Still Strange Without

To be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

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To be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More John Burroughs Quotes