In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia. Charles A Lindbergh
Thou wilt be a wilderness again,
Peopled with wolves, thy old inhabitants!
William Shakespeare (Henry IV, Part 2, 4:v)
Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveller that does the howling. Henry David Thoreau
Without enough wilderness America will change. Democracy, with its myriad personalities and increasing sophistication, must be fibred and vitalized by the regular contact with outdoor growths – animals, trees, sun warmth, and free skies – or it will dwindle and pale. Walt Whitman
In God’s wilderness lies the hope of the world – the great fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness. The galling harness of civilization drops off, and the wounds heal ere we are aware. John Muir
The swift metamorphosis and the onward march of civilization, sweeping ever westward and transforming and taming our wilderness, fills us with a strange regret, and we rejoice that parts of that wilderness will yet remain to us unchanged. William S Brackett
The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth…the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need – if only we had the eyes to see. Edward Abbey
I come more and more to the conclusion that wilderness, in America or anywhere else, is the only thing left that is worth saving. Edward Abbey
The idea of wilderness needs no defense. It only needs more defenders. Edward Abbey
Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit. Edward Abbey
Wilderness is not only a haven for native plants and animals but it is also a refuge from society. John Muir
If you know wilderness in the way that you know love, you would be unwilling to let it go…This is the story of our past and it will be the story of our future. Terry Tempest Williams
All conservation of wildness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish. Aldo Leopold
Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization. Aldo Leopold
Wilderness is a resource which can shrink but not grow…the creation of new wilderness in the full sense of the word is impossible. Aldo Leopold