Sigurd F. Olson Quotes

Joys come from simple and natural things: mists over meadows, sunlight on leaves, the path of the moon over water.

Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium.

Simplicity in all things is the secret of the wilderness and one of its most valuable lessons

Without love of the land, conservation lacks meaning or purpose, for only in a deep and inherent feeling for the land can there be dedication in preserving it.

At times on quiet waters one does not speak aloud but only in whispers, for then all noise is sacrilege.

If we can change our priorities, achieve balance and understanding in our roles as human beings in a complex world, the coming era can well be that of a richer civilization, not its end.

As long as there are young men with the light of adventure in their eyes and a touch of wildness in their souls, rapids will be run.

The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness, and of a freedom almost forgotten.

It was Indian summer, a bluebird sort of day as we call it in the north, warm and sunny, without a breath of wind; the water was sky-blue, the shores a bank of solid gold.

When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known.

Awareness is becoming acquainted with environment, no matter where one happens to be. Man does not suddenly become aware or infused with wonder; it is something we are born with.

Even rain and wind and stormy clouds bring joy, just as knowing animals and flowers and where they live.

Awareness is becoming acquainted with environment, no matter where one happens to be.