A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled surfaces. We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may never need to set foot in it. We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope; without it the life of the cities would drive all men into crime or drugs or psychoanalysis. . Edward Abbey
About This Quote

John Muir is credited for saving Yosemite. He was instrumental in creating the National Parks system in the United States, which still exists today. His quote above reflects the idea that we need places that are not tamed by humans. We need freedom to be able to escape our normal lives.

Source: Desert Solitaire

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More Quotes By Edward Abbey
  1. A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled surfaces. We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may...

  2. Philosophy without action is the ruin of the soul. One brave deed is worth a hundred books, a thousand theories, a million words. Now as always we need heroes. And heroines! Down with the passive and the limp.

  3. This sweet virginal primitive land will metaphorically breathe a sigh of relief --like a whisper of wind--when we are all and finally gone and the place and its creations can return to their ancient procedures unobserved and undisturbed by the busy, anxious, brooding consciousness of...

  4. Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.

  5. But it is a writer's duty to write and speak and record the truth, always the truth, no matter whom may be offended.

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