Quote #142987
Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.
John Muir
About This Quote
This quote needs no introduction—at least for now. We're working on adding more context soon.
Interpretation
The line expresses Muir’s characteristic sense that wilderness is not merely scenery but an entry into altered perception and renewed life. “Between every two pines” suggests an ordinary, repeatable moment in the forest—yet it opens onto “a new world,” implying that nature continually offers fresh discovery to anyone attentive enough to pass through it. The “doorway” metaphor frames walking in the woods as a kind of threshold experience: leaving behind the habits and pressures of society and entering a realm governed by different rhythms. Read this way, the quote encapsulates Muir’s broader conservationist ethos: protecting forests preserves not only resources but also the human capacity for wonder, humility, and spiritual refreshment.




