Natural history is a matter of observation; it is a harvest which you gather when and where you find it growing. Birds and squirrels and flowers are not always in season, but philosophy we have always with us. It is a crop which we can grow and reap at all times and in all places and it has its own value and brings its own satisfaction.
John BurroughsMan is, and always has been, a maker of gods. It has been the most serious and significant occupation of his sojourn in the world.
John BurroughsHow much there is in books that one does not want to know, that it would be a mere weariness and burden to the spirit to know.
John BurroughsIn what bold relief stand out the lives of all walkers of the snow! The snow is a great tell-tale, and blabs as effectually as it obliterates. I go into the woods, and know all that has happened. I cross the fields, and if only a mouse has visited his neighbor, the fact is chronicled.
John Burroughs