Hiking Quotes (Our Top 33 Favorites)

Nature is an endless source of inspiration.

So it’s no wonder that there’s such a vast collection of literature that’s been written over the years about the wonders of Mother Nature.

And just like nature inspired this literature, reading it can inspire us to get back to nature.

It’s a wonderful cycle.

Here are some of our all-time favorite hiking quotes. If they don’t motivate you to get out there and explore the wilderness, I don’t know what will.

Let’s dive straight in!

33 Hiking Quotes To Inspire You To Get Out There

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary

“After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.” – G.M. Trevelyan

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.” – Edward Abbey

“Life sucks a lot less when you add mountain air, a campfire and some peace and quiet.” – Brooke Hampton

“Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.” – Walt Whitman

“Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” – Hermann Buhl

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” – Mary Davis

“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing the lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” – Jack Kerouac

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” – Gary Snyder

“I slow down when hiking. The rhythm of nature is more leisurely. The sun comes up, it moves across the sky, and you begin to synchronize to that rhythm.” – John Mackey

“Deep down, at the molecular heart of life, the trees, and we are essentially identical.” – Carl Sagan

“Mountains teach that not everything in this world can be rationally explained.” – Aleksander Lwow

“My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.” – Aldous Huxley

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir

“Between every two pines there is a doorway to a new world.” – John Muir

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” – John Muir

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” – John Muir

“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein

“For those who climb, the answer is both obvious and impossible to explain – the everyday concerns of livelihood, of social standing, overdue bills, and futureless romance all fall away before the vast and overwhelming absolute of the mountain.” – Paul Watkins

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle

“When we walk into a grove of trees or under an open sky the magic of nature takes over and the heaviness of life lifts a little.’ – Natassia Cassinero

“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

“Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul.” – Jaime Lyn Beatty

“Remember to look up to the stars, not down to your feet.” – Stephen Hawking

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” – John Burroughs

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“In the woods we return to reason and faith.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Hiking’s not for everyone. Notice the wilderness is mostly empty.” – Sonja Yoerg

“The more civilized man becomes, the more he needs and craves a great background of forest wildness, to which he may return like a contrite prodigal from the husks of an artificial life.” – Ellen Burns Sherman

“On a hike, the days pass with the wind, the sun, the stars; movement is powered by a belly full of food and water, not a noxious tankful of fossil fuels. On a hike, you’re less a job title and more a human being. A periodic hike not only stretches the limbs, but also reminds us: Wow, there’s a big old world out there.” – Ken Ilgunas

What’s Next?

Don’t these just make you want to pack your backpack and hit the trail?

So go for it!

The next chance you get, go and explore the wilderness around you. There are so many wonders all around us just waiting to be uncovered.

If you’re new to hiking, make sure to check out our guide to hiking for beginners before you head off on your first adventure. It’s full of useful information for newbie hikers to help you plan your trip and get the most out of it.