Words to Ponder
Recently we posted a roundup of some book recommendations that we previously shared over on Instagram. We’ve also posted a lot of quotes on Instagram, so as a follow-up to the books post, here’s a collection of quotes (and some associated follow-up questions for you to ponder, because we know our readers, like us, love pondering)!
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of its wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.”
The world extends far beyond humans—although the impact of humanity is rapidly and often devastatingly spreading throughout the world.
Sneaking in another book recommendation: Desert Solitaire
Leaving a clean wake means caring for the natural world as well as the human-built world.
In the US, this is especially pertinent now, as our public lands are under attack by our current administration. One way individuals can push back against this threat is to contact your representatives. The app/site 5 Calls makes it super easy to find and contact relevant politicians, and will even provide you with a script. The site house.gov also contains a directory of representatives and contact forms to email them if that’s your preferred method over calling.
Have you ever contacted your representatives?
“Every minute of every hour of every day you are making the world, just as you are making yourself, and you might as well do it with generosity and kindness and style.”
The Strawberry Way is all about generosity and kindness and style!
No matter who you are, where you are, or what you’re doing, you are leaving a mark on the world. Just as a boat leaves a wake by moving through water, you leave a wake as you move through life.
To leave a clean wake in life means to try your best to live intentionally and ethically, in accordance with your deepest values. It means acknowledging that you have an impact on the world around you, and working to make that impact a positive one, even if on a small scale.
How are you making the world?
“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.”
Kindness is at the core of leaving a clean wake—kindness to others, kindness to the world around you, kindness to yourself. Through kindness, we can leave a positive impression as we move through life, leaving the people, places, and things we encounter better for our passage.
What’s something kind that you’ve done recently, or that someone has done for you?
“The question we must ask ourselves is not whether we should shape the earth, but how.”
Each of us shapes the earth as we move through life. Each of us leaves a mark of our passing, whether on a large scale or a smaller one. Why not make it a good mark?
Even on trails, we are merely guests in the wild (also, On Trails is a great book)
You might be “just one person,” but so is everyone else, and together we can add up to quite a lot of persons. An individual may be small, but together we can do huge things. An individual may be small, but sometimes what seems like a small gesture or moment to one person can be huge to another.
Don’t discount your own ability to make an impact.
How are you shaping the earth?
“The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.”
Some say actions speak louder than words. Some say practice makes perfect, or effort equals excellence.
A common thread here, another way to look at it, is: you are what you do. All the best intentions in the world fall flat if your actions don’t match up, if you don’t “walk the talk.” Your impact comes from what you do, not from what you think.
What example are you setting?
Whether or not you saw these quotes last year on Instagram, we hope you’ve enjoyed seeing them now, and that they’ve given you something to think about.
Happy pondering!