"Most people are on the world, not in it. - Have no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them - undiffused, separate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but separate." - John Muir
American explorer, naturalist, and writer John Muir was a crusader for the creation and preservation of national parks and the conservation of natural resources in the late 1800s. Muir was perhaps this country's most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist. He taught the people of his time and ours the importance of experiencing and protecting our natural heritage. His words have heightened our perception of nature. His personal and determined involvement in the great conservation questions of the day was and remains an inspiration for environmental activists everywhere.
Knowing of people's love of beauty and their great need for it, Muir gave his life to help them discover beauty in the earth around them and to arouse their desire to protect it. The machine, Muir knew, could easily level the woods and make the land desolate. Humankind's mission on earth is not to destroy: it is to protect and conserve all living things. "There is a place for trees and flowers and birds, as well as for people. Never should we try to crowd them out of the universe." …
