22 Outdoor Adventure Quotes to Inspire Your Next Hike

Need a little inspiration to get outside? Here are 22 of our favorite outdoor adventure quotes from mountaineers, writers, poets and naturalists, sorted by theme: adventure, mountains, nature and wilderness, and getting outside. We've noted where each quote comes from, plus a few popular quotes that are often credited to the wrong person.

Even the most dedicated adventurers sometimes need a little push to get outside. These are the quotes we come back to when we're stuck at work wishing we were hiking. So get inspired, pull on your favorite pair of hiking socks and hit the trail!

In this post

• Quotes about adventure
• Quotes about mountains
• Quotes about nature and wilderness
• Quotes about getting outside
• Popular quotes that aren't what they seem
• FAQ

Quotes about adventure

1. Alfred North Whitehead

What good are all the comforts of modern life if you aren't having any fun? We have the most fun when we're outside.

"Without adventure civilization is in full decay."

Alfred North Whitehead

Source: Adventures of Ideas (1933)

2. Muriel Strode

We aren't recommending cutting switchbacks. The trail doesn't need to be new, just new to you. Practice Leave No Trace and go explore somewhere you've never been.

"I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail."

Muriel Strode

Source: Her poem "Wind-Wafted Wild Flowers" in The Open Court (1903). This one is often credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but Strode wrote it.

3. Jean-Paul Sartre

We love adventure for its own sake, but we also love sharing our stories, because they get the people we love out on the trail too.

"For an occurrence to become an adventure, it is necessary and sufficient for one to recount it."

Jean-Paul Sartre

Source: Nausea (1938)

4. Jack Kerouac

If you're a fan of road trips and van life, there really is nowhere to go but everywhere.

"There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars."

Jack Kerouac

Source: On the Road (1957)

5. Jim Whittaker

Don't get too comfortable. Get out there on the edge and live an adventurous life.

"If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space."

Jim Whittaker

Source: Attributed to Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Everest (1963) and a fellow Seattleite

6. Roberto Assagioli

There's no certainty in life, but you can turn almost any situation into an adventure with the right approach.

"There is no certainty, there is only adventure."

Roberto Assagioli

Source: Attributed to the Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli

Quotes about mountains

7. Anatoli Boukreev

You don't need to be religious to feel something spiritual in the mountains. For us, wild places bring peace and perspective.

"Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion."

Anatoli Boukreev

Source: Attributed to the Kazakh mountaineer and Everest guide Anatoli Boukreev

8. William Blake

Every adventure brings home a sense of accomplishment we don't get anywhere else.

"Great things are done when men and mountains meet."

William Blake

Source: From William Blake's notebook verses

9. Vince Lombardi

Spring and early summer are the time to build toward your big goals. Shorter hikes now make the long ones possible later.

"The man on top of the mountain didn't fall there."

Vince Lombardi

Source: Commonly attributed to the football coach Vince Lombardi

10. Andy Rooney

We're only at the summit for a fraction of a hike. The miles getting there are where we make our best memories.

"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it."

Andy Rooney

Source: Commonly attributed to the journalist Andy Rooney

11. Barry Finlay

Does a thru-hike or long backpacking trip feel out of reach? Start hiking. Every trip makes you stronger for the next one.

"Every mountaintop is within reach if you just keep climbing."

Barry Finlay

Source: Attributed to the Canadian author and Kilimanjaro climber Barry Finlay

12. Rusty Baillie

The mountains grade adventurers honestly, and for a true adventurer that's part of the appeal.

"In the mountains there are only two grades: you can either do it, or you can't."

Rusty Baillie

Source: Attributed to the climber Rusty Baillie

Quotes about nature and wilderness

13. Nancy Newhall

A few miles on the trail always seem to bring new perspective, especially when we're working through big decisions.

"The wilderness holds answers to questions man has not yet learned to ask."

Nancy Newhall

Source: This Is the American Earth (1960), with photographs by Ansel Adams

14. Gary Snyder

When we go backpacking, everything we need is in our pack, and wherever we pitch the tent feels like home.

"Nature is not a place to visit. It is home."

Gary Snyder

Source: Attributed to the poet and environmental writer Gary Snyder

15. Edward Abbey

We're lucky to have our national parks and wilderness areas. We can all help protect them.

"The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders."

Edward Abbey

Source: Attributed to Edward Abbey, author of Desert Solitaire

16. John Burroughs

Stress builds up over time. We always come home from a long, tiring hike feeling better.

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."

John Burroughs

Source: Attributed to the naturalist and essayist John Burroughs

17. William Wordsworth

Writers and poets find inspiration outside for the same reason hikers do. Nature teaches in quiet but powerful ways.

"Come forth into the light of things, let Nature be your teacher."

William Wordsworth

Source: His poem "The Tables Turned" (1798)

18. Henry David Thoreau

Some of our favorite hikes end at a lake. There's a good reason most trails lead to either a summit or the water.

"A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature."

Henry David Thoreau

Source: Walden (1854), "The Ponds"

19. Charles Kingsley

After a long week it's tempting to spend the weekend on the couch. We've never once regretted getting outside instead.

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful. Beauty is God's handwriting."

Charles Kingsley

Source: His 1848 essay "The National Gallery". It's often credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but Kingsley wrote it first.

Quotes about getting outside

20. Kurt Vonnegut

Some of the best adventures start with simply getting up and going.

"How beautiful it is to get up and go do something."

Kurt Vonnegut

Source: A 1996 interview with Inc. magazine

21. Buffalo Bill Cody

Buffalo Bill rode for the Pony Express as a teenager and spent his life on the trail. Today he'd probably be a thru-hiker.

"I could never resist the call of the trail."

Buffalo Bill Cody

Source: Attributed to William "Buffalo Bill" Cody

22. Robin Williams

When the wildflowers bloom, the backcountry looks decorated for a party, and a hike with friends is our idea of a good one.

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"

Robin Williams

Source: Commonly attributed to the comedian Robin Williams

Which popular outdoor quotes are misattributed?

Some of the most shared outdoor quotes were never said by the person they're credited to.

• "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Usually credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's a reworded version of Muriel Strode's 1903 poem (#2 above).
• "Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful." Often credited to Emerson, but Charles Kingsley wrote it in 1848 (#19 above).
• "Climb that goddamn mountain." Credited to Jack Kerouac, but we couldn't find it in any of his books.
• "I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." Credited to Henry David Thoreau, but we couldn't find it anywhere in his writing.
• "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." Credited to John Muir, but it was written on Tumblr in 2014. See more in our John Muir quotes post.

More outdoor quotes

• 15 inspiring John Muir quotes for hikers and backpackers
• Henry David Thoreau quotes that will inspire you to get outside
• 10 presidential quotes about nature in America
• Inspiring quotes from adventurous women

Frequently asked questions

What is a good short quote about adventure?

"Without adventure civilization is in full decay" by Alfred North Whitehead and "There is no certainty, there is only adventure," attributed to Roberto Assagioli, are two of our favorite short adventure quotes.

What is the most famous quote about hiking?

John Muir's "The mountains are calling and I must go," from an 1873 letter to his sister, is probably the most famous hiking quote of all time. You'll find it, and 14 more of his best, in our John Muir quotes post.

Did Ralph Waldo Emerson say "Go where there is no path and leave a trail"?

No. According to Quote Investigator, the line comes from Muriel Strode's 1903 poem "Wind-Wafted Wild Flowers": "I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail." It wasn't linked to Emerson until the 1990s.

Did Jack Kerouac say "Climb that goddamn mountain"?

We couldn't find "Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain" in any of Kerouac's books, and it's widely considered a misattribution. His real line from On the Road is "There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars."

Did Thoreau say "I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees"?

It's widely shared as a Thoreau quote, but we couldn't find it in Walden, his journals or his other writing. For real Thoreau, read our Henry David Thoreau quotes post.