We cannot overemphasize the vital role forests play in life on earth and survival. We all depend on them, from helping us breathe to housing thousands of species. Did you know that forests cover one-third of our planet’s landmass1? Every day, we rely on forest resources for our survival. Below, we respect and appreciate global forests as we share some of the best forest quotes. You’ll find quotes about the forest’s beauty, place in nature and life, and presence in the arts.
Forest products contribute to our daily living through wood, food, and medicine. We also rely on them for the essential element we need to survive: oxygen. In this same way, trees absorb carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.
Apart from their functional value in our lives, forests also have superb beauty. If you’ve ever stepped into a forest, you understand how grand and powerful it can feel. We also explore the forest’s beauty through paintings and many other art forms. Together, let’s appreciate nature and reflect on the ways to preserve and protect it through these forest quotes.
A forest is simply a large area of land dominated by trees. However, trees aren’t the only living things present in these areas. Forests are home to thousands of the world’s animals that rely on these precious ecosystems for survival.
Apart from animals, forests also offer homes and means of livelihood for millions of people. In essence, forests provide a form of natural and vital organic infrastructure for life on earth. They support us and countless other species. Forests also keep the earth cool and clean up dirty air.
As human impact continues to grow, forests play a role in mitigating climate change. However, this function will only be as effective as our protection and preservation of the natural world. Forests also prevent flooding.
The trees absorb water and help prevent soil loss and property damage due to flooding. Keeping close to nature's heart means spending time outdoors in the woods or forests for many people. These forest quotes below mirror our love and appreciation for mother nature.
"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."
"My favourite places on earth are the wild waterways where the forest opens its arms and a silver curve of river folds the traveller into its embrace."
"I walk slowly into myself, through a forest of empty suits of armor."
"Anywhere which is in a forest, that's my zen place."
"I love the forest. It is the place where you hear yourself better."
"Sadly, it's much easier to create a desert than a forest."
"I love walking in the woods, along the trails, by the beaches. I love being part of nature. I love walking alone. It is therapy. One needs to be alone, to recharge one's batteries.”
~ Grace Kelly
The forest wilderness provides instant serenity once within it. As you marvel at the trees standing, the deep green woods invite you to step in. There’s something magnificent about the presence of the trees, animals, and the human connection to it all.
Being in a forest is more than simply taking it in with your sight. It encourages you to be present with all your senses. This way, you take in the subtle sounds and generally how the forest feels. You get to appreciate the forest bird and listen to their song.
Being in the forest gives the feeling of knowing trees beyond their look and what they can provide. There's much to appreciate, from the beauty of the green tree forest in the summer to the orange of an autumn forest. Here, we feature some forest quotes about their beauty and how we enjoy these areas. Take some time to connect with nature, go forest bathing, and enjoy!
Related: For more natural beauty, you might also like our compilations of nature quotes and environment quotes. Or browse our playlist of nature songs to listen to while pondering the below forest sayings and quotes.
"I'm a real nature lover, so whenever possible, I like to get to the beach or get to a forest or get somewhere there's fresh air."
"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees."
"There is nothing so beautiful as the free forest. To catch a fish when you are hungry, cut the boughs of a tree, make a fire to roast it, and eat it in the open air, is the greatest of all luxuries. I would not stay a week pent up in cities if it were not for my passion for art."
"A forest of these trees is a spectacle too much for one man to see."
"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."
"Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. Sleep in forgetfulness of all ill."
"There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations."
Every element of nature has its unique function. Forests play a crucial role as they represent a considerable part of nature. Within forests, you’ll find all kinds of trees and animals that coexist. As humans, we have a natural appreciation for the natural world.
Forests maintain their beauty, whether under the scorching sun or drenched in rainwater. In this section, let’s explore some forest quotes about nature. These might just transport you to a quiet forest where you can be at ease.
"A forest bird never wants a cage."
"Take a trip to the forest and experience the greatness of getting on your knees and picking your own food and going home... and eating it."
"Every forest branch moves differently in the breeze, but as they sway they connect at the roots."
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."
"The forests are the flags of nature. They appeal to all and awaken inspiring universal feelings. Enter the forest and the boundaries of nations are forgotten. It may be that some time an immortal pine will be the flag of a united peaceful world."
"There are more life forms in a handful of forest soil than there are people on the planet."
"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver."
"An autumn forest is such a place that once entered you never look for the exit!"
"The forest is a quiet place if only the best birds sing."
"The improvement of forest trees is the work of centuries. So much more the reason for beginning now."
“If you've ever walked a mile into a virgin forest – you know, like a deep forest where trees have been uncut – the energy is totally different from the shopping mall.”
~ James Redfield
The forest has two sides to it. Sometimes, especially on a bright sunny day, it appears inviting. On the other hand, the dark forest can give rise to eerie feelings. Whether it’s a land or a mountain forest, the dark appearance can feel intimidating. Apart from the fear of a wild animal jumping out, the thought of getting lost contributes to the mysterious nature of dark forest landscapes while movements and sounds become even more enhanced. Below, we explore some eerie and dark forest quotes.
"The heart of another is a dark forest, always, no matter how close it has been to one's own."
"There's nothing more frightening - and exciting - than getting lost in a forest. There is a journey towards the light, and you've got to go through the dark to get to the light. That's what the forest is all about."
"If you're in a forest, the quality of the echo is very strange because echoes back off so many surfaces of all those trees that you get this strange, itchy ricochet effect."
"I love the fact that we are surrounded by this spectacular natural beauty that routinely strikes us dead. Hikers walk off into the woods and are never seen again. And still we tug on our fleece and skip off into the wilderness, not a care in the world."
You’ll often hear stories of people going into the deep forests and coming out changed and enlightened. Not only do forests hold life, but they house life. Even within a forest of a hundred thousand trees, we can feel interconnectedness. As we reflect on forests’ role in our connection with the natural world, let’s explore these quotes about forests and people's experiences of them through life.
"But I'll tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you'll come to understand that you're connected with everything."
"If you tell a joke in the forest, but nobody laughs, was it a joke?"
"If a man is talking in the forest, and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?"
"The forest has always been a place, in fairy tales and in Shakespeare, where you go and discover who you are. You get stripped of everything you thought you were, some type of ordeal takes place, and you come out stronger."
"The world's a forest, in which all lose their way; though by a different path each goes astray."
"I enjoy an easy jog. In the mountains, or the forest with my own thoughts, I can escape from the world for a bit."
"I can't see the forest through the trees, except the trees are people."
"In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same path are alike."
"I'm always astonished by a forest. It makes me realise that the fantasy of nature is much larger than my own fantasy. I still have things to learn."
"I grew up in a forest. It's like a room. It's protected. Like a cathedral... it is a place between heaven and earth."
"The mountains, the forest, and the sea, render men savage; they develop the fierce, but yet do not destroy the human."
To maintain healthy forests, we all have a role in ensuring that we protect these areas. Just as we nourish and nurture the human body, we also need to nourish and nurture our natural world. Healthy forests are necessary for healthy living.
With the rate at which humans cut down trees and burn forests, there are now many endangered forests. We hear stories of one forest fire after another that spreads and causes significant destruction.
Today, businesses are switching to alternative raw materials that don’t require deforestation. Many others are embracing sustainably managed forests that plant trees regularly. A change in demand for responsibly sourced materials can also make a difference. Here are some inspiring forest quotes about protecting our forests for the health and sustainability of our shared future.
"If man doesn't learn to treat the oceans and the rain forest with respect, man will become extinct."
"If you cut down a forest, it doesn't matter how many sawmills you have if there are no more trees."
"Every time I have some moment on a seashore, or in the mountains, or sometimes in a quiet forest, I think this is why the environment has to be preserved."
"That includes not cutting down the rain forest, and stop polluting the ocean because once we kill the coral reefs and the rain forest, this earth is toast."
"Forest restoration is a challenging and complex undertaking of raising young trees, transplanting them, and then cultivating them year in, year out in the face of harsh challenges of nature; it is a gigantic nature transformation project to turn all the mountains of the country into 'treasure mountains,' into 'gold mountains.'"
"We are aware only of the empty space in the forest, which only yesterday was filled with trees."
"What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another."
"To describe the overwhelming life of a tropical forest just in terms of inert biochemistry and DNA didn't seem to give a very full picture of the world."
"If you cut down the forest, you know what happens: The whole of Asia turns into a desert. Without water, you're talking civil unrest, war, mud slides - the whole bloody lot."
"I want the Forest Service to look at a vista with scenery, not only at lumber with a price tag."
"The forest restoration campaign is a war to ameliorate nature."
"If you go to a desert, you will hear this mysterious voice: Be wise, protect your forests!"
"You either keep the forest standing, which takes jobs away from indigenous people who need to feed themselves, or you cut down the trees, which affects the climate. In the long term, you have to protect the forest."
"Save the elephants, and then you save the forest - and then you save yourself."
"The death of the forest is the end of our life."
“A grove of giant redwoods or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great or beautiful cathedral.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt
“The tropical rain forests are a telling example. Once cut down, they rarely recover. Rainfall drops, deserts spread, the climate warms.”
~ James Lovelock
“Ancient trees are precious. There is little else on Earth that plays host to such a rich community of life within a single living organism.”
~ Sir David Attenborough
You’ll find many references to forests in the arts and literature field. These pieces often inspire us and make us appreciate nature even more. Here are some forest quotes you can explore from the arts and literature. You’ll find words from famous people like Henry David Thoreau, Jane Goodall, and Napoleon Hill.
"If I try to articulate every little detail in a drawing, it would be like missing the forest for the trees, so it's just about getting the outline of the forest."
"Look at the bark of a redwood, and you see moss. If you peer beneath the bits and pieces of the moss, you'll see toads, small insects, a whole host of life that prospers in that miniature environment. A lumberman will look at a forest and see so many board feet of lumber. I see a living city."
"Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans have been living for hundreds of thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never overpopulating, never destroying the forest. I would say that they have been in a way more successful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment."
"Even if one tree falls down it wouldn't affect the entire forest."
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
"The more I see of deer, the more I admire them as mountaineers. They make their way into the heart of the roughest solitudes with smooth reserve of strength, through dense belts of brush and forest encumbered with fallen trees and boulder piles, across canons, roaring streams, and snow-fields, ever showing forth beauty and courage."
"When the oak is felled the whole forest echoes with it fall, but a hundred acorns are sown in silence by an unnoticed breeze."
"You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes."
"I think I always have many ideas for books in my head. It's like a forest full of mushrooms. Some are big, some are small."
"While I was at college studying design I decided to paint. I was also greatly inspired by the colours that I had seen on my travels in the Brazilian Rain forest."
| 1 | United Nations Environment Programme. (n.d). About Forests |
Jen’s a passionate environmentalist and sustainability expert. With a science degree from Babcock University Jen loves applying her research skills to craft editorial that connects with our global changemaker and readership audiences centered around topics including zero waste, sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity.
Elsewhere Jen’s interests include the role that future technology and data have in helping us solve some of the planet’s biggest challenges.
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