Having a routine can give structure to our lives, but sometimes, it feels like a hamster running endlessly inside a wheel. Indeed, life is not meant to be spent cooped up in one place. Exploring is a human instinct. So, we curated these Explore Quotes to remind us of the joys and lessons found in the journey of discovery.
This article brings forth a wealth of wisdom about the adventure of exploring. We'll discover how the thrill of venturing into the unknown can lead to personal growth. From unearthing deep-seated passions to exploring the fascinating landscapes of the mind, so much awaits you.
Featuring insights from revered explorers to profound authors and philosophers, each section is rich with inspiration and encouragement to kickstart your own journey of exploration. Why not start your reading adventure right here, right now?
Quick links to our selection of explore quotes:
Exploration enriches us, providing a spectrum of experiences. It's all about stepping out of our comfort zones, venturing into the uncharted territories of life, confronting fears, and acquiring lessons along the way.
In this quest, we could even stumble upon our true selves, our purpose and passion, which might otherwise go undiscovered. So, as we live each day, let's embrace exploration in any way we can.
With the inspiration from the explore quotes below, give life the depth, texture, and excitement that makes it truly worth living. For more similar insights, visit our wanderlust quotes.
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste it, to experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! what a ride!'"
"Seize the day boys, make your life extraordinary"
"Never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite, and never outstay your welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience. And if it hurts, you know what? It’s probably worth it."
Imagine life as an endless adventure, where every day is an untouched page in our journal of exploration. Adopting a childlike curiosity, we break away from the monotony of routines by coloring each page.
With this mindset, our to-do lists transform into exploration lists, and ordinary activities take on an exciting new hue. Why confine ourselves to the familiar when there's a whole world of knowledge, beauty, and experience out there?
Taste the drop of adventure from the ripe fruit that is life through the exploration quotes below.
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
"We were meant to explore this earth like children do, unhindered by fear, propelled by curiosity and a sense of discovery. Allow yourself to see the world through new eyes and know there are amazing adventures here for you."
"Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul."
"It is a big beautiful world. Most of us live and die in the same corner where we were born and never get to see any of it. I don’t want to be most of us."
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
It's undeniable: the unknown can be intimidating. Whether traveling to another state or even flying to another country, the thrill lies precisely in that uncertainty.
It doesn’t need to be a grand expedition. You can begin by setting foot in that neighboring town you've never been to. Small steps can lead to significant discoveries.
So, here's a challenge for you: schedule a date and go someplace you've never been before. It doesn't have to be far. Just allow it to be unknown and let the magic of exploration unfold.
After reading the explore quotes below, you can check out our recommended sustainable travel companies that will help you with your itineraries.
"The gladdest moment in human life is a departure into unknown lands."
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
"If we were meant to stay in one place, we'd have roots instead of feet."
"I have worn the dust of many foreign streets, but to brush it off would surely be a crime. I have the memories of many foreign adventures, but to forget them would surely be a sin. So, breath in the dust and keep the memories in."
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."
Our world is a treasure trove of natural wonders that no book or video can truly capture in all its glory. From the expansive savannas of Africa to the spectacle of Northern Lights painting the Nordic skies or the rainbow of colors that is the underwater world in tropical waters - the planet is our personal exploration playground.
We don't even have to wander too far – even the nearest national park can be a thrilling escapade to kickstart our journey. So, ready your camping and hiking gear, and reconnect with nature this coming weekend.
Here are more quotes about exploration encouraging you to go to the great outdoors.
"We only know a tiny proportion about the complexity of the natural world. Wherever you look, there are still things we don't know about and don't understand. There are always new things to find out if you go looking for them."
"The most beautiful thing in the world is of course, the world itself."
"We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed, and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature."
"Exploration is a wonderful way to open our eyes to the world, and to truly see that impossible is just a word."
Exploration is an innate curiosity that has driven human progress since the dawn of our species. Human diversity in itself shows how our ancestors explored unknown lands for thousands of years. Multiple pieces of evidence even showed how we all came from various ancient African populations1.
Like them, we possess the same intrinsic desire to explore, learn, grow, and conquer the unknown. It’s this unquenchable curiosity that fuels innovation and propels humanity forward.
Thus, we've inherited a world shaped by the explorations of those who came before us. So, turn that switch on as you reflect on the exploration quotes below.
"It is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown. The only true failure would be not to explore at all."
"We were born to be free, to expand our horizons by going where we have never gone before, and not to hang out in the relative comfort and safety of the nest, the known. There is a place within us that is courageous beyond our human understanding; it yearns to explore beyond the boundaries of our daily life."
"Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit."
Treading an unfamiliar path demands bravery. Grappling with the unknown and confronting the uncomfortable are mere roadblocks, not deal-breakers of exploration. All the fruits mentioned in this article are treasures worth the trial.
So, let's muster courage as we are being pushed by the following quotes about exploring.
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."
"Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things: air, sleep, dreams, sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it."
Daring to detour from a mapped-out path can unlock unexpected delights. Feeling temporarily “lost” often paves the way for the sweet thrill of discovery.
It could be like stumbling upon a hole-in-the-wall restaurant – an unassuming façade hiding a gastronomic find or veering off-route and crossing paths with a stranger who quickly becomes a lifelong friend.
So, the next time things are not the way you imagined it, let these explore quotes point out the beauty of detours.
"The only people who ever get anyplace interesting are the people who get lost."
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
"Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else."
"Exploration is curiosity put into action."
"The life you've led doesn't need to be the only life you have."
"It’s important for the explorer to be willing to be led astray."
Upon exploring the unknown, we are bound to expand our perspectives. It can be as eye-opening as discovering a new culture, leading us to reshape our beliefs, or as humbling as realizing our tiny place in the grand tapestry of existence.
As you reflect on the following exploration quotes, get hyped for your next adventure.
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
"Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world."
"When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable."
"We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment"
"Exploring the world is one the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains."
"So much of who we are is where we have been."
"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."
"Travel far enough, you meet yourself."
"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration."
Have you ever felt an insatiable itch to explore new places and experience another culture? That's the “travel bug,” a common term among wander-lusters, signifying an unstoppable desire to explore constantly.
Similarly, a recent 2022 survey reveals an intriguing phenomenon. Among the 2,000 participants from America, 66% plan to revenge travel. After prolonged home confinement, people are diving headfirst into travel plans, craving to make up for lost time and missed adventures.
More than just wanting a vacation - this is a hunger for novel experiences, a thirst for life that only traveling can quench. So, if you have a travel bug, these explore quotes are for you.
"Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life."
"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls."
"Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport."
"Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret."
Are you still having dilemmas about starting? Too far? Too expensive? No time? Remember, exploration is not a race and doesn’t need to be perfect. Begin with a simple walk in your neighborhood, a day trip to a local attraction, or picking up a book on a topic unknown.
Moreover, It needn't burn a hole in your pocket. Create an exploration bucket list, replacing pricey material gifts with enriching experiences. Start curating a travel fund, one coin at a time. Lastly, ensure to document your travels. A journal serves as a timeless memoir capturing the essence of every adventure.
Let these exploration quotes encourage you to start small while looking forward to greater adventures.
"Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell not stuff to show."
"A life lived every day doing only what needs to be done may seem convenient but your heart and soul don’t live for convenience they live for exploration, imagination, and the pursuit of dreams. Do what must be done but also do what your heart and soul want to be done."
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for"
"Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times."
"Man can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown."
"Stuff your eyes with wonder,’ he said. ‘Live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. it’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories."
For ages, remarkable explorers have charted unknown territories, setting inspiring examples for us all. Take Marco Polo, for instance, who, back in the 13th century, started an epic journey to Asia.
Almost seven centuries later, Sir Edmund Hillary left his mark on history. In 1953, along with Tenzing Norgay, he conquered Mount Everest and its perilous height of almost 30,000 feet.
These explorers crossed frontiers, braved challenges, and made their names synonymous with courage and discovery, inspiring us to navigate our own life journeys with equal spirit.
"My only fear is that I might awaken in my bed, destined to live a common life once again."
"I had ambition not only to go farther than any man had ever been before but as far as it was possible for a man to go."
"I will come again and conquer you because as a mountain you can’t grow… but as a human, I can."
"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world"
"If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn, and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go."
Just as explorers chart unknown lands, authors and philosophers tread the vast terrains of the mind. Celebrated poet Robert Frost, in his iconic poem “The Road Not Taken,” explored the realm of choice and its impact on our lives.
Similarly, the Stoic philosopher Seneca set out on intellectual voyages, dissecting human emotions, morality, and the art of living.
They remind us that exploration is not confined to physical frontiers. It envelops thought, self-reflection, and introspection. Check out other thought-provoking quotes from other authors and philosophers below.
"Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind."
"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe."
"We shall not cease from exploration, And the end of all our exploring, Will be to arrive where we started, And know the place for the first time."
"This I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world."
| 1 | Mallick, S., Li, H., Lipson, M., Mathieson, I., Gymrek, M., Racimo, F., Zhao, M., Chennagiri, N., Nordenfelt, S., Tandon, A., Skoglund, P., Lazaridis, I., Sankararaman, S., Fu, Q., Rohland, N., Renaud, G., Erlich, Y., Willems, T., Gallo, C., … Reich, D. (2016). The Simons Genome Diversity Project: 300 genomes from 142 diverse populations. Nature, 538(7624), 201–206. |
Isabela is a determined millennial passionate about continuously seeking out ways to make an impact. With a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with honors, Isabela’s research expertise and interest in artistic works, coupled with a creative mindset, offers readers a fresh take on different environmental, social, and personal development topics.
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