Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

28 Motivational Quotes By Gary Snyder, The Man Of Letters

Famous As: American man of letters
Born On: 1930
Born In: San Francisco
Age: 94 Years
Gary Snyder is a famous American poet, environmentalist and educator. His early days at college kindled in him interest in poetry and he successfully published some of his early poems. He went to the University of California to study Asian culture and languages. Here he got a chance to visit Japan to study Zen where he became the disciple of Miura Isshu and studied various ancient texts. He was greatly influenced by the culture and converted to Buddhism. During this time he published many poems which depicted his experiences of life. He further published a collection of his poems titled ‘The Back Country’ which were a record of his experiences in the last 15 years. In the next three decades he published various poems including the ‘Pulitzer Prize’ winner book ‘Turtle Island’. He went on to become a professor at the University of California and still works as the professor emeritus of English. His writings, thoughts, poems, books and work have a large readership. Here is a compilation of quotations and sayings by Gary Snyder on naturalism, environment, ecology, spirituality, suffering, truth, coffee, responsibility and books.
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O, ah! The awareness of emptiness brings forth a heart of compassion!

O, ah! The awareness of emptiness brings forth a heart of compassion!

Gary Snyder
Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.

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

Gary Snyder
Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.

Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.

Gary Snyder
When the mind is exhausted of images, it invents its own.

When the mind is exhausted of images, it invents its own.

Gary Snyder
Stay together
learn the flowers
go light

Stay together learn the flowers go light

Gary Snyder
Three-fourths of philosophy and literature is the talk of people trying to convince themselves that they really like the cage they were tricked into entering.

Three-fourths of philosophy and literature is the talk of people trying to convince themselves that they really like the cage they were tricked into entering.

Gary Snyder
In Western Civilization, our elders are books.

In Western Civilization, our elders are books.

Gary Snyder
Nature is orderly. That which appears to be chaotic in nature is only a more complex kind of order.

Nature is orderly. That which appears to be chaotic in nature is only a more complex kind of order.

Gary Snyder
All that we did was human,
 stupid, easily forgiven,
Not quite right.

All that we did was human, stupid, easily forgiven, Not quite right.

Gary Snyder
With no surroundings there can be no path, and with no path one cannot become free.

With no surroundings there can be no path, and with no path one cannot become free.

Gary Snyder
All this new stuff goes on top
turn it over, turn it over
wait and water down
from the dark bottom
turn it inside out
let it spread through
Sift down even.
Watch it sprout.

A mind like compost.

All this new stuff goes on top turn it over, turn it over wait and water down from the dark bottom turn it inside out let it spread through Sift down even. Watch it sprout. A mind like compost.

Gary Snyder
Range after range of mountains.
Year after year after year.
I am still in love.

Range after range of mountains. Year after year after year. I am still in love.

Gary Snyder
I hold the most archaic values on earth ... the fertility of the soul, the magic of the animals, the power-vision in solitude.... the love and ecstasy of the dance, the common work of the tribe.

I hold the most archaic values on earth ... the fertility of the soul, the magic of the animals, the power-vision in solitude.... the love and ecstasy of the dance, the common work of the tribe.

Gary Snyder
The size of the place that one becomes
a member of is limited only by 
the size of one’s heart.

The size of the place that one becomes a member of is limited only by the size of one’s heart.

Gary Snyder
I thought, that day I started,
I sure would hate to do this all my life,
And dammit, that’s just what
I’ve gone and done.

I thought, that day I started, I sure would hate to do this all my life, And dammit, that’s just what I’ve gone and done.

Gary Snyder
Will be but corpses dressed in frocks, 
who cannot speak to birds or rocks.

Will be but corpses dressed in frocks, who cannot speak to birds or rocks.

Gary Snyder
All those years and their moments—
Crackling bacon, slamming car doors,
Poems tried out on friends,
Will be one more archive,
One more shaky text.

All those years and their moments— Crackling bacon, slamming car doors, Poems tried out on friends, Will be one more archive, One more shaky text.

Gary Snyder
Clouds sink down the hills 
Coffee is hot again. The dog 
Turns and turns about, stops and sleeps.

Clouds sink down the hills Coffee is hot again. The dog Turns and turns about, stops and sleeps.

Gary Snyder
On Climbing the Sierra Mountains again after 31 years
Range after range of mountains
Year after year after year.
I am still in love.

On Climbing the Sierra Mountains again after 31 years Range after range of mountains Year after year after year. I am still in love.

Gary Snyder
The other side of the

The other side of the "sacred" is the sight of your beloved in the underworld, dripping with maggots.

Gary Snyder
Great Brown Bear is walking with us, Salmon swimming upstream with us, as we stroll a city street.

Great Brown Bear is walking with us, Salmon swimming upstream with us, as we stroll a city street.

Gary Snyder
In the 40,000 year time scale we're all the same people. We're all equally primitive, give or take two or three thousand years here or a hundred years there.

In the 40,000 year time scale we're all the same people. We're all equally primitive, give or take two or three thousand years here or a hundred years there.

Gary Snyder
Switchback

Switchback" turn, turn, and again, hard scrabble steep travel ahead.

Gary Snyder
I could almost love you again.

I could almost love you again.

Gary Snyder
How Poetry Comes to Me

It comes blundering over the
Boulders at night, it stays
Frightened outside the
Range of my campfire
I go to meet it at the
Edge of the light

How Poetry Comes to Me It comes blundering over the Boulders at night, it stays Frightened outside the Range of my campfire I go to meet it at the Edge of the light

Gary Snyder
What use, Milton, a silly story 
Of our lost general parents, 
eaters of fruit?

What use, Milton, a silly story Of our lost general parents, eaters of fruit?

Gary Snyder
Around Jack (Kerouac) there circulated a palpable aura of fame and death.

Around Jack (Kerouac) there circulated a palpable aura of fame and death.

Gary Snyder
Deer love mushrooms.

Deer love mushrooms.

Gary Snyder