Throughout history, trees have filled us with wonder and sparked our imaginations. Writers, philosophers and even the odd politician have found inspiration in the branches and leaves of trees around them.

And it’s little wonder.

Trees are good for the soul. They’re essential to the air we breathe. And they provide a majestic example of strength and perseverance in the face of adversity.

In need of a little inspiration? Below you’ll find 27 inspirational quotes about trees – their power, beauty and the importance of caring for them.

27 Inspirational Tree Quotes

Trees and the Soul

“A tree is our most intimate contact with nature.”

― George Nakashima

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.”

― Herman Hesse

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”

― John Muir

“Trees give peace to the souls of men.”

― Nora Waln

“If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.”

― Hal Borland

“To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.”

― Richard Mabey

“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.”

― Robert Louis Stevenson

The power and beauty of trees

“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”

— Kahlil Gibran

“Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.”

― Shira Tamir

"The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.”

― Welsh proverb

“Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.”

― Albert Schweitzer

“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.”

— Martin Luther

The importance of caring for trees

"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people."

― Franklin D. Roosevelt

“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.”

― Chris Maser

“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

“The trees encountered on a country stroll

Reveal a lot about that country’s soul…

A culture is no better than its woods.”

― W.H.Auden

Living among trees

“The green oak and cedar—the dark pine, the yellow and silvery-barked willow—each majestic old tree; hath its own peculiar tone and whisper for thine ear.”

― Elizabeth J. Eames

“Finland is officially the world’s happiest country. It is also 75 per cent forest. I believe these facts are related.”

― Matt Haig

“Alone with myself

The trees bend to caress me

The shade hugs my heart.”

― Candy Polgar

“There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.”

― Minnie Aumonier

“Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”

― Elizabeth Lawrence

Planting trees

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

― Chinese proverb

“Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a shovel.”

― Aldo Leopold

“That each day I may walk unceasingly on the banks of my water, that my soul may repose on the branches of the trees which I planted, that I may refresh myself under the shadow of my sycamore.”

– Egyptian tomb inscription

“He who plants a tree, plants a hope.”

― Lucy Larcom

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

– Nelson Henderson

We hope you’ve been inspired by these 27 quotes about trees. Why not do your bit for the world’s forests and download TreeClicks today?

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