If you are anything like me, it’s always wonderful to escape the rat race and get back to nature. One of my favorite places to enjoy a little bit of me time and embrace the outdoors is a trip to the mountains. And the next best thing when I can’t get out there is to read through my favorite Mountain Quotes as each and every one can take me back into the wilderness with just a few words.
For any of you who enjoy a weekend hike or have set yourself the challenge of climbing some of the world’s highest peaks, you will appreciate what a unique wilderness the mountains can be.
Packed with spectacular fauna and wildlife galore, it’s hard not to be inspired when you make time to visit various peaks around the world. So if you’ve got a No. 1 mountain or just love a good climb we think our compilation of the 68 greatest mountain quotes about these unique landscapes is going to be just the ticket for an inspiring read, coupled with a heart-warming cup of tea.
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65+ Mountain Quotes to Inspire Your Next Adventure!
Quotes About Mountains to Ignite Your Wanderlust
1. “Accidents on big mountains happen when people’s ambitions cloud their good judgment. Good climbing is about climbing with heart and with instinct, not ambition and pride.” – Bear Grylls
2. “I love to sit on a mountain top and gaze. I don’t think of anything but the people I care about and the view.” – Julian Lennon
3. “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” – Greg Child
4. “The cliche is that life is a mountain. You go up, reach the top and then go down.” – Jeanne Moreau
5. “There are far better things ahead than the ones we leave behind.” – C.S. Lewis (not quite a ‘true’ mountain quote, this one might be better on my travel quotes page or even listed in my inspirational adventure quotes – but I love it anyway!)
6. “Over every mountain, there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley.” – Theodore Roethke
7. “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees” – Henry David Thoreau (when was the last time you took a walk in the woods?!)
Short Mountain Quotes
8. “Go where you feel most alive” – Unknown
9. “I learn something every time I go into the mountains.” – Michael Kennedy
10. “Life’s a bit like mountaineering – never look down.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
11. “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius
12. “It is the faith that steers us through stormy seas, faith that moves mountains and faith that jumps across the ocean.” – Ghandi
13. “Climbing is my art; I get so much joy and gratification from it.” – Jimmy Chin
14. “Never measure the height of a mountain until you reach the top. Then you will see how low it was.” – Dag Hammerskjold
(and conversely – if you plan to climb a mountain, never measure the height before you go in case it puts you off the climb and stops you getting to the top!)
15. “The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir
John Muir certainly coined one of the most inspirational quotes on mountains – and it makes for a great Instagram caption!
16. “He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary.” – Friedrich Neitszche
17. “Hike more. Worry Less.” – Unknown (one of the most simple & best mountain quotes!)
18. “Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life.” – Werner Herzog
19. “How wild it was, to let it be.” – Cheryl Strayed
20. “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.” – John Muir
21. “Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
22. “The best view comes after the hardest climb.” – Unknown
23. “I go to seek a great perhaps” – John Green
24. “So this was what a mountain was like, the same as a person: the more you know, the less you fear.” – Wu Ming-Yi
25. “Our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains.” – William Shakespeare
26. “I think, every time I’m on the mountain, I’m just so thankful to be there.” – Chloe Kim
Mountain Quotes + Mountain Captions from books & novels
(The authors and books listed below are packed with lots of inspiration quotes, life lessons and general wisdom. I’ve linked the booked on Amazon in case you’re feeling super inspired by any of them or want to read some of these incredible works. These are affiliate links, which I may receive a small commission – at no cost to you – on should you decide to purchase (honestly, it’s pennies) – but I thank you in advance should you decide to click and buy.)
26. “To aim for the highest point is not the only way to climb a mountain.” – Nan Shepherd, The Living Mountain
27. “I like the mountains because they make me feel small,’ Jeff says. ‘They help me sort out what’s important in life.” – Mark Obmascik, Halfway to Heaven: My White-knuckled–and Knuckleheaded–Quest for the Rocky Mountain High
This is such a great caption for mountains living.
28. “Chasing angels or fleeing demons, go to the mountains.” – Jeffrey Rasley, Bringing Progress to Paradise: What I Got from Giving to a Mountain Village in Nepal
29. “He loved mountains, or he had loved the thought of them marching on the edge of stories brought from far away; but now he was borne down by the insupportable weight of Middle-earth. He longed to shut out the immensity in a quiet room by a fire.” – J R R Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
30. “Those who travel to mountain-tops are half in love with themselves, and half in love with oblivion.” – Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination (one of the best mountain quotes taken from a book – are YOU in love with oblivion?!)
31. “Mountains, according to the angle of view, the season, the time of day, the beholder’s frame of mind, or any one thing, can effectively change their appearance. Thus, it is essential to recognize that we can never know more than one side, one small aspect of a mountain.” – Haruki Murakami, A Wild Sheep Chase
32. “Dragons have been known to have staring contests with mountains. They usually win.” – Ursula Vernon, Castle Hangnail
33. “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!” – Dr. Seuss
Inspirational Mountain Quotes
34. “Everybody wants to reach the peak, but there is no growth on the top of a mountain. It is in the valley that we slog through, the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life’s next peak.” – Andy Andrews
35. “Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery.” – John Ruskin (never was a truer word spoken John Ruskin!)
36. “The choices we make lead up to actual experiences. It is one thing to decide to climb a mountain. It is quite another to be on top of it.” – Herbert A. Simon
37. “The top of one mountain is always the bottom of another.” – Marianne Williamson
This is a great mountain caption because it is so true – unless you’re at the top of Everest!
38. “The way up to the top of the mountain is always longer than you think. Don’t fool yourself, the moment will arrive when what seemed so near is still very far.” – Paulo Coelho
39. “Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.” – William Blake
40. “Mountains are only a problem when they are bigger than you. You should develop yourself so much that you become bigger than the mountains you face.” – Idowu Koyenikan
41. “You are not in the mountains. The mountains are in you.” – John Muir (John Muir bringing yet another of the best mountain quotes on our list!)
42. “Each fresh peak ascended teaches something.” – Sir Martin Conway
43. “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain but all the happiness and growth occurs when you’re climbing it.” – Andy Rooney. (this is one of my favorite mountains quotes)
44. “Always be thankful for the little things even the smallest mountains can hide the most breathtaking views” – Nyki Mack
45. “Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” – David McCullough Jr.
46. “I’ve realized that at the top of the mountain, there’s another mountain.” – Andrew Garfield (I bet that was both a sobering and inspirational thought when it occurred to Andrew Garfield! How would you feel?!)
Long Mountain Quotes (for those who love prose!)
47.”Although I deeply love oceans, deserts and other wild landscapes, it is only mountains that beckon me with that sort of painful magnetic pull to walk deeper and deeper into their beauty. They keep me continuously wanting to know more, feel more, see more.” – Victoria Erikson
48. “When you stand at the bottom of the mountain and look up at the mountaintop, the path looks hard and stony, and the top is obscured by clouds. But when you reach the top and you look down, you realize that there are a thousand paths that could have brought you to that place.” – Roz Savage
49. “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” – John Muir
50. “If you are faced with a mountain, you have several options. You can climb it and cross to the other side. You can go around it. You can dig under it. You can fly over it. You can blow it up. You can ignore it and pretend it’s not there. You can turn around and go back the way you came. Or you can stay on the mountain and make it your home.” – Vera Nazarian
51. “The experienced mountain climber is not intimidated by a mountain – he is inspired by it. The persistent winner is not discouraged by a problem–he is challenged by it. Mountains are created to be conquered; adversities are designed to be defeated; problems are sent to be solved. It is better to master one mountain than a thousand foothills.” – William Arthur Ward
52. “Mountains know the secrets we need to learn. That it might take time, it might be hard, but if you just hold on long enough, you will find the strength to rise up” – Tyler Knott Gregson
53. “Having been bred amongst mountains I am always unhappy when in a flat country. Whenever the skirts of the horizon come on a level with myself I feel myself quite uneasy and generally have a headache.” – James Hogg
– one of the mountain life quotes which explains the deep connection one can have to the mountains of the world.
54. “The mountains were his masters. They rimmed in life. They were the cup of reality, beyond growth, beyond struggle and death. They were his absolute unity in the midst of eternal change.” – Thomas Wolfe
55. “If adventure has a final and all-embracing motive, it is surely this: we go out because it is our nature to go out, to climb mountains, and to paddle rivers, to fly to the planets and plunge into the depths of the oceans… When man ceases to do these things, he is no longer man.” – Wilfrid Noyce
(Looking for a little more seaside inspiration? Take a peek at our beautiful Ocean Quotes + Beach Quotes to help you connect with mother nature!)
56. “You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.” – Rene Daumal
57. “There is no such sense of solitude as that which we experience upon the silent and vast elevations of great mountains. Lifted high above the level of human sounds and habitations, among the wild expanses and colossal features of Nature, we are thrilled in our loneliness with a strange fear and elation – an ascent above the reach of life’s expectations or companionship, and the tremblings of a wild and undefined misgivings.” – J. Sheridan Le Fanu
My favorite Quotes about Mountains
58. “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” – T.S. Eliot (one of the great inspirational mountain quotes – and indeed, life quotes)
59. “When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.” – Wilma Rudolph
60. “Without mountains, we might find ourselves relieved that we can avoid the pain of the ascent, but we will forever miss the thrill of the summit. And in such a terribly scandalous trade-off, it is the absence of pain that becomes the thief of life.” – Craig D Lounsbrough
61. “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” – Barry Finlay (never forget that! every mountain top is within reach – every. single. one. with patience and determination)
62. “May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” – Edward Abbey
63. “Stop staring at mountains Climb them instead yes, it’s a harder process but it will lead you to a better view.” – Unknown
64. ‘’The most dangerous thing you can do in life is play it safe.’’ – Casey Neistat
65. “Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” –Henry David Thoreau
66. “May your dreams be larger than mountains and may you have the courage to scale their summits.” – Harley King
67. “Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more that what we could learn from books.” – John Lubbock
And finally, one of the most inspirational, self-aware mountain quotes of all time (if this one doesn’t get you going I don’t know what will!):
68.“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
And that’s a wrap folks! If you love mountain quotes we have you have enjoyed my favorite inspirational mountain quotes of all time and I hope you are feeling suitably inspired by them; and maybe have even grabbed a couple for your pinterest boards for ongoing inspiration. (Scroll back up now and use the sharebar on the left if you forgot to pin your fave!)
Have you already packed your rucksack and got your hiking boots by the door? We hope so! We love to hear from our readers so let us know in the comments below which of these mountains quotes have inspired you the most and which mountain do you want to climb most of all? (and if there is a mountain or hiking related post that I haven’t included, let me know and I will add it to the post! Maybe Hiking quotes?! Let me know what you think!)
Oh and if you liked this post, please share on social media: tweet, pin, flipboard or Facebook – I’d really appreciate it!
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Hi There! Thanks for reading my travel tips to the Best Mountain Quotes about travel, Mountain adventure quotes & the Ultimate list of exploring quotes to Inspire you to get out and see our Amazing Planet! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something after clicking a link, I may get a small commission – which is at absolutely no cost to you. If you enjoyed this article and are going to be searching for some of the things I mention anyway, I would love it if you could click through from the links above & thank you in advance! Read my full Disclosure here. And thank you for reading the MakeTimeToSeeTheWorld travel blog.