Famous Tree Quotes

Throughout history, it seems, people have been fascinated and intrigued with trees. Poets, producers, presidents, politicians, philosophers, political commentators even Popes have all had their own unique language of expressing their thoughts and drawing upon life’s comparisons with trees. For years I have been compiling a collection of famous tree quotes. While the subject matter strays a bit from what I typically write, I thought the following would inspire, teach and offer some humor. From the minds of some notable people in our history, here are their words.

“The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its (agri) culture.” Thomas Jefferson

“A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” D. Elton Trueblood

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

“If a tree dies, plant another in its place.” Carolus Linnaeus

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Marcus Garvey

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” Warren Buffett

“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln

“If you look closely at a tree you’ll notice it’s knots and dead branches, just like our bodies. What we learn is that beauty and imperfection go together wonderfully.” Matthew Fox

“I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap.” Rodney Dangerfield

“When I judge art, I take my painting and put it next to a God made object like a tree or flower. If it clashes, it is not art.” Paul Cezanne

“You can’t sow an apple seed and expect to get an avocado tree. The consequences of your life are sown in what you do and how you behave.” Tom Shadyac

“Emancipation from the bondage of the soil is no freedom for the tree.” Rabindranath Tagore

“I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they like it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.” John Muir

“A man doesn’t plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity.” Alexander Smith

“Liturgy is like a strong tree whose beauty is derived from the continuous renewal of its leaves, but whose strength comes from the old trunk, with solid roots in the ground.” Pope Paul VI

“What is the purpose of the giant sequoia tree? The purpose of the giant sequoia tree is to provide shade for the tiny titmouse.” Edward Abbey

“A tree is an incomprehensible mystery.” Jim Woodring

“A tree you pass by every day is just a tree. If you are to closely examine what a tree has and the life a tree has, even the smallest thing can withstand a curiosity, and you can examine whole worlds.” William Shatner

“As the poet said, ‘Only God can make a tree,’ probably because it’s so hard to figure out how to get the bark on.” Woody Allen

“I was in my yard and thought that the tree was a living being. We take trees for granted. We don’t believe they are as much alive as we are.” Ziggy Marley

“As the tree is bent, so it will grow.” Bill O’Reilly

“The possible solutions to a given problem emerge as the leaves of a tree, each node representing a point of deliberation and decision.” Niklaus Wirth

“My feet are like gnarled old tree branches.” Dennis Rodman

“Old reference books are like tree rings. Without them, there’d be no way to know what a tree had lived through.” Jill Lepore

“Just touching that old tree was truly moving to me because when you touch these trees, you have such a sense of the passage of time, of history. It’s like you’re touching the essence, the very substance of life.” Kim Novak

“We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.” John Lennon

“There is unrest in the forest, There is trouble with the trees, For the maples want more sunlight, And the oaks ignore their pleas.” Rush Musical Group, The Trees

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” Thomas Jefferson