Finding a quote to inspire you to take that first step or tackle the next mountain can be hard, so we’ve gathered our most loved adventure quotes for you today.
If you're ready to get off the couch and experience something new, start scrolling our list of adventure quotes. From reasons to conquer the big obstacle staring you down or the little push needed for you to set sail, we are hoping to inspire you to greatness. And by we, I mean the numerous philosophers, writers, world leaders, well-loved characters, and everyday heroes who have gone before. Let them lead you on to discover what you were truly born to do.
Embarking on Your Next Grand Adventure
The following adventure quotes can help you take that first step. Whether you know what adventure you're going on, or you're simply taking a step of faith and going with the flow, these adventure quotes will give you the final push you need. So, lean into these.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” –Bilbo Baggins, written by J.R.R Tolkien
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are built for.” -John G. Shedd, American Businessman & Philanthropist
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” -Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher and writer
“Not all who wander are lost.” –JRR Tolkien in All that is gold does not glitter for Lord of the Rings
Running to Nature & Pausing for Reflection
The woods, the ocean, the open fields, the mountains, the sky. They each have an aura about them that begs for reflection and rejuvenation. Men and women have escaped into nature to find peace, harmony, God, and anything in between since the beginning of time. Finding a little piece of nature can flip your world upside down if you let it, no matter where you are. So, let these adventure quotes beckon you outside.
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” –Henry David Thoreau, American writer, philosopher, abolitionist, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by.” -Robert Frost, American poet and winner of four Pulitzer Prizes
”Adventure must be held in delicate fingers. It should be handled, not embraced. It should be sipped, not swallowed at a gulp. ” -Barry Targan, American author and poet
“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” –Augustine of Hippo, Christian theologian and philosopher
Stop Waiting to be Ready; Get Out There
While I don’t want to be morbid and bring you down, I can promise that no one makes it out of this life alive. So, you only have so much time left to experience everything you would want to. What are you waiting for? This next set of adventure quotes will make you think twice about not living life to the fullest.
“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” -Ernest Hemingway, American Writer
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett, written in A Hat Full of Sky
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” –Saint Augustine, Christian Theologian and Philosopher
“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” -W.M. Lewis, American Teacher & Politician
“As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.” -Leonardo Di Vinci, Italian artist, architect, inventor, and genius
“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!” –Hunter S. Thompson, written in The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman
Attitude, Adventure, and Character
At some point in most people's lives, they come to the conclusion that they have a unique story that is solely theirs to tell. How do you build that story? Risks, failures, trials, and simply the hand you've been dealt usually do the building. Learning to count it all joy can be one of the hardest lessons to learn. So, soak up these adventure quotes that will push you out of your comfort zone.
“I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” –Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
“It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves.” -Andre Gide, French writer, humanist, moralist, and winner of the 1947 Nobel Prize for literature
“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.” -G. K. Chesterton, English writer, poet, philosopher, critic, and theologian
“Exploring is delightful to look forward to and back upon, but it not comfortable at the time unless it be of such an easy nature as not to deserve the name.” -Samuel Butler, English author of Utopian book Erewhon
“No man is brave that has never walked a hundred miles. If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet.” -Patrick Rothfuss, American writer
Overcome
Obstacles. They’re difficult, sometimes come out of nowhere, and often treacherous. Physical and emotional hurt will come. But, the person who makes it out the other side will have more strength of heart than the one on this side. So, buckle up those bootstraps and saddle up for this next set of adventure quotes pushing you to overcome.
“Always remember, it’s simply not an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons.” -Sarah Ban Breathnach, American author
“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer, philosopher, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement.
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” -Helen Keller, American author, and educator who was blind and deaf
Moving on to the Next Great Adventure
What if every adventure that beckoned you said “yes” to? How about if things that you don't care for didn't tie you down? What if you examined each part of your life to make sure it was life-giving and had a purpose? Well, these adventure quotes will help you take stock of what you value and if you're willing to make the next move.
“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.” –Joseph Campbell, American Author, Editor, Philosopher and Teacher
“Jobs fill your pocket but adventure fills your soul.” -Jaime Lyn Beatty, American actor, and voiceover artist
“To live is the rarest thing of all. Most people exist, that is all.” -Oscar Wilde, Irish poet, and playwright
“There are far better things ahead than the ones we leave behind.” –CS Lewis, British writer, academic, critic, theologian, Christian apologist.
“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” –J.K. Rowling, written in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
“No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.” –Lewis Carroll, written in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
“Oh, the places you’ll go…Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!” [Really, you should buy this book and read the full poem] -Dr. Suess, written in Oh the Places You’ll Go
Are you ready to embark on your next adventure?
This doesn’t have to be a trek to unknown lands, it can start simply by visiting a new bookstore across town. It could be buying someone you don't know a cup of coffee and striking up a conversation. It could also be quitting your job, packing your car, and driving down the road. Whatever is calling you – pursue it wholeheartedly. Life is short, so love well.
Do you have a favorite adventure quote that I didn’t share? Please comment with it below! We can all learn from one another and what inspires you – isn’t that what adventure is all about?
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