the sea

Sea-Fever
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
- John Masefield

The Outlet
My river runs to thee :
Blue sea, wilt welcome me?
My river wants reply.
Oh sea, look graciously!
I'll fetch thee brooks
From spotted nooks,--
Say, sea, take me!
- Emily Dickinson

But the other Ainur looked upon this habitation set within the vast spaces of the World, which the Elves call Arda, the Earth; and their hearts rejoiced in light, and their eyes beholding many colours were filled with gladness; but because of the roaring of the sea they felt a great unquiet. And they observed the winds and the air, and the matters of which Arda was made, of iron and stone and silver and gold and many substances: but of all these water they most greatly praised. And it is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the music of the Ainur more than in any substance else that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Ilúvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.
- JRR Tolkien, from the Ainulindalë

the mountains

All the wisdom, all the beauty, I have lived for unaware
Came upon me by the rote of highland rills;
I have seen God walking there
In the solemn, soundless air
When the morning wakened wonder in the hills.
Let me sleep among the shadows of the mountains when I die.
- Odell Shepard, "A Lonely Lute"

I have made a boat of wishes and it's read for our sailing
The oars are teak and sandal-wood, the sails are woven gold
Across a sea of moonlight with the evening star to guide us
We will float until the distant jasper mountains we behold
- Don Blanding, "Dream Island"

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.
- John Muir

life

Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
- Samuel Butler

Learning to live what you're born with is the process, the involvement, the making of a life.
- Diane Wakoski

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.
- Mark Twain

The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.
- Frances Willard

liberty

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
- Benjamin Franklin

Why blame the dark for being dark? It's far more helpful to ask why the light isn't as bright as it should be.
- Rob Bell

All your life you live so close to truth it becomes a permanent blur in the corner of your eye. And when someone nudges it into outline, it's like being ambushed by a grotesque.
- Tom Stoppard

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it always to be kept alive.
- Thomas Jefferson

Freedom is a possession of inestimable value.
- Cicero

begin

A little fairy come at night,
Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown,
With silver spots upon her wings,
And from the moon she flutters down.

-Thomas Hood