21 quotes about planting a tree

Inspirational sayings about planting trees that express the importance and beauty of plants.

This results in an exciting collection of sayings and quotes about planting trees. In this article, I have compiled the best and most apt wisdom, aphorisms and quotes about the sustainable transformative power of trees and forests. Have fun!

Quotes about reforestation as responsibility and action for the future

These quotes emphasise the responsibility we have to plant and protect trees to ensure a sustainable and liveable future for generations to come.

1. ‘The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.’ - from the book The Boy Who Planted a Forest
2. ‘The greatest gifts we can give our children are roots and wings.’ - allegedly Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German writer)
3. ‘Unless you dig a hole, plant a tree, water it and let it survive, you have done nothing. All you do is talk.’ - Wangari Maathai (Kenyan professor and Nobel Peace Prize winner)
4. ‘A single tree can make all the difference. Let's plant them in large numbers and transform the world.’ - Unknown
5. ‘Those who plant trees not only love themselves, but also others.’ - Thomas Fuller
6. ‘When you plant a tree, you plant a hope.’ - Lucy Larcom (US-American author)

‘He who plants a tree has not lived in vain’ - African proverb

Sayings about planting trees as a connection with nature

These tree quotes emphasise the deep connection between trees and nature. They invite us to connect with nature, to appreciate its beauty and power and to preserve our love of nature.

1. ‘The trees in the storm don't try to stand straight, tall and upright. They allow themselves to bend and be blown away by the wind. They understand the power of letting go.’ - Julia Butterfly Hill (environmental activist)
2. ‘It hardly takes half an hour to cut down a beautiful tree. To grow until you admire it, it needs, remember, a century.’ - Eugen Roth (German poet)
3. ‘Trees that grow slowly bear the best fruit.’ - Molière (French actor)
4. ‘A tree is a manifestation of strength and vigour. Let us plant it to develop our own inner strength.’ - Unknown
5. ‘Even if I knew that the world would end tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree.’ - Martin Luther (theologian)
6. ‘Society grows great when old men plant trees they know they will never sit in their shade.’ - Ancient Greek proverb
7. ‘Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.’ - Warren Buffet (investor)
8. ‘As a symbol of life, the hair shoots off our heads. Like the earth, it can be harvested, but it will rise again. We can change its colour and texture if we feel like it, but in time it will return to its original form, just as nature will, in time, transform our precisely constructed cities into a forest.’ - Diane Ackerman (writer and poet)

Sayings about trees as appreciation and mindfulness for the environment

These quotes emphasise appreciation of the environment and encourage us to plant trees to support natural cycles, preserve nature's diversity and strengthen our connection to the earth.

1. ‘If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for a hundred years, raise children.’ - Confucius (Chinese philosopher)
2. ‘I plant a tree that teaches me to draw strength from my deepest roots’ - Andrea Koehle Jones (author)
3. ‘The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence. The stars, the sun, the moon move in silence. Silence gives us a new perspective.’ - Mother Teresa (nun)
4. ‘A man who plants a tree cannot be called a pessimist.’ - Iain Cameron Williams (author)
5. ‘Trees we plant today are forests we enjoy tomorrow.’ - Matshona Dhliwayo (author)
6. ‘Planting trees is always a utopian endeavour, it seems to me, a bet on a future that the planter does not necessarily expect to experience.’ - Michael Pollan (journalist and professor)