“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.”

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees whose shade you never expect to sit under.”

“There's a special kind of man who plants a tree when he knows he'll move on before it's big enough for him to sit in it's shade.”

“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”

“A man may plant a tree for a number of reasons. Perhaps he likes trees. Perhaps he wants shelter. Or perhaps he knows that someday he may need the firewood.”

“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had before known but darkly - the seasons in their moods, morning and evening, night and noon, winds in their different tempers, trees, waters and mists, shades and silences, and the voices of inanimate things.”