John Muir, John of the Mountains : The Unpublished Journals of John Muir (1938) edited by Linnie Marsh Wolfe, p. 24

I do not understand the request of Moses, 'Show me thy glory,' but if he were here . . . after allowing him time to drink the glories of flower, mountain, and sky, I would ask him how they compared with those of the Valley of the Nile . . . and I would inquire how he had the conscience to ask for more glory, when such oceans and atmospheres were about him.

— John Muir on Moses

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I do not understand the request of Moses, 'Show me thy glory,' but if he were here . . . after allowing him time to drink the glories of flower, mountain, and sky, I would ask him how they compared with those of the Valley of the Nile . . . and I would inquire how he had the conscience to ask for more glory, when such oceans and atmospheres were about him." in the context of "John Muir, John of the Mountains : The Unpublished Journals of John Muir (1938) edited by Linnie Marsh Wolfe, p. 24" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Moses" (Quotes about Moses: Alphabetized by author or source ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
John Muir

About John Muir

John Muir (21 April 1838 – 24 December 1914) was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is a prominent American conservation organization.