Long to be back in the wilderness or campsite, pitching camping tents with family and friends? If you’re stuck indoors, desperate to unplug again, we feel your pain. So here is a little inspiration from authors, naturalists, and even comedians and their take on camping. Enjoy this list of 33 camping quotes that will inspire you to head outdoors.

Camping Quotes by Conservationists

1. "The farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom." ― Theodore Roosevelt

2. “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

3. “All good things are wild and free." ― Thoreau

4. "Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." ― Walt Whitman

5. “Wilderness is not a luxury but necessity of the human spirit.” ― Edward Abbey

Discover more about how these conservationists inspired Americans to go camping.

6. “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” ― John Muir

7. “Nothing truly wild is unclean.” ― John Muir

8. “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few are dirt.” ― John Muir

9. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” ― John Muir

10. “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” ― John Muir

11. "The glories of a mountain campfire are far greater than may be guessed." ― John Muir

12. “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.” ― Aliyyah Eniath

13. "If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently." – Bill Watterson

Couldn’t agree more.

That’s why we put together this handy Stargazing Calendar Guide every year!

Light-hearted & Funny Camping Quotes

14. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott

15. “Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.” ― George Carlin

While meant sarcastically, George Carlin isn’t wrong. Campers have a hard time finding sites these days.

We recommend using a camping app like Dyrt.

16. “A bad day camping is still better than a good day working.” ― Anonymous

17. “Cooking and eating food outdoors makes it taste infinitely better than the same meal prepared and consumed indoors.” ― Fennel Hudson

18. “I Googled my symptoms, turned out I just need to go camping.” ― Anonymous

19. “Camping – because therapy is expensive.” ― Anonymous

20. “I do have a retirement plan. I plan on camping.” ― Anonymous

Camping Quotes About Tents & Bonfires

21. “My tent doesn’t look like much but, as an estate agent might say, it is air-conditioned and has an exceptional location.” ― Fennel Hudson

22. “There is nothing worse, after days of falling asleep by a babbling brook and waking up to a choir chirping birds, than to go inside a house with insulated walls and an obstructive roof. This torturous invention, a cage, a box, prevents you from seeing or hearing anything of natural importance. Make time to free yourself and find a bit of nature.” ― Katherine Keith

23. “It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.” ― Dave Barry

24. “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a camper, which is kind of the same thing.” ― Unknown

25. “When you’re down on your luck and you’ve lost all your dreams there’s nothing like a campfire and a can of beans.” ― Tom Waits

26. “Light a campfire and everyone’s a storyteller.” ― John Geddes

27. “A bonfire is basically just a nightclub in the mountains.” ― Anonymous

28. “How is it that one match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box of matches to start a campfire?” — Christy Whitehead

29. “The fire is the main comfort of camp, whether in summer or winter.” ― Henry David Thoreau

Camping Quotes About Family & Friends

30. “There’s no wi-fi in the mountains, but you’ll find no better connection.” ― Anonymous

31. “Once all the power goes out, there will still be human beings standing together around a campfire, playing acoustic guitars.” ― Jim James

32. “Camping is not a date; it’s an endurance test. If you can survive camping with someone, you should marry them on the way home.” ― Yvonne Prinz

33. “Remember, a good marriage is like a campfire. Both grow cold if left unattended.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Yes, some marriages even begin around a campfire with a camping wedding!

Share Your Favorite Camping Quote

Whether you’re a newbie camper or consider yourself a tried-and-true naturalist like Muir, we hope these camping quotes bring a smile to your face and inspire you to be one with nature on your next great adventure.

Do you have a favorite camping quote that gives you a bonfire-like warm and fuzzy feeling? Or maybe even just a camping pun or joke?

Share it with us below – we’d love to hear it!