I’ve got adventure on my mind.

It’s no surprise really, for the past three months or so I’ve had the privilege of curating the Elephant Journal focus page, Elephant Adventure. As part of the Social Media Apprenticeship Program we get to spend time selecting photos, quotes, and articles that are appropriate for our page.

When I was first assigned the Adventure Page, I wasn’t thrilled. I thought managing the page would entail seeking out things like zip-lining, rock-climbing, and snowboarding. And while activities of that nature do indeed fall under the category of adventure, I’ve come to realize that adventure entails so much more than just hiking or extreme sports.

Adventure is about stepping out of our comfort zone and (re)awakening our sense of wonder. It’s about dreaming and imagining, but also having the courage to chase our dreams.

Adventure is about travel and trying new things, yet at the same time we can also find adventure in our day-to-day happenings.

Sometimes adventure simply means tackling something with a new perspective.

Having the curiosity and willingness to explore something familiar in a new way. An adventure can be a grandiose journey, but it can also be something as simple as taking a class or trying a new activity.

The point is the experience! How it makes us feel. What we learn. Who we meet.

Adventure is about fueling the fire in our hearts—our passions, our dreams, our will to explore.

Adventure gives us perspective. It reminds us that there is so much more to the world, beyond the safety of the little bubbles we love to float along in.

After all, it is life itself—just living—that is truly the biggest adventure any of us will experience.

For life is always changing, always throwing us new challenges, and we have the choice to either sink to the bottom, or swim with the current and discover where that will lead us.

With that in mind, here are some of the best quotes to ignite our sense of adventure and uncage our wild hearts!

1. “No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.” ~ Lewis Carroll

2. “Never say ‘no’ to adventures. Always say ‘yes’, otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.” ~ Ian Fleming

3. “Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.” ~ Judith Thurman

4. “I’m restless. Things are calling me away. My hair is being pulled by the stars again.” ~ Anaïs Nin

5. “Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” ~ J.K. Rowling

6. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ~ Harriet Tubman

7. “Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.” ~ Hunter S. Thompson

8. “If you don’t take risks, you’ll have a wasted soul.” ~ Drew Barrymore

9. “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” ~ Barry Finlay

10. “Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” ~ Helen Keller

11. “Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry.” ~ Jack Kerouac

12. “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” ~ C.S. Lewis

13. “Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.” ~ Ray Bradbury

14. “Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

15. “Life is for deep kisses, strange adventures, midnight swims and rambling conversations.” ~ Author Unknown

16. “You belong among the wildflowers, you belong in a boat out at sea…You belong with your love on your arm, you belong somewhere you feel free.” ~ Tom Petty

17. “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” ~ Oliver Goldsmith

18. “If you don’t imagine, nothing ever happens at all.” ~ John Green

19. “Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without traveling.” ~ Roman Payne

20. “I think people spend too much time staring into screens and not enough time drinking wine, tongue kissing, and dancing under the moon.” ~ Rachel Wolchin

21. “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal.” ~ Paulo Coelho

22. “There is your car and the open road, the fabled lure of random adventure. You stand at the verge, and you could become anything.” ~ Dan Chaon

23. “The best thing you could do is master the chaos in you. You are not thrown into the fire, you are the fire.” ~ Mama Indigo

24. “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.”~ Roald Dahl

25. “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

26. “And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling.” ~ Shanti

27. “Stop contemplating and start celebrating…Yeah, you gotta live before you die.” ~ Mike Ness

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Author: Yoli Ramazzina

Apprentice Editor: Renee Jahnke / Editor: Renee Picard

Image: EladeMandu/Flickr