25 Beautiful Mary Oliver Quotes to Live By

We all can benefit from adding a little more poetry into our lives.

The Mary Oliver quotes below feature her powerful, honest words that will give you a brand new perspective on life. 

Who is your favorite poet?

As a child, my love of writing began with poetry.

During my many trips to the library, I fell in love with many poets such as Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, Edgar Allen Poe, and of course, Mary Oliver.

Her work often dives into the state of humanity and its connections with the natural world.

Below we have compiled some of the most motivational Mary Oliver quotes on life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. 

Enjoy! 

Check out our inspirational quotes category page for more inspirational life quotes.

Mary Oliver quotes on life 

1. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver

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2. “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” – Mary Oliver

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3. “Listen–are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?” – Mary Oliver

4. “You must not ever stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.” – Mary Oliver

5. “I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.” – Mary Oliver

6. “What misery to be afraid of death. What wretchedness, to believe only in what can be proven.” – Mary Oliver

7. “It’s not a competition, it’s a doorway.”  – Mary Oliver

8. “And to tell the truth I don’t want to let go of the wrists of idleness, I don’t want to sell my life for money, I don’t even want to come in out of the rain.” – Mary Oliver

9. “I try to be good but sometimes a person just has to break out and act like the wild and springy thing one used to be. It’s impossible not to remember wild and want it back.”  – Mary Oliver

10. “We need beauty because it makes us ache to be worthy of it.” – Mary Oliver

11. “When will you have a little pity for every soft thing that walks through the world, yourself included.” – Mary Oliver

12. “After a cruel childhood, one must reinvent oneself. Then reimagine the world.” – Mary Oliver

13. “When it’s over, I want to say all my life I was a bride married to amazement.” – Mary Oliver

14. “As long as you’re dancing, you can Break the rules. Sometimes breaking the rules is just Extending the rules. Sometimes there are no rules.” – Mary Oliver

15. “It is the nature of stone to be satisfied. It is the nature of water to want to be somewhere else.” – Mary Oliver

16. “And now I understand something so frightening & wonderful-how the mind clings to the road it knows, rushing through crossroads, sticking like lint to the familiar.” – Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver quotes on love

17. “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” – Mary Oliver

18. “I tell you this to break your heart, by which I mean only that it will break open and never close again to the rest of the world.” – Mary Oliver

19. “Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.”  – Mary Oliver

20. “It is better for the heart to break, than not to break.” – Mary Oliver

21. “So every day I was surrounded by the beautiful crying forth of the ideas of God, one of which was you.” – Mary Oliver

22. “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” – Mary Oliver

23. “Love, love, love, says Percy. And hurry as fast as you can along the shining beach, or the rubble, or the dust. Then, go to sleep. Give up your body heat, your beating heart. Then, trust.” – Mary Oliver

24. “Every morning I walk like this around the pond, thinking: if the doors of my heart ever close, I am as good as dead.”  – Mary Oliver

25. “There are a hundred paths through the world that are easier than loving. But, who wants easier?” – Mary Oliver

Also check out these inspiring Ella Baker quotes on civil rights, activism, and more

When’s the last time you examined the beauty in everyday things? 

Much of Mary Oliver’s work oozes positivity.

She sees beauty in everything around her and is constantly in amazement at the miracle of life. 

To celebrate Mary Oliver’s life and work, take time out of your day to find beauty and happiness in everyday things.

Whether it’s the smell of your morning coffee or the sound of the rain falling on your roof, life is filled with magic that’s waiting to be discovered.

All it takes is a brand new perspective to find it. 

Which of these beautiful Mary Oliver quotes stuck out to you?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.