About this quote

The line pulls your attention to scale and perspective. Small private fights and daily anxieties shrink when you set them beside enormous, unmoving rock. If your stress feels overwhelming, step outside and compare what you worry about to a ridge or cliff. Choose one small, practical action and move on.

When to use it

• After losing a promotion at work, on the coastal cliff I said aloud, "What are men to rocks and mountains?" and then made a simple plan for the next month.
• The night before finals, sitting on the campus hill, I muttered, "What are men to rocks and mountains?" and focused on the next practice problem.
• After a sharp argument with my sister, standing on the beach among boulders I thought, "What are men to rocks and mountains?" and called to apologize.
• After a bad race, halfway up the training ridge I laughed, "What are men to rocks and mountains?" and tightened my shoes to keep running.