The quote above from Emerson’s essay History is a favorite – it alludes to the links between the vastness of history and each of our lives, as well as to endless potential for further creation.
Perhaps even more direct a message – for us humans, anyway – is this one from E.F. Schumacher*:
Rise up, dear friends! Let’s become a forest together.
* Schumacher, Guide for the Perplexed. Even better when read in conjunction with his Small is Beautiful.