Muir isn't simply saying nature is generous—he's suggesting that our intentional seeking actually *constrains* what we might find. We arrive at a forest hoping to spot a particular bird or photograph a sunset, but the real gift arrives unbidden: the smell of wet bark, a stranger's kindness on the trail, or the sudden clarity that comes from being small beneath tall trees. A hiker who goes out determined to "find peace" often returns disappointed, while one who merely wanted exercise goes home transformed. The wisdom here is that wonder cannot be forced, only received—which means sometimes the best way to get what we need is to stop trying so hard to get it.