What do you think this quote means or what can I say about it?I'm using the quote below for an essay about how tree's grow and change through...

Interesting Muir quote and even more unique being able to tie it
to Anderson's work.  I think you would want to focus on the second part of the quote.  The idea
that individuals must understand that while nature can be cruel, it is second only to the cruelty
that human beings perpetrate upon one another is profound.  There is something that "speaks"
towards what Anderson might be driving in such an element.  Keeping this in mind, the first part
of the quote deals with the idea of nurturing and protecting growth.  With both of these notions
in hand, I think that you can focus on how Melinda has grown throughout the course of the novel
as a part of this.  In the end, the cruelty that her colleagues and many others in her world show
towards her would have destroyed the growth of other people.  Yet, her own notion of being able
to "speak" is what ends up insulating her from the foolishness of others.  When we consider what
the Art teacher said about, "You have a lot to say," we realize that Muir's quote is especially
profound.  There is no absolute guarantee that voices will always be heard.  Rather, individuals
have to fight to be heard, they must rise above the foolishness of which Muir speaks.  Melinda
understands this and it is through her embrace of this that she is able to "speak" and be
heard.