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Years may go by, and the wheel in the river Wheel as it…

“Years may go by, and the wheel in the river Wheel as it wheels for us, children, to-day, Wheel and keep roaring and foaming for ever Long after all of the boys are away. Home for the Indies and home from the ocean, Heroes and soldiers we all will come home; Still we shall find the old mill wheel…” quote by Robert Louis Stevenson
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““Years may go by, and the wheel in the river Wheel as it wheels for us, children, to-day, Wheel and keep roaring and foaming for ever Long after all of the boys are away. Home for the Indies and home from the ocean, Heroes and soldiers we all will come home; Still we shall find the old mill wheel in motion, Turning and churning that river to foam. You with the bean that I gave when we quarrelled, I with your marble of Saturday last, Honoured and old and all gaily apparelled, Here we shall meet and remember the past.””

Robert Louis Stevenson

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Describes the enduring flow of time and memory, using a river wheel as a metaphor for life's continual motion and reunions.

In simple terms: Life moves like a river wheel, remembering past and future.

Key Takeaway

Embrace life's ongoing flow.

Themes

time memory continuity

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

  • family reunions
  • historical reflection
  • personal growth

Key Concepts

metaphor of river nostalgia homecoming

Questions to Reflect On

  • What cycles in your life feel endless?
  • How do you honor past experiences?
A Different Perspective

May romanticize loss.

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