---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Okavango Delta is an astonishing…"
description: "\"The Okavango Delta is an astonishing sight: the great Okavango River, rather than flow towards the sea, flows inland, into the sands of the Kalahari.\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/alexander-mccall-smith-372_astonishing_the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sig_3001277.png"
---

#  The Okavango Delta is an astonishing sight: the great…

![“The Okavango Delta is an astonishing sight: the great Okavango River, rather than flow towards the sea, flows inland, into the sands of the Kalahari.” quote by Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/alexander-mccall-smith-372_astonishing_the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sig_3001277.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/alexander-mccall-smith-372_astonishing_the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sig_3001277.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/alexander-mccall-smith-372_astonishing_the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sig_3001277.png)

> “The Okavango Delta is an astonishing sight: the great Okavango River, rather than flow towards the sea, flows inland, into the sands of the Kalahari.”

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

## About This Quote

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

The Okavango River uniquely flows inland, creating a vast inland delta that sustains diverse ecosystems in the desert.

**In simple terms:** A river that ends in a desert, forming a rich inland delta.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate nature’s unexpected patterns.

Themes

nature geography surprise ecosystem

Mood

awe inspired

Type

descriptive educational

When to use this quote

- wildlife photography
- environmental education
- eco‑tourism

Key Concepts

hydrology inland deltas adaptation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this river shape local cultures?
- What can we learn about resilience?

A Different Perspective

Human activity can threaten its delicate balance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) [Delta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delta/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Flows Inland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flows-inland-4766635/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Okavango](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-okavango-4766638/) [Okavango Delta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/okavango-delta-4766634/) [Okavango River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/okavango-river-4766636/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sand/) [Sands Kalahari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sands-kalahari-4766637/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sight/)

## Related quotes

> [Since I was a kid, I've had an absolute obsession with particular kinds of American music. Mississippi Delta blues of the Thirties, Chicago blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/since-i-was-a-kid-i-ve-had-an-absolute-obsession-with-particular/)

[Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/)

> [Everyone dreams, but not everybody remembers their dreams because some people go into delta; they go too low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/everyone-dreams-but-not-everybody-remembers-their-dreams-because-some/)

[Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/)

> [Higher than hell flyer than Delta.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/higher-than-hell-flyer-than-delta/)

[Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/)

> [When I was a child, I thought of my Delta town as the center of the universe, but now I realize how little I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-h-zewail/when-i-was-a-child-i-thought-of-my-delta-town-as-the-center-of-the/)

[Ahmed H. Zewail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-h-zewail/)

> [I went to Ft Bragg and learned that Delta was indeed gearing up for the rescue. Still I was concerned the Reagan staff would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-gritz/i-went-to-ft-bragg-and-learned-that-delta-was-indeed-gearing-up-for/)

[Bo Gritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-gritz/)

> [In art and science we are now in a delta, at the end of the long flow of progress. In a delta there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/in-art-and-science-we-are-now-in-a-delta-at-the-end-of-the-long-flow/)

[Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/)

> [That Mississippi sound, that Delta sound is in them old records. You can hear it all the way through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/that-mississippi-sound-that-delta-sound-is-in-them-old-records-you/)

[Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/)

> [It's not enough to celebrate the ideals that we're built on, liberty and justice and equality for all. Those just can't be words on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-not-enough-to-celebrate-the-ideals-that-we-re-built-on-liberty/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Creating these messes that go from administration to administration and then you swoop in and clean them up - with that heroic Delta force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/creating-these-messes-that-go-from-administration-to-administration/)

[Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/)

> [When I was 15, if anything, I thought I was going to be a Delta bluesman, which is so ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bay/when-i-was-15-if-anything-i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-delta/)

[James Bay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bay/)

> [Ill book a ticket on some garbage airline. I dont wanna name an actual airline so lets make one up, lets just call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mulaney/ill-book-a-ticket-on-some-garbage-airline-i-dont-wanna-name-an-actual/)

[John Mulaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mulaney/)

> [I'm from the Mississippi delta originally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-milton/i-m-from-the-mississippi-delta-originally/)

[Little Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-milton/)

> [I feel like so much of what happened in the Delta over the decades since slavery was abolished seems much closer in the Delta,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-feel-like-so-much-of-what-happened-in-the-delta-over-the-decades/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [By the time I was in my teens, I was listening to Delta blues and jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/by-the-time-i-was-in-my-teens-i-was-listening-to-delta-blues-and-jazz/)

[Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/)

> [Vietnam, me love you long time. All day, all night, me love you long time. (...) Dropping acid on the Mekong Delta, smoking grass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-garland/vietnam-me-love-you-long-time-all-day-all-night-me-love-you-long-time/)

[Alex Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-garland/)

## More by Alexander McCall Smith

> [“old-fashioned, gentle Scottish physician, unmoved by the considerations of profit and personal gain that could so disfigure medicine. That doctors should consider themselves businessmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/old-fashioned-gentle-scottish-physician-unmoved-by-the-considerations/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“She had not made a lot of money, but she had not made a loss, and she had been happy and entertained. That counted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/she-had-not-made-a-lot-of-money-but-she-had-not-made-a-loss-and-she/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [And that, in a way, was the burden of being a philosopher: one knew what one had to do, but it was so often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/and-that-in-a-way-was-the-burden-of-being-a-philosopher-one-knew-what/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“To use strong language, she thought, was a sign of bad temper and lack of concern for others. Such people were not clever or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/to-use-strong-language-she-thought-was-a-sign-of-bad-temper-and-lack/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“Men are very sensitive, Mma Makutsi. You would not always think it to look at them, but they are. They do not like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/men-are-very-sensitive-mma-makutsi-you-would-not-always-think-it-to/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“He is a good man, but even a good man can fall for a glamorous woman. That is well known.” “That is very well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/he-is-a-good-man-but-even-a-good-man-can-fall-for-a-glamorous-woman/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“And then the second thing you have to do is go and see your son. That is a duty of love, Andrew. It's as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/and-then-the-second-thing-you-have-to-do-is-go-and-see-your-son-that/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“Because laughs never die away entirely,” said Jamie. “At least, if you believe in Marconi.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/because-laughs-never-die-away-entirely-said-jamie-at-least-if-you/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“The trouble with having a conscience, she said to herself, is that it never sleeps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/the-trouble-with-having-a-conscience-she-said-to-herself-is-that-it/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“And if there's bad behaviour," Mma Potokwane went on. "If there's bad behaviour, the quickest way of stopping it is to give more love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/and-if-there-s-bad-behaviour-mma-potokwane-went-on-if-there-s-bad/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“We never realise how transparent we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/we-never-realise-how-transparent-we-are/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“Has he not got a wife back wherever he comes from? Is there no wife to say, ‘You must not go off and visit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/has-he-not-got-a-wife-back-wherever-he-comes-from-is-there-no-wife-to/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“He looked at her in the darkness, at this woman who was everything to him-mother, Africa, wisdom, understanding, good things to eat, pumpkins, chicken,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/he-looked-at-her-in-the-darkness-at-this-woman-who-was-everything-to/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“It is because you are generous in spirit; and may I be like that; may I become like you—which unrealistic wish, to become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/it-is-because-you-are-generous-in-spirit-and-may-i-be-like-that-may-i/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [“Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni,” she asked, “do you think that our souls grow as we get older?” He did not answer immediately, but when he did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/mr-j-l-b-matekoni-she-asked-do-you-think-that-our-souls-grow-as-we/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

[Explore all 628 Alexander McCall Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

## More Astonishing quotes

> [It's astonishing what you learn and feel and see along the way. That's why a reporter's job, as you know, is such a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/it-s-astonishing-what-you-learn-and-feel-and-see-along-the-way-that-s/)

[Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/)

> [A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-may-perform-astonishing-feats-and-comprehend-a-vast-amount-of/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [A first novel of astonishing force, craft and beauty, The Headmaster's Wager conjures up a dizzyingly evocative wartime Saigon in the story of Percival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-y-k-lee-2/a-first-novel-of-astonishing-force-craft-and-beauty-the-headmaster-s/)

[Janice Y. K. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-y-k-lee-2/)

> [“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/)

[A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/)

> [It was astonishing when at one point, I got the idea of how to make artifical clouds with a collaborator, we had pictures made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/it-was-astonishing-when-at-one-point-i-got-the-idea-of-how-to-make/)

[Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/)

> [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/)

[Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/)

> [The astonishing thing for me is that I had a career before politics and I never thought about my colour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-gyimah/the-astonishing-thing-for-me-is-that-i-had-a-career-before-politics/)

[Sam Gyimah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-gyimah/)

> [“There is no denying it; one must admit that there is something astonishing about Christianity. 'It is because you were born in it,' they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-is-no-denying-it-one-must-admit-that-there-is-something/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [It's Twitter's combination of simplicity and complexity that is astonishing in the same way that minimalist sculpture was inspiring and enlightening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-goldsmith/it-s-twitter-s-combination-of-simplicity-and-complexity-that-is/)

[Kenneth Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-goldsmith/)

> [All that we don't know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/all-that-we-don-t-know-is-astonishing-even-more-astonishing-is-what/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy which we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-which-we/)

[Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/)

> [“No one ever said aloud any of the kinds of things he was so constantly thinking, because no one in the parish, not Alice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/no-one-ever-said-aloud-any-of-the-kinds-of-things-he-was-so/)

[Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/)

> [If you worry less about what people think of you, you can pick up an astonishing amount of information about them. You no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-worry-less-about-what-people-think-of-you-you-can-pick-up-an/)

[Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/)

> [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

[Browse all 410 Astonishing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Okavango Delta is an astonishing sight: the great Okavango River, rather than flow towards the sea, flows inland, into the sands of the Kalahari.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alexander McCall Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sight-the-great-okavango-river/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Astonishing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sight-the-great-okavango-river/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/alexander-mccall-smith-372_astonishing_the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sig_3001277.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/alexander-mccall-smith-372_astonishing_the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sig_3001277.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/alexander-mccall-smith-372_astonishing_the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sig_3001277.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Okavango Delta is an astonishing sight: the great Okavango River, rather than flow towards the sea…” — Alexander McCall Smith",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alexander McCall Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Okavango Delta is an astonishing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sight-the-great-okavango-river/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/the-okavango-delta-is-an-astonishing-sight-the-great-okavango-river/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
