--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have to understand the nature of…" description: "\"I have to understand the nature of change. And I cannot just work with stone or the more permanent materials. I need to work with leaves and ice and sn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/andy-goldsworthy-4466_change_i-have-to-understand-the-nature-of-chang_336864.png" --- # I have to understand the nature of change. And I cannot… ![“I have to understand the nature of change. And I cannot just work with stone or the more permanent materials. I need to work with leaves and ice and snow and mud and clay and water and the rising tide and the wind and all these.” quote by Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/andy-goldsworthy-4466_change_i-have-to-understand-the-nature-of-chang_336864.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/andy-goldsworthy-4466_change_i-have-to-understand-the-nature-of-chang_336864.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/andy-goldsworthy-4466_change_i-have-to-understand-the-nature-of-chang_336864.png) > “I have to understand the nature of change. And I cannot just work with stone or the more permanent materials. I need to work with leaves and ice and snow and mud and clay and water and the rising tide and the wind and all these.” [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He emphasizes that art must engage with fleeting, mutable elements rather than static, enduring ones. **In simple terms:** Art should use changing materials. Key Takeaway Embrace impermanence in creation. Themes nature impermanence creativity materiality Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - landscape design - environmental education - public installations - climate activism Key Concepts process art environmental art ephemerality Questions to Reflect On - How does impermanence affect audience perception? - What materials best convey transformation? A Different Perspective Relying on change can make works fragile and unpredictable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [Ice and snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice-and-snow/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snow/) [Tides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tides/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [Human-nature will not change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/human-nature-will-not-change/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [It is absolutely impossible to transcend the laws of nature. What can change in historically different circumstances is only the form in which these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/it-is-absolutely-impossible-to-transcend-the-laws-of-nature-what-can/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [I'm a fighter by nature and nothing will ever change that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastacia/i-m-a-fighter-by-nature-and-nothing-will-ever-change-that/) [Anastacia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastacia/) > [“we always say that nature cannot be change, but we forget that change is the name of nature”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasnain-shakeel/we-always-say-that-nature-cannot-be-change-but-we-forget-that-change/) Hasnain Shakeel > [“And the Divine Nature can change the past. Nothing is yet in its true form.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/and-the-divine-nature-can-change-the-past-nothing-is-yet-in-its-true/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [It is not to be expected that human nature will change in a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-to-be-expected-that-human-nature-will-change-in-a-day/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life and the environment are one thing, not two, and people, as all life, are immersed in the one system. When we influence nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-botkin/life-and-the-environment-are-one-thing-not-two-and-people-as-all-life/) [Daniel Botkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-botkin/) > [It is Jazz's very nature to change, to develop & adapt to the circumstances of its environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/it-is-jazz-s-very-nature-to-change-to-develop-adapt-to-the/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [“The world of man in the world of nature, cannot be change without physical appearance leads to positive possess by the initial human nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-afroz-alam/the-world-of-man-in-the-world-of-nature-cannot-be-change-without/) Syed Afroz Alam > [It's the arrogance of man to think that man can change the climate of the world. Only nature can change the climate. A volcano,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/it-s-the-arrogance-of-man-to-think-that-man-can-change-the-climate-of/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Left alone, I am overtaken by the northern void-no wind, no cloud, no track, no bird, only the crystal crescents between peaks, the ringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/left-alone-i-am-overtaken-by-the-northern-void-no-wind-no-cloud-no/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“Of one kind, and yet of another, wings and wind bear him forth. From chains comes his second birth and never shall he stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-o-connor/of-one-kind-and-yet-of-another-wings-and-wind-bear-him-forth-from/) [Bryce O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-o-connor/) > [“Lovers, forget your love, And list to the love of these, She a window flower, And he a winter breeze. When the frosty window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/lovers-forget-your-love-and-list-to-the-love-of-these-she-a-window/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [A lonely fir-tree is standing On a northern barren height; It sleeps, and the ice and snow-drift Cast round it a garment of white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/a-lonely-fir-tree-is-standing-on-a-northern-barren-height-it-sleeps/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [“The Earth is bathed in a flood of sunlight. A fierce inundation of photons—on average, 342 joules per second per square meter. 4185 joules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-earth-is-bathed-in-a-flood-of-sunlight-a-fierce-inundation-of/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) ## More by Andy Goldsworthy > [Even in winter an isolated patch of snow has a special quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/even-in-winter-an-isolated-patch-of-snow-has-a-special-quality/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [If I had to describe my work in one word, that word would be time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/if-i-had-to-describe-my-work-in-one-word-that-word-would-be-time/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Winter makes a bridge between one year and another and, in this case, one century and the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/winter-makes-a-bridge-between-one-year-and-another-and-in-this-case/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Understanding the materials I work with... gives me a deeper understanding of my place. And it's helped me make sense of the changes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/understanding-the-materials-i-work-with-gives-me-a-deeper/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [I love the winter. Well, I love all the seasons, but the winter is possibly one of the most intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-love-the-winter-well-i-love-all-the-seasons-but-the-winter-is/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Time gives growth, it gives continuity and it gives change. And in the case of some sculptures, time gives a patina to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/time-gives-growth-it-gives-continuity-and-it-gives-change-and-in-the/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Sometimes you need to stop doing something to really see it afresh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/sometimes-you-need-to-stop-doing-something-to-really-see-it-afresh/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [I've laid down in dried up streambeds, leaving a shadow. And then, five minutes later, it's flash flooded, and where I once laid is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-ve-laid-down-in-dried-up-streambeds-leaving-a-shadow-and-then-five/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [When I do the permanent projects or the big projects, when a work is finished, that's the beginning of its life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/when-i-do-the-permanent-projects-or-the-big-projects-when-a-work-is/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Nature, for me is raw and dangerous and difficult and beautiful and unnerving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/nature-for-me-is-raw-and-dangerous-and-difficult-and-beautiful-and/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Ephemeral work made outside, for and about a day, lies at the core of my art and its making must be kept private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/ephemeral-work-made-outside-for-and-about-a-day-lies-at-the-core-of/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Design implies a sense of mapping something out and then you follow the plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/design-implies-a-sense-of-mapping-something-out-and-then-you-follow/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [The reason why the stone is red is its iron content, which is also why our blood is red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/the-reason-why-the-stone-is-red-is-its-iron-content-which-is-also-why/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [It's frightening and unnerving to watch a stone melt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/it-s-frightening-and-unnerving-to-watch-a-stone-melt/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/we-often-forget-that-we-are-nature-nature-is-not-something-separate/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) [Explore all 110 Andy Goldsworthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have to understand the nature of change. 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