---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We look at mountains and call them…"
description: "\"We look at mountains and call them eternal, and they seem... but in the course of time, mountains rise and fall, rivers change their courses, starts fa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/anonymous-1_cities_we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-etern_1811371.jpg"
---

#  We look at mountains and call them eternal, and they…

![“We look at mountains and call them eternal, and they seem... but in the course of time, mountains rise and fall, rivers change their courses, starts fall from the sky, and great cities sink beneath the sea. Even gods die, we think. Everything changes.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/anonymous-1_cities_we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-etern_1811371.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/anonymous-1_cities_we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-etern_1811371.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/anonymous-1_cities_we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-etern_1811371.jpg)

> “We look at mountains and call them eternal, and they seem... but in the course of time, mountains rise and fall, rivers change their courses, starts fall from the sky, and great cities sink beneath the sea. Even gods die, we think. Everything changes.”

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

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

Everything in the world is transient; even the mightiest entities eventually fade.

**In simple terms:** All things change and die.

Key Takeaway

Accept impermanence, cherish the present.

Themes

impermanence nature humility

Mood

reflective melancholic thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal loss
- environmental change
- historical study
- creative writing

Key Concepts

philosophy cosmology spirituality

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this view affect your daily decisions?
- What can you do to honor fleeting moments?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on change can cause anxiety about stability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Mountains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountains/) [Rise and fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-and-fall/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“The years pass in their hundreds and their thousands, and what does any man see of life but a few summers, a few winters?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-years-pass-in-their-hundreds-and-their-thousands-and-what-does/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [“Oh, to be sure, there is much we do not understand. The years pass in their hundreds and their thousands, and what does any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/oh-to-be-sure-there-is-much-we-do-not-understand-the-years-pass-in/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [“And mountains may rise and fall, and the sun might wither away, and the sea claim the land and swallow the sky. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-thalassa/and-mountains-may-rise-and-fall-and-the-sun-might-wither-away-and-the/)

[Laura Thalassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-thalassa/)

> [The rain is plentious but, by God's decree, Only a third is meant for you and me; Two-thirds are taken by the growing things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/the-rain-is-plentious-but-by-god-s-decree-only-a-third-is-meant-for/)

[A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/)

> [When a young person is sent 'up the river,' we need to remember that all rivers can change course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-k-simpson/when-a-young-person-is-sent-up-the-river-we-need-to-remember-that-all/)

[Alan K. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-k-simpson/)

> [“Nothing in life is constant, for even rivers change their course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-bax/nothing-in-life-is-constant-for-even-rivers-change-their-course/)

[Timothy Bax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-bax/)

> [Oh land of farms and green hills mild Once formed by giants rough and wild With massive paws they gripped and tore With one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/oh-land-of-farms-and-green-hills-mild-once-formed-by-giants-rough-and/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [“Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/benedicto-may-your-trails-be-crooked-winding-lonesome-dangerous/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/may-your-trails-be-crooked-winding-lonesome-dangerous-leading-to-the-2/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Rocks crumble, make new forms, oceans move the continents, mountains rise up and down like ghosts yet all is natural, all is change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/rocks-crumble-make-new-forms-oceans-move-the-continents-mountains/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [“ Our Valley We don't see the ocean, not ever, but in July and August when the worst heat seems to rise from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/our-valley-we-don-t-see-the-ocean-not-ever-but-in-july-and-august/)

[Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/)

> [“Blue water extends in rows of gentle ripples to a thin line of barely visible cottonwoods on the far side. The wind dies to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-iversen/blue-water-extends-in-rows-of-gentle-ripples-to-a-thin-line-of-barely/)

[Kristen Iversen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-iversen/)

> [A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. Ideas have endurance without death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-may-die-nations-may-rise-and-fall-but-an-idea-lives-on-ideas/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A teenage girl lay asleep on the sofa, curled up under a red-and-black knitted afghan. She was on her side, with one slender arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-teenage-girl-lay-asleep-on-the-sofa-curled-up-under-a-red-and-black/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The advantages of a hereditary Monarchy are self-evident. Without some such method of prescriptive, immediate and automatic succession, an interregnum intervenes, rival claimants arise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-advantages-of-a-hereditary-monarchy-are-self-evident-without-some/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [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/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Cities quotes

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/)

[Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/)

James Cross Giblin

> [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/)

[Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/)

> [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/)

[Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/)

> [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/)

[Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/)

> [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We look at mountains and call them eternal, and they seem... but in the course of time, mountains rise and fall, rivers change their courses, starts fall from the sky, and great cities sink beneath the sea. Even gods die, we think. Everything changes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-eternal-and-they-seem-but-in-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cities"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-eternal-and-they-seem-but-in-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/anonymous-1_cities_we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-etern_1811371.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/anonymous-1_cities_we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-etern_1811371.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/451/anonymous-1_cities_we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-etern_1811371.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We look at mountains and call them eternal, and they seem... but in the course of time, mountains rise and…” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We look at mountains and call...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-eternal-and-they-seem-but-in-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-look-at-mountains-and-call-them-eternal-and-they-seem-but-in-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
