---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Water is powerful. It can wash away…"
description: "\"Water is powerful. It can wash away earth, put out fire, and even destroy iron.\" — Arthur Golden"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/arthur-golden-1813_earth_water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth_460621.png"
---

#  Water is powerful. It can wash away earth, put out fire…

![“Water is powerful. It can wash away earth, put out fire, and even destroy iron.” quote by Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/arthur-golden-1813_earth_water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth_460621.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/arthur-golden-1813_earth_water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth_460621.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/arthur-golden-1813_earth_water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth_460621.png)

> “Water is powerful. It can wash away earth, put out fire, and even destroy iron.”

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

## About This Quote

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

Water’s ability to erode, extinguish, and corrode shows that even gentle forces can cause profound change.

**In simple terms:** Gentle forces can cause big change.

Key Takeaway

Respect the power of subtle forces.

Themes

nature power transformation

Mood

reflective serious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- environmental stewardship
- conflict resolution
- personal growth

Key Concepts

erosion extinction corrosion

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you harness subtle power responsibly?
- What gentle forces shape your life?

A Different Perspective

Even gentle forces can be destructive if unchecked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/)

## Related quotes

> [None can destroy iron, but its own rust can! Likewise none can destroy a person, but its own mind set can! OUR THOUGHTS CAN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/none-can-destroy-iron-but-its-own-rust-can-likewise-none-can-destroy/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“If there were such a thing as fate, I had been put on this earth to destroy and not to create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelynn-drake/if-there-were-such-a-thing-as-fate-i-had-been-put-on-this-earth-to/)

[Jocelynn Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelynn-drake/)

> [Capitalism is destroying Mother Earth, and to destroy Mother Earth is to destroy humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/capitalism-is-destroying-mother-earth-and-to-destroy-mother-earth-is/)

[Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/)

> [None can destroy iron, but its own rust can! Likewise, none can destroy a person, but his own mindset can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/none-can-destroy-iron-but-its-own-rust-can-likewise-none-can-destroy-3/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [None can destroy iron, but its own rust can! Likewise none can destroy a person, but its own mindset can!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ratan-tata/none-can-destroy-iron-but-its-own-rust-can-likewise-none-can-destroy-2/)

[Ratan Tata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ratan-tata/)

> [Who can destroy iron but its own rust, and who can destroy a person but his own mind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/who-can-destroy-iron-but-its-own-rust-and-who-can-destroy-a-person/)

[Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/)

> [No One can Destroy IRON but its own RUST can. Likewise, No one can Destroy a Person but his Own Mind can! Our Thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/no-one-can-destroy-iron-but-its-own-rust-can-likewise-no-one-can/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Water is the most powerful thing in the world. Just being in it, around it, it gives me some sort of peace. Watching it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-collins/water-is-the-most-powerful-thing-in-the-world-just-being-in-it-around/)

[John Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-collins/)

> [The Chinese say that water is the most powerful element, because it is perfectly nonresistant. It can wear away a rock, and sweep all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-scovel-shinn/the-chinese-say-that-water-is-the-most-powerful-element-because-it-is/)

[Florence Scovel Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-scovel-shinn/)

> [Ah, you've come over the water. Powerful wet stuff, ain't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ah-you-ve-come-over-the-water-powerful-wet-stuff-ain-t-it/)

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

> [A drop of water is as powerful as a thunder-bolt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/a-drop-of-water-is-as-powerful-as-a-thunder-bolt/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [The feminine is more powerful than the masculine, the soft is more powerful than the hard, the water is more powerful than the rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-feminine-is-more-powerful-than-the-masculine-the-soft-is-more/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [The Grand Canyon is living evidence of the power of water over a period of time. The power may not manifest immediately. Water can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-grand-canyon-is-living-evidence-of-the-power-of-water-over-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You must have an iron will, if you would cross the ocean. You must be strong enough to pierce mountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/you-must-have-an-iron-will-if-you-would-cross-the-ocean-you-must-be/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Those of us with water in our personalities don't pick where we'll flow to. All we can do is flow where the landscape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/those-of-us-with-water-in-our-personalities-don-t-pick-where-we-ll/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

## More by Arthur Golden

> [He was like a song I'd heard once in fragments but had been singing in my mind ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/he-was-like-a-song-i-d-heard-once-in-fragments-but-had-been-singing/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [Sometimes we get through adversity only by imagining what the world might be like if our dreams should ever come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/sometimes-we-get-through-adversity-only-by-imagining-what-the-world/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [When we fight upstream against a rocky undercurrent, every foothold takes on a kind of urgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/when-we-fight-upstream-against-a-rocky-undercurrent-every-foothold/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [Never give up; for even rivers someday wash dams away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/never-give-up-for-even-rivers-someday-wash-dams-away/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“Oh I'm sure you're right," Auntie said. "Probably she's just as you say. But she looks to me like a very clever girl, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/oh-i-m-sure-you-re-right-auntie-said-probably-she-s-just-as-you-say/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“I'm not sure this will make sense to you, but I felt as though I'd turned around to look in a different direction, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-m-not-sure-this-will-make-sense-to-you-but-i-felt-as-though-i-d/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“We human beings are only a part of something very much larger. When we walk along, we may crush a beetle or simply cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/we-human-beings-are-only-a-part-of-something-very-much-larger-when-we/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [If you aren't the woman I think you are, then this isn't the world I thought it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/if-you-aren-t-the-woman-i-think-you-are-then-this-isn-t-the-world-i/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [You know, the men go to tea houses with the expectation that they will have a nice quiet evening and not read about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/you-know-the-men-go-to-tea-houses-with-the-expectation-that-they-will/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/adversity-is-like-a-strong-wind-i-don-t-mean-just-that-it-holds-us/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“Most nights I lay on my futon I was sick with anxiety, and felt a pit inside myself as big and empty as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/most-nights-i-lay-on-my-futon-i-was-sick-with-anxiety-and-felt-a-pit/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [Of course, a sign doesn't mean anything unless you know how to interpret it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/of-course-a-sign-doesn-t-mean-anything-unless-you-know-how-to/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“I knew even then that she was right. An en is a karmic bond lasting a lifetime. Nowadays many people seem to believe their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-knew-even-then-that-she-was-right-an-en-is-a-karmic-bond-lasting-a/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [I didn't say to act dead. I said act helpless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-didn-t-say-to-act-dead-i-said-act-helpless/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [“I'm not sure this will make sense to you but I felt as though I'd turned around to look in a different direction so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-m-not-sure-this-will-make-sense-to-you-but-i-felt-as-though-i-d-2/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

[Explore all 190 Arthur Golden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

## More Earth quotes

> [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

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

> [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/)

[Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/)

> [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/)

[Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

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

> [Then all this earth shines like one house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/then-all-this-earth-shines-like-one-house/)

[Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/)

[Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/)

> [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/)

> [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/)

[Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/)

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [What did you do to save the world today?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie/what-did-you-do-to-save-the-world-today/)

[Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie/)

[Browse all 15,455 Earth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Water is powerful. It can wash away earth, put out fire, and even destroy iron.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Arthur Golden"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth-put-out-fire-and-even/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Earth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth-put-out-fire-and-even/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/arthur-golden-1813_earth_water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth_460621.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/arthur-golden-1813_earth_water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth_460621.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/arthur-golden-1813_earth_water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth_460621.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Water is powerful. It can wash away earth, put out fire, and even destroy iron.” — Arthur Golden",
                "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": "Arthur Golden",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Water is powerful. It can wash...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth-put-out-fire-and-even/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/water-is-powerful-it-can-wash-away-earth-put-out-fire-and-even/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
