--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then he noticed a little row-boat at…" description: "\"“Then he noticed a little row-boat at about two hundred yards from the shore. There were two or three people aboard, he could not quite make out how ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/arthur-machen-11940_quote_then-he-noticed-a-little-row-boat-at-abo_874785.jpg" --- # Then he noticed a little row-boat at about two hundred… ![“Then he noticed a little row-boat at about two hundred yards from the shore. There were two or three people aboard, he could not quite make out how many, and they were no doubt fishing, and Merritt (who disliked fish) wondered how people could spoil such an afternoon, such a sea, such pellucid and…” quote by Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/arthur-machen-11940_quote_then-he-noticed-a-little-row-boat-at-abo_874785.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/arthur-machen-11940_quote_then-he-noticed-a-little-row-boat-at-abo_874785.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/arthur-machen-11940_quote_then-he-noticed-a-little-row-boat-at-abo_874785.jpg) > ““Then he noticed a little row-boat at about two hundred yards from the shore. There were two or three people aboard, he could not quite make out how many, and they were no doubt fishing, and Merritt (who disliked fish) wondered how people could spoil such an afternoon, such a sea, such pellucid and radiant air by trying to catch white, flabby, offensive, evil-smelling creatures that would be excessively nasty when cooked.”” [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator critiques fishing as a vulgar activity that spoils the natural beauty of sea and sky, reflecting a disdain for human intrusion. **In simple terms:** Fishing is seen as a corrupting, wasteful act. Key Takeaway Respect nature’s purity over trivial pursuits. Themes environment beauty human impact purity disdain Mood contemplative critical melancholic Type philosophical environmental literary When to use this quote - coastal recreation - environmental ethics - personal reflection Key Concepts ecology aesthetic philosophy human‑nature relationship Questions to Reflect On - Why do we label some natural activities as “vulgar”? - Can enjoyment of nature coexist with responsible use? A Different Perspective The critique may overlook cultural and sustenance aspects of fishing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disliked Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disliked-fish-990472/) [Fish Wondered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish-wondered-990473/) [Fishing Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishing-merritt-990474/) [Merritt Disliked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merritt-disliked-990475/) [Row Boat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/row-boat-791990/) ## Related quotes > [Every time I caught a fish, I wondered how something so small could have such clear, pure strength. 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In brief, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/the-saint-endeavors-to-recover-a-gift-which-he-has-lost-the-sinner/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [“Happiness, said De Quincey, on his discovery of the paradise that he thought he had found in opium, could be sent down by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/happiness-said-de-quincey-on-his-discovery-of-the-paradise-that-he/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [“He knew then how the dull flesh of man can be like fire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/he-knew-then-how-the-dull-flesh-of-man-can-be-like-fire/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [“By what seemed then and still seems a chance, the suggestion of a moment’s idle thought followed up upon familiar lines and paths that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/by-what-seemed-then-and-still-seems-a-chance-the-suggestion-of-a/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [It is all nonsense, to be sure; and so much the greater nonsense inasmuch as the true interpretation of many dreams - not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/it-is-all-nonsense-to-be-sure-and-so-much-the-greater-nonsense/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [“We have just begun to navigate a strange region; we must expect to encounter strange adventures, strange perils.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/we-have-just-begun-to-navigate-a-strange-region-we-must-expect-to/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [“We know what happened to those who chanced to meet the Great God Pan, and those who are wise know that all symbols are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/we-know-what-happened-to-those-who-chanced-to-meet-the-great-god-pan/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [There are strange things lost and forgotten in obscure corners of the newspaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/there-are-strange-things-lost-and-forgotten-in-obscure-corners-of-the/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [“Here, I could see, was choice matter on which the expert and art critic could exercise their knowledge and judgment. As I had neither,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/here-i-could-see-was-choice-matter-on-which-the-expert-and-art-critic/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [Very softly, but very swiftly, Last, the man with the grey face and the staring eyes, bolted for his life, down and away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/very-softly-but-very-swiftly-last-the-man-with-the-grey-face-and-the/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [It was better, he thought, to fail in attempting exquisite things than to succeed in the department of the utterly contemptible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/it-was-better-he-thought-to-fail-in-attempting-exquisite-things-than/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [And it is utterly true that he who cannot find wonder, mystery, awe, the sense of a new world and an undiscovered realm in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/and-it-is-utterly-true-that-he-who-cannot-find-wonder-mystery-awe-the/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [Every branch of human knowledge, if traced up to its source and final principles, vanishes into mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/every-branch-of-human-knowledge-if-traced-up-to-its-source-and-final/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [silence is not weakness and decency is not pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/silence-is-not-weakness-and-decency-is-not-pride/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) [Explore all 55 Arthur Machen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) ## More Row Boat quotes > [Nodding the head does not row the boat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nodding-the-head-does-not-row-the-boat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Do not row your boat, In the backwaters of past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-row-your-boat-in-the-backwaters-of-past/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the stream of life, you row your boat alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/in-the-stream-of-life-you-row-your-boat-alone/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Marriage is like a row boat: it fits two, it doesn't work on auto-pilot and it's very difficult to have sex in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/marriage-is-like-a-row-boat-it-fits-two-it-doesn-t-work-on-auto-pilot/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [Life is like a row boat with a missing crew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosesharon/life-is-like-a-row-boat-with-a-missing-crew/) [Rosesharon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosesharon/) > [Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/row-row-row-your-boat-gently-down-the-stream-merrily-merrily-merrily-2/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [A relationship is like a long trip in a tiny row boat. If one passenger starts to rock the boat, the other has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/a-relationship-is-like-a-long-trip-in-a-tiny-row-boat-if-one/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [“We must row in whatever boat we find ourselves in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-watson/we-must-row-in-whatever-boat-we-find-ourselves-in/) [Christie Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-watson/) > [“ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT, BABY! GOTTA ROW TO THAT FUNKY BEAT, BABY!” she howled. “DANCING DOWN THE STREEEEEEEAM!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-ren-e-russell/row-row-row-your-boat-baby-gotta-row-to-that-funky-beat-baby-she/) [Rachel Renée Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-ren-e-russell/) > [Why should you row a boat race? Why endure the long months of pain in preparation for a fierce half hour that will leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/why-should-you-row-a-boat-race-why-endure-the-long-months-of-pain-in/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [“Those who row the boat don't have time to rock it while those who rock it don't have time to row it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-woodward/those-who-row-the-boat-don-t-have-time-to-rock-it-while-those-who/) [Orrin Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-woodward/) > [Only those who row the boat make waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-dodd/only-those-who-row-the-boat-make-waves/) [Christina Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-dodd/) > [Stand-up is like a row boat: it's fun and romantic when you're choosing to do it. 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