--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In order to see a fish you must watch the…" description: "\"In order to see a fish you must watch the water\" — Bodhidharma" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/bodhidharma-4333_fishes_in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-th_1386609.jpg" --- # In order to see a fish you must watch the water ![“In order to see a fish you must watch the water” quote by Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/bodhidharma-4333_fishes_in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-th_1386609.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/bodhidharma-4333_fishes_in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-th_1386609.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/bodhidharma-4333_fishes_in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-th_1386609.jpg) > “In order to see a fish you must watch the water” [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. To truly perceive something, you must first understand the medium that contains it. **In simple terms:** See the water to see the fish. Key Takeaway Focus on underlying conditions before judging. Themes perception mindfulness philosophy Mood contemplative calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - environmental observation - strategic planning - personal introspection Key Concepts Zen systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What “water” are you overlooking in your situation? - How does context shape your perception? A Different Perspective Ignoring the medium can lead to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Fish Watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish-watch-4819537/) [Fishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishes/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Order Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order-fish-1754994/) [Watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch/) [Watch Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch-water-2655324/) [Watches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watches/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [“Being all alone is like the feeling you get when you stand at the mouth of a large river on a rainy evening and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/being-all-alone-is-like-the-feeling-you-get-when-you-stand-at-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [It is life, I think, to watch the water. A man can learn so many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/it-is-life-i-think-to-watch-the-water-a-man-can-learn-so-many-things/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [And you understand something: that although, like all American eaters, you've been conditioned to think of the entree as the climax of the meal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-junod/and-you-understand-something-that-although-like-all-american-eaters/) [Tom Junod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-junod/) > [I learned the first night that IHOP's not the place to order fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-david/i-learned-the-first-night-that-ihop-s-not-the-place-to-order-fish/) [Larry David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-david/) > [“Don’t order the fish,” Yancy advised Merry when they sat down. “But it’s a seafood joint.” “More like a petri dish with menus. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/don-t-order-the-fish-yancy-advised-merry-when-they-sat-down-but-it-s/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) > [Listen," he said. "If you was a fish, Mother Nature'd take care of you, wouldn't she? Right? You don't think them fish just die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/listen-he-said-if-you-was-a-fish-mother-nature-d-take-care-of-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of the world is covered by water. A fisherman's job is simple: Pick out the best parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-waterman/most-of-the-world-is-covered-by-water-a-fisherman-s-job-is-simple/) [Charles W. Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-waterman/) > [Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Give a man a poisoned fish, you feed him for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/give-a-man-a-fish-you-feed-him-for-a-day-give-a-man-a-poisoned-fish/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [and Venus among the fishes skips and is a she-dolphin she is the gay, delighted porpoise sporting with love and the sea she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/and-venus-among-the-fishes-skips-and-is-a-she-dolphin-she-is-the-gay/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Something I like to do a lot is just sit by water when there’s a current and just stare into the water. I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/something-i-like-to-do-a-lot-is-just-sit-by-water-when-there-s-a/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [My kids all do love to hunt and fish. When they get together, I think that's what they get together more for than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/my-kids-all-do-love-to-hunt-and-fish-when-they-get-together-i-think/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) ## More by Bodhidharma > [Unless you see your nature, all this talk about cause & effect is nonsense. Buddhas don't practice nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/unless-you-see-your-nature-all-this-talk-about-cause-effect-is/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [“Those who worship don't know, and those who know don't worship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/those-who-worship-don-t-know-and-those-who-know-don-t-worship/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [If you see your nature, you don't need to read sutras or invoke buddhas. Erudition and knowledge are not only useless but also cloud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/if-you-see-your-nature-you-don-t-need-to-read-sutras-or-invoke/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [People who don't see their own nature and imagine they can practice thoughtlessness all the time are liars and fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/people-who-don-t-see-their-own-nature-and-imagine-they-can-practice/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [The mind is the Buddha, and the Buddha is the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/the-mind-is-the-buddha-and-the-buddha-is-the-mind/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [Whoever realizes that the six senses aren't real, that the five aggregates are fictions, that no such things can be located anywhere in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/whoever-realizes-that-the-six-senses-aren-t-real-that-the-five/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [If you use your mind to study reality, you won't understand either your mind or reality. If you study reality without using your mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/if-you-use-your-mind-to-study-reality-you-won-t-understand-either/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [Many roads lead to the Path, but basically there are only two: reason and practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/many-roads-lead-to-the-path-but-basically-there-are-only-two-reason/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [All Buddhas preach emptiness. Why? Because they wish to crush the concrete ideas of the students. If a student even clings to an idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/all-buddhas-preach-emptiness-why-because-they-wish-to-crush-the/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [Buddhas don't practice nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/buddhas-don-t-practice-nonsense/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/not-thinking-about-anything-is-zen-once-you-know-this-walking-sitting/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [When you don't understand, you depend on reality. When you do understand, reality depends on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/when-you-don-t-understand-you-depend-on-reality-when-you-do/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [And the Buddha is the person who's free: free of plans, free of cares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/and-the-buddha-is-the-person-who-s-free-free-of-plans-free-of-cares/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [The Way is basically perfect. It doesn't require perfecting. The Way has no form or sound. It's subtle and hard to perceive. It's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/the-way-is-basically-perfect-it-doesn-t-require-perfecting-the-way/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [The Dharma is the truth that all natures are pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/the-dharma-is-the-truth-that-all-natures-are-pure/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) [Explore all 112 Bodhidharma quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) ## More Fish quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [I love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [My kids all do love to hunt and fish. When they get together, I think that's what they get together more for than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/my-kids-all-do-love-to-hunt-and-fish-when-they-get-together-i-think/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [“If this were a fairy tale, this would be the part where the fishboy appears and Diana shoots him through the heart. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/if-this-were-a-fairy-tale-this-would-be-the-part-where-the-fishboy/) [Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/) > [I do not believe in eating fish hot. People always insist on hot fish, but that leaves it dried out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/i-do-not-believe-in-eating-fish-hot-people-always-insist-on-hot-fish/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I don't eat meat - chicken, fish, none of that. I eat a lot of vegetable sandwiches, like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-don-t-eat-meat-chicken-fish-none-of-that-i-eat-a-lot-of-vegetable/) [Gza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gza/) > [“Fish are unable, of course, to speak for themselves about how we treat them. They have ways of communicating with each other and, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-morell/fish-are-unable-of-course-to-speak-for-themselves-about-how-we-treat/) [Virginia Morell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-morell/) > [Undoubtedly, church fish fries and picnics help build social cohesion. It was at my dad's medium-size evangelical church - my first real exposure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/undoubtedly-church-fish-fries-and-picnics-help-build-social-cohesion/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [“Similarly, take the time to get into shape so you can get to that great spot and be able to fish it all day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-deeter/similarly-take-the-time-to-get-into-shape-so-you-can-get-to-that/) [Kirk Deeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-deeter/) > [“It's a familiar, if not exactly inspiring, message: in the face of slim pickings, lower your standards. It also makes clear the converse: with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-christian-tom-griffiths/it-s-a-familiar-if-not-exactly-inspiring-message-in-the-face-of-slim/) [Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-christian-tom-griffiths/) > [The kind of fishing that I do is pretty much bass, trout or freshwater fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-steyn/the-kind-of-fishing-that-i-do-is-pretty-much-bass-trout-or-freshwater/) [Dale Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-steyn/) [Browse all 2,977 Fish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In order to see a fish you must watch the water", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bodhidharma" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-the-water/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-the-water/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/bodhidharma-4333_fishes_in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-th_1386609.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/bodhidharma-4333_fishes_in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-th_1386609.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/bodhidharma-4333_fishes_in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-th_1386609.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In order to see a fish you must watch the water” — Bodhidharma", "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": "Bodhidharma", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In order to see a fish...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-the-water/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/in-order-to-see-a-fish-you-must-watch-the-water/#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 } } ] } ```