--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tens of thousands who could never afford…" description: "\"Tens of thousands who could never afford to own, feed and stable a horse, had by this bright invention enjoyed the swiftness of motion which is perhaps..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9b/frances-e-willard-25037_bicycle_tens-of-thousands-who-could-never-afford_1950560.jpg" --- # Tens of thousands who could never afford to own, feed and… ![“Tens of thousands who could never afford to own, feed and stable a horse, had by this bright invention enjoyed the swiftness of motion which is perhaps the most fascinating feature of material life.” quote by Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9b/frances-e-willard-25037_bicycle_tens-of-thousands-who-could-never-afford_1950560.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9b/frances-e-willard-25037_bicycle_tens-of-thousands-who-could-never-afford_1950560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9b/frances-e-willard-25037_bicycle_tens-of-thousands-who-could-never-afford_1950560.jpg) > “Tens of thousands who could never afford to own, feed and stable a horse, had by this bright invention enjoyed the swiftness of motion which is perhaps the most fascinating feature of material life.” [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The invention of the horse made travel faster, a marvel of material life. **In simple terms:** Horses sped up travel, a fascinating invention. Key Takeaway Appreciate how technology expands mobility. Themes technology innovation mobility history Mood enthusiastic historical Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - agricultural societies - military campaigns - exploration - daily commuting Key Concepts engineering social impact transportation Questions to Reflect On - What modern invention mirrors this impact? - How does speed change human behavior? A Different Perspective Not all inventions have equal societal benefit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bicycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bicycle/) [Bike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bike/) [Bike riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bike-riding/) [Biking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biking/) [Bright Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bright-invention-3161861/) [Cycling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cycling/) [Cyclists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyclists/) [Enjoyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyed/) [Enjoyed Swiftness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyed-swiftness-3161860/) [Fascinating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascinating/) [Fascinating Feature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascinating-feature-3161859/) [Features](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/features/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Invention Enjoyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention-enjoyed-3161858/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Motion Fascinating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motion-fascinating-3161857/) [Riding a bicycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riding-a-bicycle/) [Stable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stable/) [Swiftness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swiftness/) ## Related quotes > [I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/i-stand-and-rejoice-every-time-i-see-a-woman-ride-by-on-a-wheel-the/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [Bike riding is where I go to solve all the problems. I know you can't tell from looking at me, but I'm a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-michael-bendis/bike-riding-is-where-i-go-to-solve-all-the-problems-i-know-you-can-t/) [Brian Michael Bendis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-michael-bendis/) > [I started mountain-bike riding two years ago, which is much better than riding a stationary bike in the gym. Mountain biking is a total…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-stosur/i-started-mountain-bike-riding-two-years-ago-which-is-much-better/) [Samantha Stosur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-stosur/) > [I love bikes. I used to own one, but I fell off it when I was younger and that was the end of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idris-elba/i-love-bikes-i-used-to-own-one-but-i-fell-off-it-when-i-was-younger/) [Idris Elba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idris-elba/) > [I Want To Ride My Bicycle I Want To Ride My Bike I Want To Ride My bicycle I Want To Ride It Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-want-to-ride-my-bicycle-i-want-to-ride-my-bike-i-want-to-ride-my/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [Chunking is the ability of the brain to learn from data you take in, without having to go back and access or think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/chunking-is-the-ability-of-the-brain-to-learn-from-data-you-take-in/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [“naked bicyclists stage festive Portland protest ride By Shelby Sebens PORTLAND Oregon (Reuters) - Thousands of bicyclists, many of them stark naked, poured into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/naked-bicyclists-stage-festive-portland-protest-ride-by-shelby-sebens/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was always interested in skateboarding, BMX bike riding, flipping, gymnastics. Anything with tumbling, turning, twisting, and extreme sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-was-always-interested-in-skateboarding-bmx-bike-riding-flipping/) [Gza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gza/) > [I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle; I want to ride my bicycle; I want to ride my bike; I want to ride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-want-to-ride-my-bicycle-bicycle-bicycle-i-want-to-ride-my-bicycle-i/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [When my legs hurt, I say: “Shut up legs! Do what I tell you to do!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-voigt/when-my-legs-hurt-i-say-shut-up-legs-do-what-i-tell-you-to-do/) [Jens Voigt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-voigt/) > [Second place is the first loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-anderson/second-place-is-the-first-loser/) [Dennis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-anderson/) > [Next to a leisurely walk I enjoy a spin on my tandem bicycle. It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/next-to-a-leisurely-walk-i-enjoy-a-spin-on-my-tandem-bicycle-it-is/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [In Europe, I always have fun bike riding in Amsterdam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-koenig/in-europe-i-always-have-fun-bike-riding-in-amsterdam/) [Ezra Koenig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-koenig/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [“I don’t think that when you love somebody, it ever really goes away,' Earth said, looking out the window. 'It’s like riding a bike.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-davies/i-don-t-think-that-when-you-love-somebody-it-ever-really-goes-away/) [Jocelyn Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-davies/) ## More by Frances E. Willard > [Temperance is moderation in the things that are good and total abstinence from the things that are foul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/temperance-is-moderation-in-the-things-that-are-good-and-total/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [“The opacity of the mind, its inability to project itself into the realm of another's personality, goes a long way to explain the friction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/the-opacity-of-the-mind-its-inability-to-project-itself-into-the/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [“Another writer argued in an 1895 issue of the Cosmopolitan that by riding a bicycle, a woman would "become mistress of herself," transformed into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/another-writer-argued-in-an-1895-issue-of-the-cosmopolitan-that-by/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [In externals we advance with lightening express speed, in modes of thought and sympathy we lumber on in stage-coach fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/in-externals-we-advance-with-lightening-express-speed-in-modes-of/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [This seems to be the law of progress in everything we do; it moves along a spiral rather than a perpendicular; we seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/this-seems-to-be-the-law-of-progress-in-everything-we-do-it-moves/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [“We contended that whatever diminishes the sense of superiority in men makes them more manly, brotherly, and pleasant to have about; we felt sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/we-contended-that-whatever-diminishes-the-sense-of-superiority-in-men/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/the-world-is-wide-and-i-will-not-waste-my-life-in-friction-when-it/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [I finally concluded that all failure was from a wobbling will rather than a wobbling wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/i-finally-concluded-that-all-failure-was-from-a-wobbling-will-rather/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [God is action - let us be like God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/god-is-action-let-us-be-like-god/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [If women can organize missionary societies, temperance societies, and every kind of charitable organization... why not permit them to be ordained to preach the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/if-women-can-organize-missionary-societies-temperance-societies-and/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [“That which caused the many failures I had in learning the bicycle had caused me failures in life; namely, a certain fearful looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/that-which-caused-the-many-failures-i-had-in-learning-the-bicycle-had/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [“In 1895, Ann Strong declared in the Minneapolis Tribune that bicycles were "just as good company as most husbands" and that when a bicycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/in-1895-ann-strong-declared-in-the-minneapolis-tribune-that-bicycles/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [Wanted: More Praise I cannot help believing that the world will be a better and a happier place when people are praised more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/wanted-more-praise-i-cannot-help-believing-that-the-world-will-be-a/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [If I am asked to explain why I learned the bicycle I should say I did it as an act of grace, if not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/if-i-am-asked-to-explain-why-i-learned-the-bicycle-i-should-say-i-did/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) > [“If women patronize the wheel the number of buyers will be twice as large. If women ride they must, when riding, dress more rationally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-e-willard/if-women-patronize-the-wheel-the-number-of-buyers-will-be-twice-as/) [Frances E. Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) [Explore all 23 Frances E. Willard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-e-willard/) ## More Bicycle quotes > [I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/i-stand-and-rejoice-every-time-i-see-a-woman-ride-by-on-a-wheel-the/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [At that age, it's one of the worse things in the world to wake up and not see your bike where you left it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/at-that-age-it-s-one-of-the-worse-things-in-the-world-to-wake-up-and/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [I think if I got a bicycle from my father, I should give a car to my son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/i-think-if-i-got-a-bicycle-from-my-father-i-should-give-a-car-to-my/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [Life is like a bicycle; keep moving on to maintain balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/life-is-like-a-bicycle-keep-moving-on-to-maintain-balance/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It has been explained to me that toys are packaged in shards, to be assembled by the middle-aged and butter-fingered, because this makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/it-has-been-explained-to-me-that-toys-are-packaged-in-shards-to-be/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [I simply want to celebrate the fact that right near your home, year in and year out, a community college is quietly - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ryan/i-simply-want-to-celebrate-the-fact-that-right-near-your-home-year-in/) [Kay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ryan/) > [Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/let-me-tell-you-what-i-think-of-bicycling-i-think-it-has-done-more-to/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [If we’re going to talk about transport, I would say that the great city is not the one that has highways, but one where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-penalosa/if-we-re-going-to-talk-about-transport-i-would-say-that-the-great/) [Enrique Penalosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-penalosa/) > [Like a fish needs a bicycle. A goldfish riding a bicycle underwater. I need a man like a fish needs a bicycle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-dunn/like-a-fish-needs-a-bicycle-a-goldfish-riding-a-bicycle-underwater-i/) [Irina Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-dunn/) > [Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-riding-a-bicycle-to-keep-your-balance-you-must-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love a bicycle, and I haven't been without at least one since I was three years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-may/i-love-a-bicycle-and-i-haven-t-been-without-at-least-one-since-i-was/) [James May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-may/) > [ Rose: Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas! The Doctor: Who says I'm not, red-bicycle-when-you-were-twelve? Rose: \[shocked\] What? The Doctor: And everybody… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/rose-look-at-you-beaming-away-like-you-re-father-christmas-the-doctor/) [Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/) > [Life is like riding a bicycle: you don't fall off unless you stop pedaling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-pepper/life-is-like-riding-a-bicycle-you-don-t-fall-off-unless-you-stop/) [Claude Pepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-pepper/) [Browse all 531 Bicycle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bicycle/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Tens of thousands who could never afford to own, feed and stable a horse, had by this bright invention enjoyed the swiftness of motion which is perhaps the most fascinating feature of material life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frances E. 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