--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For hours, in fall days, I watched the…" description: "\"For hours, in fall days, I watched the ducks cunningly tack and veer and hold the middle of the pond, far from the sportsman;... but what beside safety..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/henry-david-thoreau-20_ducks_for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-duc_721429.jpg" --- # For hours, in fall days, I watched the ducks cunningly… ![“For hours, in fall days, I watched the ducks cunningly tack and veer and hold the middle of the pond, far from the sportsman;... but what beside safety they got by sailing in the middle of Walden I do not know, unless they love its water for the same reason that I do.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/henry-david-thoreau-20_ducks_for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-duc_721429.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/henry-david-thoreau-20_ducks_for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-duc_721429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/henry-david-thoreau-20_ducks_for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-duc_721429.jpg) > “For hours, in fall days, I watched the ducks cunningly tack and veer and hold the middle of the pond, far from the sportsman;... but what beside safety they got by sailing in the middle of Walden I do not know, unless they love its water for the same reason that I do.” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ducks stay central for safety, perhaps loving water as Thoreau does; their choice reflects a balance of risk and comfort. **In simple terms:** Ducks stay central for safety, love water. Key Takeaway Find balance between safety and enjoyment. Themes nature risk comfort balance Mood reflective peaceful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - hiking - wildlife observation - mindful walking - environmental study Key Concepts habitat selection risk assessment personal values Questions to Reflect On - Why do you seek the middle ground? - How can you embrace both safety and adventure? A Different Perspective Safety can limit exploration and growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ducks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ducks/) [Ducks Cunningly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ducks-cunningly-5669126/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Fall Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-day/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle Pond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-pond-5669128/) [Pond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pond/) [Ponds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ponds/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Sailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailing/) [Sportsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sportsman/) [Watched Ducks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watched-ducks-5669127/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [The opening of large tracts by the ice-cutters commonly causes a pond to break up earlier; for the water, agitated by the wind, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-opening-of-large-tracts-by-the-ice-cutters-commonly-causes-a-pond/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The largest pond is as sensitive to atmospheric changes as the globule of mercury in its tube.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-largest-pond-is-as-sensitive-to-atmospheric-changes-as-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“What are these pines & these birds about? 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Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“The morning was glorious, one of those crystalline, dry, blue, fall days when the temperature hovers right at anticipation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/the-morning-was-glorious-one-of-those-crystalline-dry-blue-fall-days/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Let's elope today Or find a secret hideaway Somewhere's here to stay Leaves will fall on another day Another day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koop/let-s-elope-today-or-find-a-secret-hideaway-somewhere-s-here-to-stay/) [Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koop/) > [“I wonder if she’s infatuated enough to let me lock her in a box with me on a cool fall day and make love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/i-wonder-if-she-s-infatuated-enough-to-let-me-lock-her-in-a-box-with/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [Who's always there when I call. 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Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wallace/) [Browse all 538 Ducks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ducks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For hours, in fall days, I watched the ducks cunningly tack and veer and hold the middle of the pond, far from the sportsman;... but what beside safety they got by sailing in the middle of Walden I do not know, unless they love its water for the same reason that I do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-ducks-cunningly-tack-and-veer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ducks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-ducks-cunningly-tack-and-veer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/henry-david-thoreau-20_ducks_for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-duc_721429.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/henry-david-thoreau-20_ducks_for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-duc_721429.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b02/henry-david-thoreau-20_ducks_for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-duc_721429.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For hours, in fall days, I watched the ducks cunningly tack and veer and hold the middle of the pond, far…” — Henry David Thoreau", "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": "Henry David Thoreau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For hours, in fall days, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-ducks-cunningly-tack-and-veer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/for-hours-in-fall-days-i-watched-the-ducks-cunningly-tack-and-veer/#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 } } ] } ```