---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nature seemed to have adorned herself for…"
description: "\"Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected in t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/henry-david-thoreau-20_curls_nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-fo_125391.jpg"
---

#  Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure…

![“Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected in the water. But we missed the white water-lily, which is the queen of river flowers, its reign being over for this season… Many of this species…” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/henry-david-thoreau-20_curls_nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-fo_125391.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/henry-david-thoreau-20_curls_nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-fo_125391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/henry-david-thoreau-20_curls_nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-fo_125391.jpg)

> “Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected in the water. But we missed the white water-lily, which is the queen of river flowers, its reign being over for this season… Many of this species inhabit our Concord water.”

[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.

Nature displays a vibrant, fleeting beauty that humans often overlook, focusing on less remarkable details.

**In simple terms:** We miss the river’s queen lily amid abundant beauty.

Key Takeaway

Attention shapes what we value in nature.

Themes

nature perception aesthetics

Mood

contemplative poetic

Type

descriptive philosophical

When to use this quote

- nature walks
- photography
- environmental education

Key Concepts

mindful observation ephemeral beauty

Practical Applications

- practice slow viewing
- keep a nature journal

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the overlooked lily symbolize?
- How can we train ourselves to notice subtle wonders?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Departure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departure/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Fringe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fringe/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Lilies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lilies/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Reign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reign/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Seasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seasons/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Water lily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water-lily/) [White water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-water/)

## Related quotes

> [“Chikako could see Nobue's flowers reflected in Kaori's eyes. They looked like stars. Like love itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyuki-miyabe/chikako-could-see-nobue-s-flowers-reflected-in-kaori-s-eyes-they/)

[Miyuki Miyabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyuki-miyabe/)

> [Rivers must have been the guides which conducted the footsteps of the first travelers. They are the constant lure, when they flow by our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/rivers-must-have-been-the-guides-which-conducted-the-footsteps-of-the/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [But, for all that, they had a very pleasant walk. The trees were bare of leaves, and the river was bare of water-lilies; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/but-for-all-that-they-had-a-very-pleasant-walk-the-trees-were-bare-of/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“I think that the best kind of change, is the change that comes from the inside and begins it's way out until it emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-think-that-the-best-kind-of-change-is-the-change-that-comes-from/)

[C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/)

> [Swan flocks of lilies shoreward lying, In sweetness, not in music, dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/swan-flocks-of-lilies-shoreward-lying-in-sweetness-not-in-music-dying/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [“Rose is not the prettiest flower, neither water lily or petunia nor magnolia! An elegant soul is the prettiest flower on earth!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/rose-is-not-the-prettiest-flower-neither-water-lily-or-petunia-nor/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [The water-lily, in the midst of waters, opens its leaves and expands its petals, at the first pattering of the shower, and rejoices in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-water-lily-in-the-midst-of-waters-opens-its-leaves-and-expands/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [It took me time to understand my water lilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-took-me-time-to-understand-my-water-lilies-i-had-planted-them-for/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [A pure drop of rain may fall on a beautiful water lily or on a dirty mud pond! This is exactly what happens when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-pure-drop-of-rain-may-fall-on-a-beautiful-water-lily-or-on-a-dirty/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [The sky was a midnight-blue, like warm, deep, blue water, and the moon seemed to lie on it like a water-lily, floating forward with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-sky-was-a-midnight-blue-like-warm-deep-blue-water-and-the-moon/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-sewell/the-first-place-that-i-can-well-remember-was-a-large-pleasant-meadow/)

[Anna Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-sewell/)

> [Everyone knows French artist Claude Monet's "Water Lilies," which he painted in his garden. You find the images everywhere from galleries to dorm rooms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shapiro/everyone-knows-french-artist-claude-monet-s-water-lilies-which-he/)

[Ari Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shapiro/)

> [I have sat here happy in the gardens, Watching the still pool and the reeds And the dark clouds. . . . But though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-aldington/i-have-sat-here-happy-in-the-gardens-watching-the-still-pool-and-the/)

[Richard Aldington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-aldington/)

> [In a marshland amongst the crocodiles, there float beautiful water lilies! Even in the Hell, one can find the good and the beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-a-marshland-amongst-the-crocodiles-there-float-beautiful-water/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [He goes along just as a water lily Gentle on the surface of his thoughts his body floats Unweighed down by passion or intensity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-apple/he-goes-along-just-as-a-water-lily-gentle-on-the-surface-of-his/)

[Fiona Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-apple/)

## More by Henry David Thoreau

> [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

[Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

## More Curls quotes

> [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [You curl your hair and paint your face. Not I: I am curled by the wind, painted by the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-de-burgos/you-curl-your-hair-and-paint-your-face-not-i-i-am-curled-by-the-wind/)

[Julia de Burgos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-de-burgos/)

> [ I've always liked walking; that's one of my favorite things to do, and I try to walk every day. \[In Washington, D.C.\] I can't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bush/i-ve-always-liked-walking-that-s-one-of-my-favorite-things-to-do-and/)

[Laura Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bush/)

> [“Is your hair as soft as all those curls look?" "No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/is-your-hair-as-soft-as-all-those-curls-look-no/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [If anything, global response to the Rising only confirmed something that many Australians had quietly believed for quite some time: If forced to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/if-anything-global-response-to-the-rising-only-confirmed-something/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [The thing about spending a lifetime under a long, bushy cloud of curls is that people naturally began associating me with my hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-welteroth/the-thing-about-spending-a-lifetime-under-a-long-bushy-cloud-of-curls/)

[Elaine Welteroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-welteroth/)

> [If you like comedy, go home and curl up with Leviticus. The writers of The Onion are handed Leviticus on their first day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/if-you-like-comedy-go-home-and-curl-up-with-leviticus-the-writers-of/)

[Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/)

> [I don't have the time to curl up on my couch with a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-don-t-have-the-time-to-curl-up-on-my-couch-with-a-good-book/)

[Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/)

> [I like big books and I cannot lie. You other readers can’t deny That when a kid walks in with The Name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-c-hines/i-like-big-books-and-i-cannot-lie-you-other-readers-can-t-deny-that/)

[Jim C. Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-c-hines/)

> [“If there’s one genetic trait that automatically disqualifies a man from being able to rock, it’s curly hair. Nobody cool has curly hair; people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/if-there-s-one-genetic-trait-that-automatically-disqualifies-a-man/)

[Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/)

> [Don't think the purpose of meditation is to go deep into consciousness, wrap a blanket around yourself, and say, 'How cozy! I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eknath-easwaran/don-t-think-the-purpose-of-meditation-is-to-go-deep-into/)

[Eknath Easwaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eknath-easwaran/)

> [Let us have "sweet girl graduates" by all means. They will be none the less sweet for a little wisdom; and the "golden hair"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/let-us-have-sweet-girl-graduates-by-all-means-they-will-be-none-the/)

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

> [I'm so alive. As I stand facing the beauty of the never-ending Pacific Ocean, a late afternoon breeze blows down from the hills behind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-pelzer/i-m-so-alive-as-i-stand-facing-the-beauty-of-the-never-ending-pacific/)

[Dave Pelzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-pelzer/)

> [“Her hair falls loose in a cascade of black curls, caught in a crown of magenta bougainvillea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/her-hair-falls-loose-in-a-cascade-of-black-curls-caught-in-a-crown-of/)

[Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/)

> [Pickett excused himself, watchful of Longstreet. Pickett was always saying something to irritate somebody, and he rarely knew why, so his method was simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shaara/pickett-excused-himself-watchful-of-longstreet-pickett-was-always/)

[Michael Shaara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shaara/)

Browse all 270 Curls quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected in the water. But we missed the white water-lily, which is the queen of river flowers, its reign being over for this season… Many of this species inhabit our Concord water.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry David Thoreau"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-for-our-departure-with-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Curls"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-for-our-departure-with-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/henry-david-thoreau-20_curls_nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-fo_125391.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/henry-david-thoreau-20_curls_nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-fo_125391.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/henry-david-thoreau-20_curls_nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-fo_125391.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with…” — 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": "Nature seemed to have adorned herself...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-for-our-departure-with-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-for-our-departure-with-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
