--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps of all our untamed quadrupeds…" description: "\"Perhaps of all our untamed quadrupeds, the fox has obtained the widest and most familiar reputation… His recent tracks still give variety to a winter's..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/henry-david-thoreau-20_expectations_perhaps-of-all-our-untamed-quadrupeds-th_3142967.jpg" --- # Perhaps of all our untamed quadrupeds, the fox has… ![“Perhaps of all our untamed quadrupeds, the fox has obtained the widest and most familiar reputation… His recent tracks still give variety to a winter's walk. I tread in the steps of the fox that has gone before me by some hours, or which perhaps I have started, with such a tip-toe of expectation…” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/henry-david-thoreau-20_expectations_perhaps-of-all-our-untamed-quadrupeds-th_3142967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/henry-david-thoreau-20_expectations_perhaps-of-all-our-untamed-quadrupeds-th_3142967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/henry-david-thoreau-20_expectations_perhaps-of-all-our-untamed-quadrupeds-th_3142967.jpg) > “Perhaps of all our untamed quadrupeds, the fox has obtained the widest and most familiar reputation… His recent tracks still give variety to a winter's walk. I tread in the steps of the fox that has gone before me by some hours, or which perhaps I have started, with such a tip-toe of expectation as if I were on the trail of the Spirit itself which resides in the wood, and expected soon to catch it in its lair.” [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. The fox symbolizes wild curiosity and the desire to follow unseen paths, urging us to seek mystery in nature. **In simple terms:** The fox represents curiosity and mystery in nature. Key Takeaway Embrace the unknown and follow subtle signs. Themes nature curiosity exploration Mood reflective inspired Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - hiking - writing - photography - meditation Key Concepts symbolism mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize subtle guidance? - What does the “Spirit” mean to you? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize danger, ignoring practical safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Foxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Reputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reputation/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Trails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trails/) [Variety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variety/) [Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [This bird sees the white man come and the Indian withdraw, but it withdraws not. Its untamed voice is still heard above the tinkling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-bird-sees-the-white-man-come-and-the-indian-withdraw-but-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“I don’t want any of this. I just want to be what I was before you showed up here and all hell broke loose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cast/i-don-t-want-any-of-this-i-just-want-to-be-what-i-was-before-you/) [Kristin Cast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cast/) > [As hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-hope-kindles-hope-millions-more-will-find-it-by-our-efforts-we/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“Nuns freak me out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-c-cast/nuns-freak-me-out/) [P.C. Cast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-c-cast/) > [“although i am broken, my heart is untamed, still”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-direction/although-i-am-broken-my-heart-is-untamed-still/) [One Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-direction/) > [As I kissed her the heat of her body increased, and it exhaled a wild, untamed fragrance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/as-i-kissed-her-the-heat-of-her-body-increased-and-it-exhaled-a-wild/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Untamed by your endeavors Saturated from your unrequited notions Tired of your futile insinuation Determined to prevail I no longer grant you the honor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avha/untamed-by-your-endeavors-saturated-from-your-unrequited-notions/) Avha > [Almost every person, from childhood, has been touched by the untamed beauty of wildflowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-bird-johnson/almost-every-person-from-childhood-has-been-touched-by-the-untamed/) [Lady Bird Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-bird-johnson/) > [Steiner has here transformed the vaporous conceptions of his life, the vapors of what never was and never will be, from their aeriform state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/steiner-has-here-transformed-the-vaporous-conceptions-of-his-life-the/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [“Love Untamed, unbridled, unfair Timeless, ageless, never painless Selfish, selfless, righteous n’ wicked Lingers on and on It weeps; it laughs, it hinders and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/love-untamed-unbridled-unfair-timeless-ageless-never-painless-selfish/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [Parents are untamed, excessive, potentially troublesome creatures; charming to be with for a time, in the main they must lead their own lives, independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/parents-are-untamed-excessive-potentially-troublesome-creatures/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [“She turned her face to me. 'Can you tell I've been crying?' "For the gazillionth time, no. You look fine.' Shit. I knew it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-c-cast/she-turned-her-face-to-me-can-you-tell-i-ve-been-crying-for-the/) [P.C. Cast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-c-cast/) > [“Success shall crown my endeavors. Wherefore not? Thus far I have gone, tracing a secure way over the pathless seas, the very stars themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-shall-crown-my-endeavors-wherefore-not-thus-far-i-have-gone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Release your majestic mind, embrace your untamed inner spirit. Break free from captivity, avoid society.. You were born to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-muller/release-your-majestic-mind-embrace-your-untamed-inner-spirit-break/) Melanie Muller > [With no other choices open to us, we'd turned our gaze seaward. The oceans were our America: they reached farther than any prairie, untamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carsten-jensen/with-no-other-choices-open-to-us-we-d-turned-our-gaze-seaward-the/) [Carsten Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carsten-jensen/) ## 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 Expectations quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Does your reality match your expectations? If not it's time to change either your expectations or your reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/does-your-reality-match-your-expectations-if-not-it-s-time-to-change/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Jesus' kingdom was not like the popular expectation. He used the phrase 'kingdom of God' with a different meaning. His kingdom was not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harpur/jesus-kingdom-was-not-like-the-popular-expectation-he-used-the-phrase/) [Tom Harpur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harpur/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [When we give from a place of love, rather than from a place of expectation, more usually comes back to us than we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/when-we-give-from-a-place-of-love-rather-than-from-a-place-of/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) [Browse all 4,210 Expectations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps of all our untamed quadrupeds, the fox has obtained the widest and most familiar reputation… His recent tracks still give variety to a winter's walk. 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