--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never wade through the pretty ripples of…" description: "\"“Never wade through the pretty ripples of perpetually flowing rivers, until you have looked at their lovely waters, and prayed to them, and washed your..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/hesiod-2889_flowing-river_never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of_2789303.jpg" --- # Never wade through the pretty ripples of perpetually… ![“Never wade through the pretty ripples of perpetually flowing rivers, until you have looked at their lovely waters, and prayed to them, and washed your hands in the pale enchanting water” quote by Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/hesiod-2889_flowing-river_never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of_2789303.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/hesiod-2889_flowing-river_never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of_2789303.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/hesiod-2889_flowing-river_never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of_2789303.jpg) > ““Never wade through the pretty ripples of perpetually flowing rivers, until you have looked at their lovely waters, and prayed to them, and washed your hands in the pale enchanting water”” [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One should not rush to experience the beauty of a river without first observing its waters, praying, and cleansing oneself in its gentle flow. **In simple terms:** Observe and respect nature before diving in. Key Takeaway Pause, reflect, then engage. Themes nature patience spirituality Mood contemplative serene Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - river walks - meditation - environmental appreciation Key Concepts mindfulness ritual connection Questions to Reflect On - What rituals help you connect with nature? - Do you rush experiences often? A Different Perspective The metaphor may be overly idealized for modern fast‑paced life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enchanting Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enchanting-water-3367076/) [Flowing river](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowing-river/) [Lovely Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovely-waters-3367075/) [Prayed Washed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayed-washed-3367077/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Sacred space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred-space/) [Washed Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washed-hands-1094105/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Waters Prayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waters-prayed-3367074/) ## Related quotes > [“She washed he hands,then looked at my side. "you haven't even had it stitched?" She said incredulously. "I've been rather busy," I said. 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Once you've washed your hands of that person, all those feelings, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-hunt/you-don-t-get-to-keep-the-feelings-for-someone-you-once-loved-once/) [Samantha Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-hunt/) > [“She often appeared at my chambers to talk over his lapses; for if, as she declared, she had washed her hands of him, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-often-appeared-at-my-chambers-to-talk-over-his-lapses-for-if-as/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [I have anyway washed my hands of cricket in India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-kundra/i-have-anyway-washed-my-hands-of-cricket-in-india/) [Raj Kundra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-kundra/) > [“She washed her hands three times. Velia gripped the sink, dropping her head and watching the tinged water drain. Trying to get a grip,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-mccoy-dressel/she-washed-her-hands-three-times-velia-gripped-the-sink-dropping-her/) [Mary J. McCoy-Dressel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-mccoy-dressel/) > [Problems who needs any, give them to God then washed your hands and walked off with a big smile. Life is good no stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gee-linder/problems-who-needs-any-give-them-to-god-then-washed-your-hands-and/) [Gee Linder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gee-linder/) > [Crawford washed her hands a lot. She washed her arms all the way up past her elbows. She just couldn't get enough done in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-wray/crawford-washed-her-hands-a-lot-she-washed-her-arms-all-the-way-up/) [Fay Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-wray/) > [“I peed and washed my hands—these are the details you need to know—and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-marnell/i-peed-and-washed-my-hands-these-are-the-details-you-need-to-know-and/) [Cat Marnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-marnell/) > [What makes a kingdom great is its being like a down-flowing river,--the central point towards which all the smaller streams under Heaven converge; or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-makes-a-kingdom-great-is-its-being-like-a-down-flowing-river-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) ## More by Hesiod > [Gain not base gains; base gains are the same as losses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/gain-not-base-gains-base-gains-are-the-same-as-losses/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Aegis-bearing Zeus has a design for each occasion, and mortals find this hard to comprehend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/aegis-bearing-zeus-has-a-design-for-each-occasion-and-mortals-find/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [The best is he who calls men to the best. And those who heed the call are also blessed. But worthless who call not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/the-best-is-he-who-calls-men-to-the-best-and-those-who-heed-the-call/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [If you speak evil, you will soon be worse spoken of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/if-you-speak-evil-you-will-soon-be-worse-spoken-of/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Inhibition is no good provider for a needy man, Inhibition, which does men great harm and great good. Inhibition attaches to poverty, boldness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/inhibition-is-no-good-provider-for-a-needy-man-inhibition-which-does/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Potter is jealous of potter, and craftsman of craftsman; and the poor have a grudge against the poor, and the poet against the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/potter-is-jealous-of-potter-and-craftsman-of-craftsman-and-the-poor/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Preserve the mean; the opportune moment is best in all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/preserve-the-mean-the-opportune-moment-is-best-in-all-things/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [The potter is at enmity with the potter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/the-potter-is-at-enmity-with-the-potter/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [But he who neither thinks for himself nor learns from others, is a failure as a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/but-he-who-neither-thinks-for-himself-nor-learns-from-others-is-a/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Justice prevails over transgression when she comes to the end of the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/justice-prevails-over-transgression-when-she-comes-to-the-end-of-the/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [“It is best to work, at whatever you have a talent for doing, without turning your greedy thought toward what some other man possesses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/it-is-best-to-work-at-whatever-you-have-a-talent-for-doing-without/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/i-see-no-hope-for-the-future-of-our-people-if-they-are-dependent-on/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Do not let a flattering woman coax and wheedle you and deceive you; she is after your barn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/do-not-let-a-flattering-woman-coax-and-wheedle-you-and-deceive-you/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [In the race for wealth, a neighbor tries to outdo his neighbor, but this strife is good for men. For the potter envies potter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/in-the-race-for-wealth-a-neighbor-tries-to-outdo-his-neighbor-but/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [The Gods rank work above virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/the-gods-rank-work-above-virtues/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) [Explore all 146 Hesiod quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) ## More Flowing river quotes > [What makes a kingdom great is its being like a down-flowing river,--the central point towards which all the smaller streams under Heaven converge; or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-makes-a-kingdom-great-is-its-being-like-a-down-flowing-river-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“movements must be like a long, flowing river, continuous without jerks or stopping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-alve-olson/movements-must-be-like-a-long-flowing-river-continuous-without-jerks/) [Stuart Alve Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-alve-olson/) > [“I'll never be able to be here again. As the minutes slide by, I move on. The flow of time is something I cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/i-ll-never-be-able-to-be-here-again-as-the-minutes-slide-by-i-move-on/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [“It was warm and salty, chalky and bittersweet. It tasted like the blood of some old, old thing. I tried not to think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-was-warm-and-salty-chalky-and-bittersweet-it-tasted-like-the-blood/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [An unspoiled river is a very rare thing in this Nation today. Their flow and vitality have been harnessed by dams and too often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/an-unspoiled-river-is-a-very-rare-thing-in-this-nation-today-their/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [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/) > [As I love nature, as I love singing birds, and gleaming stubble, and flowing rivers, and morning and evening, and summer and winter, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-i-love-nature-as-i-love-singing-birds-and-gleaming-stubble-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Every moment in life is like the water drops in flowing river. Though you can touch the water many times, you will never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayatri-gadre/every-moment-in-life-is-like-the-water-drops-in-flowing-river-though/) [Gayatri Gadre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayatri-gadre/) > [Night and day the river flows. If time is the mind of space, the River is the soul of the desert. Brave boatmen come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/night-and-day-the-river-flows-if-time-is-the-mind-of-space-the-river/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [It is sparkling light, aromatic plants, a lofty palace, a flowing river, ripe fruit, a beautiful wife and abundant clothing, in an eternal abode…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad/it-is-sparkling-light-aromatic-plants-a-lofty-palace-a-flowing-river/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad/) > [The Goddess is not separate from the world – She IS the world, and all things in it: moon, sun, earth, star, stone, seed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/starhawk/the-goddess-is-not-separate-from-the-world-she-is-the-world-and-all/) [Starhawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/starhawk/) > [“A smooth flowing river in the valley gets turbulent on the turns but immediately resumes its course with all the purpose. That ability is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wasif-minhas/a-smooth-flowing-river-in-the-valley-gets-turbulent-on-the-turns-but/) [Wasif Minhas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wasif-minhas/) > [I think of the poetry of René Char and all he must have seen and suffered that has brought him to speak only of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/i-think-of-the-poetry-of-ren-char-and-all-he-must-have-seen-and/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [“We are the sum total of our experiences. Those experiences – be they positive or negative – make us the person we are, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-neblett/we-are-the-sum-total-of-our-experiences-those-experiences-be-they/) [B.J. Neblett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-neblett/) > [Rivers are places that renew our spirit, connect us with our past, and link us directly with the flow and rhythm of the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rivers-are-places-that-renew-our-spirit-connect-us-with-our-past-and/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Browse all 72 Flowing river quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowing-river/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Never wade through the pretty ripples of perpetually flowing rivers, until you have looked at their lovely waters, and prayed to them, and washed your hands in the pale enchanting water”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hesiod" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of-perpetually-flowing-rivers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Flowing river" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of-perpetually-flowing-rivers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/hesiod-2889_flowing-river_never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of_2789303.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/hesiod-2889_flowing-river_never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of_2789303.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/419/hesiod-2889_flowing-river_never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of_2789303.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Never wade through the pretty ripples of perpetually flowing rivers, until you have looked at their lovely…” — Hesiod", "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": "Hesiod", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Never wade through the pretty ripples...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of-perpetually-flowing-rivers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/never-wade-through-the-pretty-ripples-of-perpetually-flowing-rivers/#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 } } ] } ```