--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Conway felt again, as he gazed up at the…" description: "\"“Conway felt again, as he gazed up at the stupendous mountain wall, that there was a superb and exquisite peril in the scene; but for some chance-place..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/james-hilton-8522_mountains_conway-felt-again-as-he-gazed-up-at-the_608358.jpg" --- # Conway felt again, as he gazed up at the stupendous… ![“Conway felt again, as he gazed up at the stupendous mountain wall, that there was a superb and exquisite peril in the scene; but for some chance-placed barrier, the whole valley would clearly have been a lake, nourished continually from the glacial heights around it. Instead of which, a few…” quote by James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/james-hilton-8522_mountains_conway-felt-again-as-he-gazed-up-at-the_608358.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/james-hilton-8522_mountains_conway-felt-again-as-he-gazed-up-at-the_608358.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/james-hilton-8522_mountains_conway-felt-again-as-he-gazed-up-at-the_608358.jpg) > ““Conway felt again, as he gazed up at the stupendous mountain wall, that there was a superb and exquisite peril in the scene; but for some chance-placed barrier, the whole valley would clearly have been a lake, nourished continually from the glacial heights around it. Instead of which, a few streams dribbled through to fill reservoirs and irrigate fields and plantations with a disciplined conscientiousness worthy of a sanitary engineer. The whole design was almost uncannily fortunate, so long as the structure of the frame remained unmoved by earthquake or landslide”” [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The valley appears as a fragile, engineered oasis, dependent on the stability of its surrounding mountains; any shift could destroy its cultivated order. **In simple terms:** A delicate balance between nature and human design can be easily disrupted. Key Takeaway Respect and protect the foundations that sustain your life. Themes nature human design fragility stability Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - agriculture - urban planning - disaster preparedness - ecosystem management Key Concepts environmental engineering systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What foundations in your life are most vulnerable to change? - How can you build resilience against unexpected disruptions? A Different Perspective If the mountains shift, the valley’s resources vanish, exposing vulnerability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mountains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountains/) [Scenery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenery/) ## Related quotes > [When the autumn meets the tranquillity, there you can see the King of the Sceneries!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-the-autumn-meets-the-tranquillity-there-you-can-see-the-king-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [He must have driven this way countless times, and yet he had no memory of the scenery. 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She gave him a most charming smile, but her eyes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/it-seemed-to-him-that-the-little-manchu-had-never-looked-so-radiant/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [if we have not found the heaven within,we have not found the heaven without](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/if-we-have-not-found-the-heaven-within-we-have-not-found-the-heaven/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [There's only one thing more important... and that is, after you've done what you set out to do, to feel that it's been worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/there-s-only-one-thing-more-important-and-that-is-after-you-ve-done/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [The first quarter-century of your life was doubtless lived under the cloud of being too young for things, while the last quarter-century would normally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/the-first-quarter-century-of-your-life-was-doubtless-lived-under-the/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [When you are getting on in years (but not ill, of course), you get very sleepy at times, and the hours seem to pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/when-you-are-getting-on-in-years-but-not-ill-of-course-you-get-very/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [“Perhaps the exhaustion of the passions is the beginning of wisdom, if you care to alter the proverb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/perhaps-the-exhaustion-of-the-passions-is-the-beginning-of-wisdom-if/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [“On the night before the wedding, when Chips left the house to return to his hotel, she said, with mock gravity: "This is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/on-the-night-before-the-wedding-when-chips-left-the-house-to-return/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [“Now let me begin by sketching for you a very agreeable picture. 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Even Barnard had sunk into melancholy under the strain. Mallinson was muttering to himself;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/they-were-all-too-except-himself-affected-by-the-altitude-even/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [“Laziness in doing stupid things can be a great virtue Chang - Lost Horizon (1933) ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/laziness-in-doing-stupid-things-can-be-a-great-virtue-chang-lost/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [“And so it stood, a warm and vivid patch in his life, casting a radiance that glowed in a thousand recollections.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/and-so-it-stood-a-warm-and-vivid-patch-in-his-life-casting-a-radiance/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) > [“Then the whole range, much nearer now, paled into fresh splendor; a full moon rose, touching each peak in succession like some celestial lamplighter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hilton/then-the-whole-range-much-nearer-now-paled-into-fresh-splendor-a-full/) [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) [Explore all 80 James Hilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) ## More Mountains quotes > [“Kings don’t move mountains as a favor to a friend,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/kings-don-t-move-mountains-as-a-favor-to-a-friend/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [Cities are natural, that's why they're everywhere. It's not like there's only one city, and everybody's like 'What the f\*\*k is this?' No, cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/cities-are-natural-that-s-why-they-re-everywhere-it-s-not-like-there/) [Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/) > [Righteousness and faith certainly are instrumental in moving mountains - if moving mountains accomplishes God's purposes and is in accordance with His will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/righteousness-and-faith-certainly-are-instrumental-in-moving/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [“I sit down by the river. Its incessant flow has polished the rocks carried from the top of the mountain. 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Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-rice/) > [The mountains of today are the molehills of tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellis-peters/the-mountains-of-today-are-the-molehills-of-tomorrow/) [Ellis Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellis-peters/) > [The Lord often has his prophets climb mountains to converse with Him. I always wondered why He did that, and now I know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-lord-often-has-his-prophets-climb-mountains-to-converse-with-him/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“All mountain landscapes hold stories: the ones we read, the ones we dream, and the ones we create. -from the Editor's Note, The Alpinist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kennedy/all-mountain-landscapes-hold-stories-the-ones-we-read-the-ones-we/) [Michael Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kennedy/) > [At last I feel identified with the mountains, clean, cold, hard, detached.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/at-last-i-feel-identified-with-the-mountains-clean-cold-hard-detached/) [Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/) > [Lots of times, people go to the mountains and feel like it's not cool to wear a beanie and goggles and neck gaiter. 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For an afternoon, a day, or a week, it’s a way of reducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ilgunas/perhaps-there-s-no-better-act-of-simplification-than-climbing-a/) [Ken Ilgunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ilgunas/) [Browse all 864 Mountains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Conway felt again, as he gazed up at the stupendous mountain wall, that there was a superb and exquisite peril in the scene; but for some chance-placed barrier, the whole valley would clearly have been a lake, nourished continually from the glacial heights around it. Instead of which, a few streams dribbled through to fill reservoirs and irrigate fields and plantations with a disciplined conscientiousness worthy of a sanitary engineer. 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