--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our seasons have no fixed returns…" description: "\"Our seasons have no fixed returns, Without our will they come and go; At noon our sudden summer burns, Ere sunset all is snow.\" — James Russell Lowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/james-russell-lowell-561_comes-and-goes_our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-withou_548460.png" --- # Our seasons have no fixed returns, Without our will they… ![“Our seasons have no fixed returns, Without our will they come and go; At noon our sudden summer burns, Ere sunset all is snow.” quote by James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/james-russell-lowell-561_comes-and-goes_our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-withou_548460.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/james-russell-lowell-561_comes-and-goes_our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-withou_548460.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/james-russell-lowell-561_comes-and-goes_our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-withou_548460.png) > “Our seasons have no fixed returns, Without our will they come and go; At noon our sudden summer burns, Ere sunset all is snow.” [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem reflects on the unpredictable nature of seasons, linking them to human will and fleeting moments. **In simple terms:** Seasons change unpredictably, like life. Key Takeaway Accept change and act with intention. Themes nature impermanence human will Mood reflective melancholic Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - gardening - career planning - personal growth Key Concepts philosophy poetry temporal cycles Questions to Reflect On - How do you align your goals with changing circumstances? - What rituals help you embrace impermanence? A Different Perspective Human control over nature is limited. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comes and goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-and-goes/) [Fixed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fixed/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Noon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noon/) [Noon Sudden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noon-sudden-4570903/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) [Seasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seasons/) [Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snow/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Sudden Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sudden-summer-4570904/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Summer Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-burns-4570905/) [Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunset/) ## Related quotes > [All things journey: sun and moon, Morning, noon, and afternoon, Night and all her stars; 'Twixt the east and western bars Round they journey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/all-things-journey-sun-and-moon-morning-noon-and-afternoon-night-and/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [The sun truly "comes up like thunder," and it sets just as fast. Each sunrise and sunset lasts only a few seconds. But in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-allen/the-sun-truly-comes-up-like-thunder-and-it-sets-just-as-fast-each/) [Joseph P. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-allen/) > [We must get back into relation, vivid and nourishing relation to the cosmos and the universe. The way is through daily ritual, andis an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/we-must-get-back-into-relation-vivid-and-nourishing-relation-to-the/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Come, Friend, you too must die. Why moan about it so? Even Patroclus died, a far, far better man than you. And look, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/come-friend-you-too-must-die-why-moan-about-it-so-even-patroclus-died/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [The fireflies o'er the meadow In pulses come and go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-fireflies-o-er-the-meadow-in-pulses-come-and-go/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It is only the intellect that can be thoroughly and hideously wicked. It can forget everything in the attainment of its ends. The heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-only-the-intellect-that-can-be-thoroughly-and-hideously-wicked/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Ye come and go incessant; we remain Safe in the hallowed quiets of the past; Be reverent, ye who flit and are forgot, Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/ye-come-and-go-incessant-we-remain-safe-in-the-hallowed-quiets-of-the/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Money comes and goes. I'm thankful I have money. I'm trying to save up more. I would like more money. But it's not happiness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dat-phan/money-comes-and-goes-i-m-thankful-i-have-money-i-m-trying-to-save-up/) [Dat Phan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dat-phan/) > [Does Heaven ever speak? The four seasons come and go, and all creatures thrive and grow. Does Heaven ever speak!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/does-heaven-ever-speak-the-four-seasons-come-and-go-and-all-creatures/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-gibson/silently-like-thoughts-that-come-and-go-the-snowflakes-fall-each-one/) [William Hamilton Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-gibson/) > [Fashion is transient, trends come and go. I believe in style, not fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-lauren/fashion-is-transient-trends-come-and-go-i-believe-in-style-not-fashion/) [Ralph Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-lauren/) > [The U.S. always needs an enemy. It comes and goes. Today it is Islam. According to this plan or ideology of the born-again Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/the-u-s-always-needs-an-enemy-it-comes-and-goes-today-it-is-islam/) [Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/) > [I think it would be great to be a cat! You come and go as you please. People always feed and pet you. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcpherson/i-think-it-would-be-great-to-be-a-cat-you-come-and-go-as-you-please/) [Patricia McPherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcpherson/) > [Nominations come and go. It is not going to happen to you every year, and I am very well aware of that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/nominations-come-and-go-it-is-not-going-to-happen-to-you-every-year/) [Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/) > [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More by James Russell Lowell > [We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/we-kind-o-thought-christ-went-agin-war-an-pillage/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [As life runs on, the road grows strange with faces new - and near the end. The milestones into headstones change, Neath every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/as-life-runs-on-the-road-grows-strange-with-faces-new-and-near-the/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Where one person shapes their life by precept and example, there are a thousand who have shaped it by impulse and circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/where-one-person-shapes-their-life-by-precept-and-example-there-are-a/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Granting our wish is one of Fate's saddest jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/granting-our-wish-is-one-of-fate-s-saddest-jokes/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Most religion-mongers have bated their paradises with a bit of toasted cheese. They have tempted the body with large promises of possessions in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/most-religion-mongers-have-bated-their-paradises-with-a-bit-of/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The thing we long for, that we are For one transcendent moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-thing-we-long-for-that-we-are-for-one-transcendent-moment/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [O reputation! dearer far than life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/o-reputation-dearer-far-than-life/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Keats longed for fame, but longed above all to deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/keats-longed-for-fame-but-longed-above-all-to-deserve-it/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It is beginning to be doubtful whether Parliament and Congress sit in Westminster and Washington, or in the editorial rooms of the leading journals,--so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-beginning-to-be-doubtful-whether-parliament-and-congress-sit-in/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [ \[B\]ut in literature, it should be remembered, a thing always becomes his at last who says it best, and thus makes it his own. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/b-ut-in-literature-it-should-be-remembered-a-thing-always-becomes-his/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It may be glorious to write Thoughts that shall glad the two or three High souls, like those far stars that come in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-may-be-glorious-to-write-thoughts-that-shall-glad-the-two-or-three/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [It is the vain endeavor to make ourselves what we are not that has strewn history with so many broken purposes and lives left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-the-vain-endeavor-to-make-ourselves-what-we-are-not-that-has/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Take winter as you find him, and he turns out to be a thoroughly honest fellow; with no nonsense in him, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/take-winter-as-you-find-him-and-he-turns-out-to-be-a-thoroughly/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The intellect has only one failing, which, to be sure, is a very considerable one. It has no conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-intellect-has-only-one-failing-which-to-be-sure-is-a-very/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) [Explore all 471 James Russell Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## More Comes and goes quotes > [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Nominations come and go. It is not going to happen to you every year, and I am very well aware of that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/nominations-come-and-go-it-is-not-going-to-happen-to-you-every-year/) [Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/) > [I think it would be great to be a cat! You come and go as you please. People always feed and pet you. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcpherson/i-think-it-would-be-great-to-be-a-cat-you-come-and-go-as-you-please/) [Patricia McPherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcpherson/) > [The U.S. always needs an enemy. It comes and goes. Today it is Islam. According to this plan or ideology of the born-again Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/the-u-s-always-needs-an-enemy-it-comes-and-goes-today-it-is-islam/) [Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/) > [Fashion is transient, trends come and go. I believe in style, not fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-lauren/fashion-is-transient-trends-come-and-go-i-believe-in-style-not-fashion/) [Ralph Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-lauren/) > [Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-gibson/silently-like-thoughts-that-come-and-go-the-snowflakes-fall-each-one/) [William Hamilton Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-gibson/) > [Does Heaven ever speak? The four seasons come and go, and all creatures thrive and grow. Does Heaven ever speak!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/does-heaven-ever-speak-the-four-seasons-come-and-go-and-all-creatures/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Money comes and goes. I'm thankful I have money. I'm trying to save up more. I would like more money. But it's not happiness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dat-phan/money-comes-and-goes-i-m-thankful-i-have-money-i-m-trying-to-save-up/) [Dat Phan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dat-phan/) > [Tides are like politics. They come and go with a great deal of fuss and noise, but inevitably they leave the beach just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/tides-are-like-politics-they-come-and-go-with-a-great-deal-of-fuss/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/but-the-great-thing-to-remember-is-that-though-our-feelings-come-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Oh, thank you love With all my heart and soul I thank you love Each day that comes and goes I thank you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/oh-thank-you-love-with-all-my-heart-and-soul-i-thank-you-love-each/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [I don't give up. I'm a plodder. People come and go, but I stay the course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-costner/i-don-t-give-up-i-m-a-plodder-people-come-and-go-but-i-stay-the-course/) [Kevin Costner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-costner/) > [I love what I think, and I'm never tempted to believe it. Thoughts are like the wind or the leaves on the trees or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/i-love-what-i-think-and-i-m-never-tempted-to-believe-it-thoughts-are/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [Because too many times in life there's just one person that I met, just one thing that I heard, one movie that I saw,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-singletary/because-too-many-times-in-life-there-s-just-one-person-that-i-met/) [Mike Singletary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-singletary/) > [An ex-girlfriend once got upset when I told her that music is the most important thing in my life. It's more important than anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/an-ex-girlfriend-once-got-upset-when-i-told-her-that-music-is-the/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) [Browse all 388 Comes and goes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-and-goes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our seasons have no fixed returns, Without our will they come and go; At noon our sudden summer burns, Ere sunset all is snow.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Russell Lowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-without-our-will-they-come-and-go/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comes and goes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-without-our-will-they-come-and-go/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/james-russell-lowell-561_comes-and-goes_our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-withou_548460.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/james-russell-lowell-561_comes-and-goes_our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-withou_548460.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/james-russell-lowell-561_comes-and-goes_our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-withou_548460.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our seasons have no fixed returns, Without our will they come and go; At noon our sudden summer burns, Ere…” — James Russell Lowell", "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": "James Russell Lowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Our seasons have no fixed returns,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-without-our-will-they-come-and-go/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/our-seasons-have-no-fixed-returns-without-our-will-they-come-and-go/#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 } } ] } ```