--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beyond this, to speak to the river and…" description: "\"“Beyond this, to speak to the river and ask it why it runs, or to the sunshine and inquire of its cheer, or to command the raging storm be silent, this..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/john-c-wright-11300_angel_beyond-this-to-speak-to-the-river-and-as_2877141.jpg" --- # Beyond this, to speak to the river and ask it why it runs… ![“Beyond this, to speak to the river and ask it why it runs, or to the sunshine and inquire of its cheer, or to command the raging storm be silent, this is a delight that saints and angels know which man, exiled from Eden, has lost. We are dumb and deaf in a world given to our dominion.” quote by John C. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/john-c-wright-11300_angel_beyond-this-to-speak-to-the-river-and-as_2877141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/john-c-wright-11300_angel_beyond-this-to-speak-to-the-river-and-as_2877141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b40/john-c-wright-11300_angel_beyond-this-to-speak-to-the-river-and-as_2877141.jpg) > ““Beyond this, to speak to the river and ask it why it runs, or to the sunshine and inquire of its cheer, or to command the raging storm be silent, this is a delight that saints and angels know which man, exiled from Eden, has lost. We are dumb and deaf in a world given to our dominion.”” [John C. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects humanity’s loss of awe and communion with nature, suggesting that modern people are disconnected from the divine wonder that saints and angels still experience. **In simple terms:** People have forgotten how to listen to nature’s wisdom. Key Takeaway Relearn reverence for natural forces. Themes spirituality nature humility Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - personal meditation - environmental education - creative writing - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism mythic symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How can we restore a sense of wonder for the natural world? - What practices help us hear nature’s “voice”? A Different Perspective The metaphor may be overly romantic, ignoring practical ways to engage with nature today. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) ## Related quotes > [When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million, empty words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-is-going-through-a-storm-your-silent-presence-is-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [With us, when you speak of ‘the river,’ though there be many, you mean always the same one, the great river, the shifting, unappeasable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander-percy/with-us-when-you-speak-of-the-river-though-there-be-many-you-mean/) [William Alexander Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander-percy/) > [“A vast mirror hung above his desk, its gilt frame a horror of twisted vines and sharp leaves, angry looking foliage. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-know-that-my-work-in-this-case-is-magnified-by-the-fact-that-the/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/reputation-is-what-men-and-women-think-of-us-character-is-what-god-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've always seen the bright lights of the angels, and I know that lower-entities can't disguise this light, because it only comes from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/i-ve-always-seen-the-bright-lights-of-the-angels-and-i-know-that/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [Learn to dance, so when you get to heaven the angels know what to do with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learn-to-dance-so-when-you-get-to-heaven-the-angels-know-what-to-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John C. Wright > [“The sensation of a baseball bat to the face was not any more pleasant when it came from an unexpected direction, without warning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-wright/the-sensation-of-a-baseball-bat-to-the-face-was-not-any-more-pleasant/) [John C. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-wright/) > [“Truth destroys the worst in man; pleasure destroys the best. If you love truth more than happiness, then open; otherwise, let rest.” His”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-wright/truth-destroys-the-worst-in-man-pleasure-destroys-the-best-if-you/) [John C. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-wright/) > [Men's souls are crooked and unsound things, not good materials out of which to build friendships, families, households, cities, civilizations. But good or no,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-wright/men-s-souls-are-crooked-and-unsound-things-not-good-materials-out-of/) [John C. 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Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-wright/) ## More Angel quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [If I wer an angel,i would make all your wishes come true..but I'm only a girl a girl who loves you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/if-i-wer-an-angel-i-would-make-all-your-wishes-come-true-but-i-m-only/) [Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Behind my eyelids, I saw him dancing in spirals of coloured light, emerald, blue, and brilliant purple, enfolding him like the wings of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/behind-my-eyelids-i-saw-him-dancing-in-spirals-of-coloured-light/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/) [Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [I believe in UFOs, I believe in extraterrestrials, and I believe in angels. And maybe they'll protect all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-believe-in-ufos-i-believe-in-extraterrestrials-and-i-believe-in/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. 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