---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the sound of water escaping from…"
description: "\"But the sound of water escaping from mill-dams, &c., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork, I love such things. Shakespeare could make..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/john-constable-11301_cease_but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mil_335195.jpg"
---

#  But the sound of water escaping from mill-dams, &amp;c…

![“But the sound of water escaping from mill-dams, &amp;c., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork, I love such things. Shakespeare could make everything poetical; he tells us of poor Tom's haunts among &quot;sheep cotes and mills.&quot; As long as I do paint, I shall never cease to paint such…” quote by John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/john-constable-11301_cease_but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mil_335195.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/john-constable-11301_cease_but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mil_335195.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/john-constable-11301_cease_but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mil_335195.jpg)

> “But the sound of water escaping from mill-dams, &amp;c., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork, I love such things. Shakespeare could make everything poetical; he tells us of poor Tom's haunts among "sheep cotes and mills." As long as I do paint, I shall never cease to paint such places. They have always been my delight.”

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Constable expresses deep affection for humble, natural scenes, finding poetic beauty in everyday rural details.

**In simple terms:** He loves simple, rustic places.

Key Takeaway

Cherish and depict ordinary nature.

Themes

nature art humility beauty

Mood

reflective content nostalgic

Type

artistic inspirational

When to use this quote

- painting
- landscape walks
- garden design
- heritage preservation

Key Concepts

Romanticism observation environment

Questions to Reflect On

- What ordinary scenes inspire you?
- How does focusing on small details affect your creativity?

A Different Perspective

May overlook larger societal issues by focusing only on quaint scenery.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Sound of water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound-of-water/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/)

## Related quotes

> [The sound of water escaping from mill dams, etc., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork, I love such things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mill-dams-etc-willows-old-rotten/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [The sound of water escaping from mill-dams, etc., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork.those scenes made me a painter and I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mill-dams-etc-willows-old-rotten-2/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [Still I should paint my own places best; painting is with me but another word for feeling, and I associate "my careless boyhood" with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/still-i-should-paint-my-own-places-best-painting-is-with-me-but/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [He best can paint them who shall feel them most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/he-best-can-paint-them-who-shall-feel-them-most/)

[Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/)

> [“It isn't the smallness of this place that bothers me. It's the grey that's worked its way into the walls. It's the stains on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/it-isn-t-the-smallness-of-this-place-that-bothers-me-it-s-the-grey/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [The Elizabethan mind wanted and demanded that one word could mean 50 things. What Shakespeare offers us is not ambiguity; it's choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/the-elizabethan-mind-wanted-and-demanded-that-one-word-could-mean-50/)

[Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/)

> [“It may take a decade or two before the extent of Shakespeare's collaboration passes from the graduate seminar to the undergraduate lecture, and finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-shapiro/it-may-take-a-decade-or-two-before-the-extent-of-shakespeare-s/)

[James Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-shapiro/)

> [One of the wonderful things about Shakespeare is that he trusted an audience to move quickly with him. One moment tragedy, the next comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/one-of-the-wonderful-things-about-shakespeare-is-that-he-trusted-an/)

[Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/)

> [“Then I grew into my ugly, said plenty, dropping quarters at the coin laundry. The sound of water turning over water was a comfort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collier-nogues/then-i-grew-into-my-ugly-said-plenty-dropping-quarters-at-the-coin/)

Collier Nogues

> [Anyone who has become entranced by the sound of water drops in the darkness of a ruin can attest to the extraordinary capacity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-holl/anyone-who-has-become-entranced-by-the-sound-of-water-drops-in-the/)

[Steven Holl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-holl/)

> [Then star nor sun shall waken, Nor any change of light: Nor sound of waters shaken, Nor any sound or sight: Nor wintry leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/then-star-nor-sun-shall-waken-nor-any-change-of-light-nor-sound-of/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [“From too much love of living From hope and fear set free, We thank with brief thanksgiving Whatever gods may be That no life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/from-too-much-love-of-living-from-hope-and-fear-set-free-we-thank/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [Think of the sound you make when you let go after holding your breath for a very, very long time. Think of the gladdest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-d-schmidt/think-of-the-sound-you-make-when-you-let-go-after-holding-your-breath/)

[Gary D. Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-d-schmidt/)

> [“Brief dark shadow of a downtown tree, light sound of water falling into the sad pool, green of the trimmed lawn – public garden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/brief-dark-shadow-of-a-downtown-tree-light-sound-of-water-falling/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“I think it was only in that moment I believed she was dead, this girl I had never seen alive. I'll never be free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/i-think-it-was-only-in-that-moment-i-believed-she-was-dead-this-girl/)

[Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/)

## More by John Constable

> [There has never been a boy painter, nor can there be. The art requires a long apprenticeship, being mechanical, as well as intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/there-has-never-been-a-boy-painter-nor-can-there-be-the-art-requires/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [I am anxious that the world should be inclined to look to painters for information about painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/i-am-anxious-that-the-world-should-be-inclined-to-look-to-painters/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [We see nothing till we truly understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/we-see-nothing-till-we-truly-understand-it/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [I am anxious that the world should be inclined to look to painters for information about painting. I hope to show that ours is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/i-am-anxious-that-the-world-should-be-inclined-to-look-to-painters-2/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [Painting is a science, and should be pursued as an inquiry into the laws of nature. Why, then, may not landscape painting be considered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/painting-is-a-science-and-should-be-pursued-as-an-inquiry-into-the/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [I do not consider myself at work unless I am before a six-foot canvas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/i-do-not-consider-myself-at-work-unless-i-am-before-a-six-foot-canvas/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [The climax of absurdity to which art may be carried when led away from nature by fashion, may be best seen in the works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/the-climax-of-absurdity-to-which-art-may-be-carried-when-led-away/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [It is much to my advantage that several of my pictures should be seen together, as it displays to advantage their varieties of conception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/it-is-much-to-my-advantage-that-several-of-my-pictures-should-be-seen/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [When we speak of the perfection of art, we must recollect what the materials are with which a painter contends with nature. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/when-we-speak-of-the-perfection-of-art-we-must-recollect-what-the/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [The sound of water escaping from mill dams, etc., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork, I love such things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mill-dams-etc-willows-old-rotten/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [It is always my endeavour however in making a picture that it should be without a companion in the world. At least such should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/it-is-always-my-endeavour-however-in-making-a-picture-that-it-should/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [Still I should paint my own places best; painting is with me but another word for feeling, and I associate "my careless boyhood" with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/still-i-should-paint-my-own-places-best-painting-is-with-me-but/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [The landscape painter must walk in the fields with a humble mind. No arrogant man was ever permitted to see Nature in all her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/the-landscape-painter-must-walk-in-the-fields-with-a-humble-mind-no/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [I paint by all the daylight we have and that is little enough, less perhaps than you have by much... imagine to yourself how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/i-paint-by-all-the-daylight-we-have-and-that-is-little-enough-less/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [I know dock leaves pretty well, but I should not attempt to introduce them into a picture without having them before me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/i-know-dock-leaves-pretty-well-but-i-should-not-attempt-to-introduce/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

[Explore all 60 John Constable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

## More Cease quotes

> [So long as we fear the outside world, we must cease to think of Swaraj.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/so-long-as-we-fear-the-outside-world-we-must-cease-to-think-of-swaraj/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [In the name of Jerusalem. If I forget the extermination of the Jews, may my right hand wither, may my tongue stick to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-if-i-forget-the-extermination-of-the-jews/)

[Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/)

> [But if you will recall the history of our civil troubles, you will see half the nation bathe itself, out of piety, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/but-if-you-will-recall-the-history-of-our-civil-troubles-you-will-see/)

[Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/)

> [Metallica's the only band i've ever been in. I'm not sure that when it ends in five, ten years, I'm going to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-s-the-only-band-i-ve-ever-been-in-i-m-not-sure-that-when-it/)

[Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/)

> [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/)

Nicholas Roerich

> [Without a function, we cease to be. So, I will write till I die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/without-a-function-we-cease-to-be-so-i-will-write-till-i-die/)

[Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/)

> [We have won an armistice on a single battlefield, not peace in our world. We may not now relax our guard nor cease our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/we-have-won-an-armistice-on-a-single-battlefield-not-peace-in-our/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [My child, seek those things which make for peace. Cease to stir up the King against the Church, and urge upon him a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-child-seek-those-things-which-make-for-peace-cease-to-stir-up-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To write is to make oneself the echo of what cannot cease speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/to-write-is-to-make-oneself-the-echo-of-what-cannot-cease-speaking/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [When fear ceases to scare you, it cannot stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/when-fear-ceases-to-scare-you-it-cannot-stay/)

[Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/)

> [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [He who ceases to pray ceases to prosper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurney-benham/he-who-ceases-to-pray-ceases-to-prosper/)

[William Gurney Benham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurney-benham/)

> [For we must share, if we would keep, that blessing from above; ceasing to give, we cease to have; such is the law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-chenevix-trench/for-we-must-share-if-we-would-keep-that-blessing-from-above-ceasing/)

[Richard Chenevix Trench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-chenevix-trench/)

> [When men are unhappy, they do not imagine they can ever cease to be so; and when some calamity has fallen on them, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/when-men-are-unhappy-they-do-not-imagine-they-can-ever-cease-to-be-so/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

Browse all 1,358 Cease quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "But the sound of water escaping from mill-dams, &c., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork, I love such things. Shakespeare could make everything poetical; he tells us of poor Tom's haunts among \"sheep cotes and mills.\" As long as I do paint, I shall never cease to paint such places. They have always been my delight.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Constable"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mill-dams-c-willows-old-rotten/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cease"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mill-dams-c-willows-old-rotten/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/john-constable-11301_cease_but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mil_335195.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/john-constable-11301_cease_but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mil_335195.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/john-constable-11301_cease_but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mil_335195.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But the sound of water escaping from mill-dams, &c., willows, old rotten planks, slimy posts, and brickwork…” — John Constable",
                "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": "John Constable",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "But the sound of water escaping...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mill-dams-c-willows-old-rotten/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/but-the-sound-of-water-escaping-from-mill-dams-c-willows-old-rotten/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
