--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All along the backwater, Through the…" description: "\"All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all!\" — Kenneth Grahame" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/kenneth-grahame-3489_dabbling_all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rush_392443.jpg" --- # All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks… ![“All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all!” quote by Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/kenneth-grahame-3489_dabbling_all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rush_392443.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/kenneth-grahame-3489_dabbling_all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rush_392443.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/kenneth-grahame-3489_dabbling_all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rush_392443.jpg) > “All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all!” [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ducks enjoy playful moments, splashing and showing their tails. **In simple terms:** Ducks splash and show tails. Key Takeaway Observe nature’s simple joys. Themes nature playfulness animals Mood whimsical lighthearted Type poetic descriptive When to use this quote - river walk - birdwatching - children’s story - outdoor recreation - null Key Concepts literature imagery Questions to Reflect On - What does the duck’s tail symbolize? - How can you bring playfulness into daily life? A Different Perspective Children may miss the subtle humor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dabbling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dabbling/) [Ducks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ducks/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Wind in the willows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind-in-the-willows/) ## Related quotes > [“All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all! Ducks' tails, drakes' tails, Yellow feet a-quiver, Yellow bills all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rushes-tall-ducks-are-a-dabbling-2/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“Bailey’s eyes rolled upward. “The man ran a merry-go-round in a backwater town. Get over it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-noble/bailey-s-eyes-rolled-upward-the-man-ran-a-merry-go-round-in-a/) [Shelley Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-noble/) > [“This was the place that shaped Arthur, this backwater, where the deep British past persisted the way scraps of winter snow last late into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/this-was-the-place-that-shaped-arthur-this-backwater-where-the-deep/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“An errant May-fly swerved unsteadily athwart the current in the intoxicated fashion affected by young bloods of May-flies seeing life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/an-errant-may-fly-swerved-unsteadily-athwart-the-current-in-the/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“And beyond the Wild Wood again?' he asked. 'Where it's all blue and dim and one sees what may be hills or perhaps they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/and-beyond-the-wild-wood-again-he-asked-where-it-s-all-blue-and-dim/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [Glorious, stirring sight!" murmured Toad. . . . "The poetry of motion! The real way to travel! The only way to travel! Here today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/glorious-stirring-sight-murmured-toad-the-poetry-of-motion-the-real/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of 'em, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/there-is-nothing-absolutely-nothing-half-so-much-worth-doing-as/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [Mastery does not come from dabbling. We have to be prepared to pay the price. 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Look at da Vinci, he was involved in science; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-old-fashioned-i-think-william-blake-and-people-in-the-renaissance/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [When I was writing songs or performing or producing or dabbling in movies or even putting my career on hold to go to art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-deshannon/when-i-was-writing-songs-or-performing-or-producing-or-dabbling-in/) [Jackie DeShannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-deshannon/) > [I love dabbling in various genres and languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armaan-malik/i-love-dabbling-in-various-genres-and-languages/) [Armaan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armaan-malik/) > [I am a ham. I've no business being rock 'n' roll. I've said it over and over again that I'm a classical composer, dishevelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cale/i-am-a-ham-i-ve-no-business-being-rock-n-roll-i-ve-said-it-over-and/) [John Cale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cale/) > [A civil ruler dabbling in religion is as reprehensible as a clergyman dabbling in politics. Both render themselves odious as well as ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gibbons/a-civil-ruler-dabbling-in-religion-is-as-reprehensible-as-a-clergyman/) [James Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gibbons/) > [Dabbling in music and being in music when I was young I had my own view of what I thought music was whether it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/dabbling-in-music-and-being-in-music-when-i-was-young-i-had-my-own/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) ## More by Kenneth Grahame > [Monkeys who very sensibly refrain from speech, lest they should be set to earn their livings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/monkeys-who-very-sensibly-refrain-from-speech-lest-they-should-be-set/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“What the Boy chiefly dabbled in was natural history and fairy tales, and he just took them as they came, in a sandwichy sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/what-the-boy-chiefly-dabbled-in-was-natural-history-and-fairy-tales/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“The dragon is a more enduring animal than the pterodactyl. I have never yet met anyone who really believed in a pterodactyl; but every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/the-dragon-is-a-more-enduring-animal-than-the-pterodactyl-i-have/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [The past was like a bad dream; the future was all happy holiday as I moved Southwards week by week, easily, lazily, lingering as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/the-past-was-like-a-bad-dream-the-future-was-all-happy-holiday-as-i/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“Independence is all very well, but we animals never allow our friends to make fools of themselves beyond a certain limit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/independence-is-all-very-well-but-we-animals-never-allow-our-friends/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“Supper was finished at last, and each animal felt that his skin was now as tight as was decently safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/supper-was-finished-at-last-and-each-animal-felt-that-his-skin-was/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [The river , corrected the Rat, It's my world...What it hasn't got is not worth having.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/the-river-corrected-the-rat-it-s-my-world-what-it-hasn-t-got-is-not/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“What is the meaning of this gross outrage?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/what-is-the-meaning-of-this-gross-outrage/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [Slowly, but with no doubt or hesitation whatever, and in something of a solemn expectancy, the two animals passed through the broken tumultuous water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/slowly-but-with-no-doubt-or-hesitation-whatever-and-in-something-of-a/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“In silence they landed, and pushed through the blossom and scented herbage and undergrowth that led up to the level ground, till they stood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/in-silence-they-landed-and-pushed-through-the-blossom-and-scented/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [It's not the sort of night for bed, anyhow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/it-s-not-the-sort-of-night-for-bed-anyhow/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [But Mole stood still a moment, held in thought. As one wakened suddenly from a beautiful dream, who struggles to recall it, but can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/but-mole-stood-still-a-moment-held-in-thought-as-one-wakened-suddenly/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“This day was only the first of man similar ones for the emancipated Mole, each of them longer and fuller of interest as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/this-day-was-only-the-first-of-man-similar-ones-for-the-emancipated/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“As he hurried along, eagerly anticipating the moment when he would be at home again among the things he knew and liked, the Mole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/as-he-hurried-along-eagerly-anticipating-the-moment-when-he-would-be/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [Animals arrived, liked the look of the place, took up their quarters, settled down, spread, and flourished. They didn't bother themselves about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/animals-arrived-liked-the-look-of-the-place-took-up-their-quarters/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) [Explore all 129 Kenneth Grahame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) ## More Dabbling quotes > [Dabbling in music and being in music when I was young I had my own view of what I thought music was whether it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/dabbling-in-music-and-being-in-music-when-i-was-young-i-had-my-own/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [A civil ruler dabbling in religion is as reprehensible as a clergyman dabbling in politics. Both render themselves odious as well as ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gibbons/a-civil-ruler-dabbling-in-religion-is-as-reprehensible-as-a-clergyman/) [James Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gibbons/) > [I am a ham. I've no business being rock 'n' roll. I've said it over and over again that I'm a classical composer, dishevelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cale/i-am-a-ham-i-ve-no-business-being-rock-n-roll-i-ve-said-it-over-and/) [John Cale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cale/) > [Mastery does not come from dabbling. We have to be prepared to pay the price. We need to have the sustained enthusiasm that motivates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eknath-easwaran/mastery-does-not-come-from-dabbling-we-have-to-be-prepared-to-pay-the/) [Eknath Easwaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eknath-easwaran/) > [If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune away even good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/if-you-want-your-life-to-have-impact-focus-it-stop-dabbling-stop/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I'm old-fashioned. I think William Blake and people in the Renaissance people were multi. Look at da Vinci, he was involved in science; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-old-fashioned-i-think-william-blake-and-people-in-the-renaissance/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [When I was writing songs or performing or producing or dabbling in movies or even putting my career on hold to go to art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-deshannon/when-i-was-writing-songs-or-performing-or-producing-or-dabbling-in/) [Jackie DeShannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-deshannon/) > [I love dabbling in various genres and languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armaan-malik/i-love-dabbling-in-various-genres-and-languages/) [Armaan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armaan-malik/) > [I don't really distinguish between a fictional hero and a real life hero as a basis for any comparison. To me, a hero is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-don-t-really-distinguish-between-a-fictional-hero-and-a-real-life/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I think that we all at some point are in search of something - a higher power, whatever you want to call it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-think-that-we-all-at-some-point-are-in-search-of-something-a-higher/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [A lot of people dabbling means Buddhism has come into the mainstream, where people begin to use these terms and ideas, and they become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/a-lot-of-people-dabbling-means-buddhism-has-come-into-the-mainstream/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [The old terms must be invented with new meaning and given new explanations. Liberty, equality, and fraternity are no longer what they were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-old-terms-must-be-invented-with-new-meaning-and-given-new/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [I began dabbling in writing when I was 12, and there was never an official start to singing... I just sang my songs because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-fraser/i-began-dabbling-in-writing-when-i-was-12-and-there-was-never-an/) [Brooke Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-fraser/) > [Dabbling in astrology is like carrying a lucky rabbit's foot as an omen of good luck which costs us very little and might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-singer/dabbling-in-astrology-is-like-carrying-a-lucky-rabbit-s-foot-as-an/) [Fred Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-singer/) > [Life, never deciding to master anything in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/life-never-deciding-to-master-anything-in-particular/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) [Browse all 21 Dabbling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dabbling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kenneth Grahame" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rushes-tall-ducks-are-a-dabbling/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dabbling" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rushes-tall-ducks-are-a-dabbling/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/kenneth-grahame-3489_dabbling_all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rush_392443.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/kenneth-grahame-3489_dabbling_all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rush_392443.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/333/kenneth-grahame-3489_dabbling_all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rush_392443.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all!” — Kenneth Grahame", "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": "Kenneth Grahame", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All along the backwater, Through the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rushes-tall-ducks-are-a-dabbling/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rushes-tall-ducks-are-a-dabbling/#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 } } ] } ```