--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Believe me, my young friend, there is…" description: "\"“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. —KENNETH GRAHAME, The Wind..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/kevin-fedarko-33568_friendship_believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-noth_2512285.jpg" --- # Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely… ![“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. —KENNETH GRAHAME, The Wind in the Willows” quote by Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/kevin-fedarko-33568_friendship_believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-noth_2512285.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/kevin-fedarko-33568_friendship_believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-noth_2512285.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/kevin-fedarko-33568_friendship_believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-noth_2512285.jpg) > ““Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. —KENNETH GRAHAME, The Wind in the Willows”” [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Simple pleasures, like boating, hold profound value and joy, surpassing many other activities. **In simple terms:** Boating is a simple, highly rewarding activity. Key Takeaway Spend time on water to find calm and joy. Themes leisure nature joy Mood peaceful nostalgic inspirational Type leisure philosophical When to use this quote - vacation - family outings - personal downtime - creative retreats Key Concepts simple pleasures mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance simple joys with life duties? - What does boating symbolize for you? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on leisure can neglect responsibilities or deeper growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Wind in the willows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind-in-the-willows/) ## Related quotes > [“The Wind in the Willows Retold from the Kenneth Grahame original by Martin Woodside”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-woodside/the-wind-in-the-willows-retold-from-the-kenneth-grahame-original-by/) Martin Woodside > [“And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!” “By it and with it and on it and in it,” said the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/and-you-really-live-by-the-river-what-a-jolly-life-by-it-and-with-it/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne/one-does-not-argue-about-the-wind-in-the-willows/) [A. A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne/) > [“I do not blench at nature red in tooth and claw... And much as I love The Wind in the Willows and the works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-king-smith/i-do-not-blench-at-nature-red-in-tooth-and-claw-and-much-as-i-love/) [Dick King-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-king-smith/) > [The book that meant most to me was 'The Wind in the Willows.' It sounds ridiculous, but that was my vision of England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cartwright/the-book-that-meant-most-to-me-was-the-wind-in-the-willows-it-sounds/) [Justin Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cartwright/) > [We did a musical called 'The Wind in the Willows Christmas' in Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. I played an otter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/we-did-a-musical-called-the-wind-in-the-willows-christmas-in-two/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-nothing-absolutely-nothing-half-2/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“Splash or crash? Do you want special ops messing about in boats? Or special ops messing in aeroplanes?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-radcliffe/splash-or-crash-do-you-want-special-ops-messing-about-in-boats-or/) Robert Radcliffe > [There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/there-is-nothing-absolutely-nothing-half-so-much-worth-doing-as-2/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“There’s nothing––absolutely nothing––half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/there-s-nothing-absolutely-nothing-half-so-much-worth-doing-as/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [Nice? It's the ONLY thing, said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leant forward for his stroke. Believe me, my young friend, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/nice-it-s-the-only-thing-said-the-water-rat-solemnly-as-he-leant/) [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/) > [All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/all-along-the-backwater-through-the-rushes-tall-ducks-are-a-dabbling/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [Someone once pointed out that there are quite a lot of animals in my books, and I'm sure that is something to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cartwright/someone-once-pointed-out-that-there-are-quite-a-lot-of-animals-in-my/) [Justin Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cartwright/) > [It takes all sorts to make a world - saints as well as soldiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-anderson/it-takes-all-sorts-to-make-a-world-saints-as-well-as-soldiers/) [Anthony Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-anderson/) ## More by Kevin Fedarko > [“And Petschek had asked—because he was genuinely puzzled by this—why so many people, Americans especially, seemed to feel that happiness was an entitlement. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/and-petschek-had-asked-because-he-was-genuinely-puzzled-by-this-why/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“We are three quarters of a mile in the depths of the earth, and the great river shrinks into insignificance, as it dashes its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/we-are-three-quarters-of-a-mile-in-the-depths-of-the-earth-and-the/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!” “By it and with it and on it and in it,” said the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/and-you-really-live-by-the-river-what-a-jolly-life-by-it-and-with-it/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“The river’s isolation and secrecy, however, were only part of what made it superlative. There was also its vertical drop. The Colorado’s watershed encompasses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/the-river-s-isolation-and-secrecy-however-were-only-part-of-what-made/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“A river so clear and transparent that the bright stones suspended within its currents could be seen with the naked eye, glittering with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/a-river-so-clear-and-transparent-that-the-bright-stones-suspended/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“Three generations later, viewed from the standpoint of the digital age, a structure such as Hoover can appear to suffer from a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/three-generations-later-viewed-from-the-standpoint-of-the-digital-age/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“Beyond the rapids themselves, the river also concealed a host of other obstacles, wicked spots whose names offered a sufficiently graphic warning of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/beyond-the-rapids-themselves-the-river-also-concealed-a-host-of-other/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“Among many other things, those dirtbag river runners uphold the virtue of disobedience: the principle that in a free society, defiance for its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/among-many-other-things-those-dirtbag-river-runners-uphold-the-virtue/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“But what made Litton’s ideas even stranger—and so at odds with prevailing sentiment—was the depth of his rage. Without quite realizing it, he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/but-what-made-litton-s-ideas-even-stranger-and-so-at-odds-with/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“Historians often minimize or discount the impact that any one individual can have on human destiny-and for good reason. Given the broad tides in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/historians-often-minimize-or-discount-the-impact-that-any-one/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“if there is a point to being in the canyon, it is not to rush but to linger, suspended in a blue-and-amber haze of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/if-there-is-a-point-to-being-in-the-canyon-it-is-not-to-rush-but-to/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“The English novelist J. B. Priestley once said that if he were an American, he would make the final test of whatever men chose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/the-english-novelist-j-b-priestley-once-said-that-if-he-were-an/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) > [“Thus he was old enough to remember the freedom that had prevailed in the canyon country before the hordes of tourists had started pouring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/thus-he-was-old-enough-to-remember-the-freedom-that-had-prevailed-in/) [Kevin Fedarko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) [Explore all 14 Kevin Fedarko quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/) ## More Friendship quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) Maureen Andeson > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/) Unknwon > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [If you love some one for who they are not for there body or how many friend so when you say I love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/if-you-love-some-one-for-who-they-are-not-for-there-body-or-how-many/) Unknow > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“way. A true friend isn't the one that agrees with everything you say or do. A true friend is someone that has your back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shameek-speight/way-a-true-friend-isn-t-the-one-that-agrees-with-everything-you-say/) [Shameek Speight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shameek-speight/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“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/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [“The real purpose of friendship was to discover and exploit weakness in others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-thompson/the-real-purpose-of-friendship-was-to-discover-and-exploit-weakness/) [Brian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-thompson/) [Browse all 45,469 Friendship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. —KENNETH GRAHAME, The Wind in the Willows”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Fedarko" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-nothing-absolutely-nothing-half/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friendship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-nothing-absolutely-nothing-half/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/kevin-fedarko-33568_friendship_believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-noth_2512285.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/kevin-fedarko-33568_friendship_believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-noth_2512285.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d5/kevin-fedarko-33568_friendship_believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-noth_2512285.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing…” — Kevin Fedarko", "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": "Kevin Fedarko", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-fedarko/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Believe me, my young friend, there...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-nothing-absolutely-nothing-half/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-fedarko/believe-me-my-young-friend-there-is-nothing-absolutely-nothing-half/#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 } } ] } ```