--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There had been a frozen mist here, and…" description: "\"There had been a frozen mist here, and the trees were spun into feathers. Their fragile brilliance made me wonder why, into the spotlessness of Creatio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/maria-mccann-29613_brilliance_there-had-been-a-frozen-mist-here-and-th_1367887.jpg" --- # There had been a frozen mist here, and the trees were spun… ![“There had been a frozen mist here, and the trees were spun into feathers. Their fragile brilliance made me wonder why, into the spotlessness of Creation, God had seen fit to introduce soiling, twisting, rampaging, Man.” quote by Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/maria-mccann-29613_brilliance_there-had-been-a-frozen-mist-here-and-th_1367887.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/maria-mccann-29613_brilliance_there-had-been-a-frozen-mist-here-and-th_1367887.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/maria-mccann-29613_brilliance_there-had-been-a-frozen-mist-here-and-th_1367887.jpg) > “There had been a frozen mist here, and the trees were spun into feathers. Their fragile brilliance made me wonder why, into the spotlessness of Creation, God had seen fit to introduce soiling, twisting, rampaging, Man.” [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The beauty of nature contrasts with humanity's destructive tendencies, prompting reflection on why imperfection exists in creation. **In simple terms:** Nature is beautiful, but humans cause damage. Key Takeaway Consider humanity's impact on the world. Themes nature creation humanity imperfection reflection Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - hiking - environmental activism - artistic inspiration - personal meditation Key Concepts environmental ethics philosophy cosmology Questions to Reflect On - Why do we focus on destruction rather than stewardship? - How can we align human progress with natural beauty? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize nature while ignoring positive human contributions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brilliance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliance/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Feathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feathers/) [Feathers Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feathers-fragile-4702879/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Frozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frozen/) [Introducing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introducing/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mist/) [Mist Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mist-trees-4702880/) [Spun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spun/) [Spun Feathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spun-feathers-4702881/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Trees Spun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees-spun-4702878/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I’ll lay you down, I’ll dress you all in yellow silk and on your head a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-featherbed-is-deep-and-soft-and-there-i-ll-lay-you-down-i-ll-dress/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Upon this gifted age, in its dark hour falls from the sky a meteoric shower of facts; They lie unquestioned, uncombined. 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She spun to face him, which, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/everything-lined-up-it-has-been-easy-as-if-it-were-meant-meant-she/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [I think the greatest gift we can give our children is the experience of deep quiet. If we don’t help our children cultivate contemplation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-think-the-greatest-gift-we-can-give-our-children-is-the-experience/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I want to write about people I love, and put them into a fictional world spun out of my own mind, not the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-want-to-write-about-people-i-love-and-put-them-into-a-fictional/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [He snorted and hit me in the solar plexus. I bent over and took hold of the room with both hands and spun it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/he-snorted-and-hit-me-in-the-solar-plexus-i-bent-over-and-took-hold/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) ## More by Maria McCann > [“Are you afraid of dying, Ferris?' 'I'm afraid of not living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/are-you-afraid-of-dying-ferris-i-m-afraid-of-not-living/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [“Behold,' said the Voice, 'earthly beauty. 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I had passed all my life with men who were loved but I seemed never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/how-did-men-make-themselves-loved-i-wondered-i-had-passed-all-my-life/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [“I pictured Becs and myself together, squabbling, but always over little things, while I rotted away at the core from love of Ferris. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/i-pictured-becs-and-myself-together-squabbling-but-always-over-little/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [I followed him up the stairs. I was a fornicator, of unnatural appetite, in thrall to an Atheist. I repeated the words in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/i-followed-him-up-the-stairs-i-was-a-fornicator-of-unnatural-appetite/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [I wondered at him, so wise and so foolish, to have lived with me all these months and not know that the worst storms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/i-wondered-at-him-so-wise-and-so-foolish-to-have-lived-with-me-all/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [“I dig and plough at your command,' I replied, 'but you will not tell me how to shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/i-dig-and-plough-at-your-command-i-replied-but-you-will-not-tell-me/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [“Will you still walk with me?’ ‘Would you walk with a bad angel?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/will-you-still-walk-with-me-would-you-walk-with-a-bad-angel/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [“God cuts out our path, makes a groove in the clay with His finger, and we poor blind ants slide down into it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/god-cuts-out-our-path-makes-a-groove-in-the-clay-with-his-finger-and/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [But what virtue I do have is in me and of me. Men deny the good that comes from themselves, calling it God. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/but-what-virtue-i-do-have-is-in-me-and-of-me-men-deny-the-good-that/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [“I studied the shape of my friend’s hands, and how he clasped them. I could smell his skin and hair in the cold air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/i-studied-the-shape-of-my-friend-s-hands-and-how-he-clasped-them-i/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [“You talked once of bodily dignity.’ ‘I’ve seen heads shot off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/you-talked-once-of-bodily-dignity-i-ve-seen-heads-shot-off/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [Speak to me, Jacob, do not play the tyrant. Speak to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/speak-to-me-jacob-do-not-play-the-tyrant-speak-to-me/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) [Explore all 18 Maria McCann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) ## More Brilliance quotes > [Asanas bring perfection in body, beauty in form, grace, strength, compactness, and the hardness and brilliance of a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/asanas-bring-perfection-in-body-beauty-in-form-grace-strength/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) > [Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance, but it cannot destroy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/evil-may-mar-the-divine-image-and-cloud-its-brilliance-but-it-cannot/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/knowledge-is-merely-brilliance-in-organization-of-ideas-and-not/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet; a happy marriage has the tranquillity of a lovely sunset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/sensual-pleasures-have-the-fleeting-brilliance-of-a-comet-a-happy/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [What is writing, no matter how lavish the pieces, if it says nothing of the truth, cares little for the heart, and is merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/what-is-writing-no-matter-how-lavish-the-pieces-if-it-says-nothing-of/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I love the idea of a movie hero in a thriller who is able to get ahead by just his brilliance, and not with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-strong/i-love-the-idea-of-a-movie-hero-in-a-thriller-who-is-able-to-get/) [Danny Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-strong/) > [Most brilliance arises from ordinary people working together in extraordinary ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-von-oech/most-brilliance-arises-from-ordinary-people-working-together-in/) [Roger von Oech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-von-oech/) > [A man doesn't need brilliance or genius, all he needs is energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-m-greenfield/a-man-doesn-t-need-brilliance-or-genius-all-he-needs-is-energy/) [Albert M. Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-m-greenfield/) > [We aren't suggesting that mental instability or unhappiness makes one a better poet, or a poet at all; and contrary to the romantic notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/we-aren-t-suggesting-that-mental-instability-or-unhappiness-makes-one/) [Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/) > [Enlightenment is like witnessing the brilliant sun for the first time in the morning. It is like seeing the beautiful flowers that grow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/enlightenment-is-like-witnessing-the-brilliant-sun-for-the-first-time/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Too much brilliance has its disadvantages, and misplaced wit may raise a laugh, but often beheads a topic of profound interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-asquith/too-much-brilliance-has-its-disadvantages-and-misplaced-wit-may-raise/) [Margot Asquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-asquith/) > [It is not brilliance or facility that is necessary, but the determination to bear and even enjoy the dull process of wading into one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is-necessary-but-the/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [Our humanity is trapped by moral adolescents. We have too many men of science, too few men of God. The world has achieved brilliance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-n-bradley/our-humanity-is-trapped-by-moral-adolescents-we-have-too-many-men-of/) [Omar N. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-n-bradley/) > [Here is just emptiness. There is no getting my ego out of the way, and all that stuff. There is just the seeing, shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-harding/here-is-just-emptiness-there-is-no-getting-my-ego-out-of-the-way-and/) [Douglas Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-harding/) > [“You can't stop the future. All you can do is pick a side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-sakey/you-can-t-stop-the-future-all-you-can-do-is-pick-a-side/) [Markus Sakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-sakey/) [Browse all 411 Brilliance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There had been a frozen mist here, and the trees were spun into feathers. 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