--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had thought once past there my reward…" description: "\"“I had thought once past there my reward will begin, but now everything seems kind of empty and I find I already have my reward—in the doing of the thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/mark-woods-49672_friendship_i-had-thought-once-past-there-my-reward_1851043.jpg" --- # I had thought once past there my reward will begin, but… ![“I had thought once past there my reward will begin, but now everything seems kind of empty and I find I already have my reward—in the doing of the thing. The stars and cliffs and canyons, the roar of the rapids, the moon, the uncertainty, worry, the relief when thru each one, the campfires at…” quote by Mark Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/mark-woods-49672_friendship_i-had-thought-once-past-there-my-reward_1851043.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/mark-woods-49672_friendship_i-had-thought-once-past-there-my-reward_1851043.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/203/mark-woods-49672_friendship_i-had-thought-once-past-there-my-reward_1851043.jpg) > ““I had thought once past there my reward will begin, but now everything seems kind of empty and I find I already have my reward—in the doing of the thing. The stars and cliffs and canyons, the roar of the rapids, the moon, the uncertainty, worry, the relief when thru each one, the campfires at night, the real respect and friendship of the rivermen I met.”” [Mark Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-woods/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Finding fulfillment in the process itself rather than chasing a distant reward, appreciating nature, challenges, and community along the way. **In simple terms:** Joy comes from doing, not just achieving. Key Takeaway Focus on the journey, not just the goal. Themes nature adventure community mindfulness fulfillment Mood reflective inspired grateful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - hiking trips - river rafting - team projects - creative endeavors Key Concepts process orientation intrinsic motivation presence Questions to Reflect On - What daily activities bring you the most sense of purpose? - How do you balance effort with rest? A Different Perspective The journey can be exhausting and may distract from long‑term goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Past Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-reward-2428207/) [Rapids Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapids-moon-2428208/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward/) [Reward Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward-begin-2428206/) [Reward Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward-doing-408443/) ## Related quotes > [Do not punish yourself for mistakes you've made in the past... reward yourself for the great person those mistakes helped create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-punish-yourself-for-mistakes-you-ve-made-in-the-past-reward/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The reward is in doing, but doing without expecting anything...doing unselfishly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reward-is-in-doing-but-doing-without-expecting-anything-doing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-that-the-greatest-reward-for-doing-is-the-opportunity-to-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He had not yet learned that sometimes your reward for doing one task well is to be set with a harder and better one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/he-had-not-yet-learned-that-sometimes-your-reward-for-doing-one-task/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Instead of thinking of the potential rewards that acting as someone else may bring you, always remember that ultimately there is no reward in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/instead-of-thinking-of-the-potential-rewards-that-acting-as-someone/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [No endeavour is in vain; Its reward is in the doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/no-endeavour-is-in-vain-its-reward-is-in-the-doing/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [The reward for doing right is mostly an internal phenomenon: self-respect, dignity, integrity, and self-esteem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/the-reward-for-doing-right-is-mostly-an-internal-phenomenon-self-2/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [“there is complexity, autonomy, and a relationship between effort and reward in doing creative work, and that’s worth more to most of us than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/there-is-complexity-autonomy-and-a-relationship-between-effort-and/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The reward is in the doing of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/the-reward-is-in-the-doing-of-it/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [The reward for doing right is mostly an internal phenomenon: self-respect, dignity, integrity, and self-esteem. . . . Not doing right may have momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/the-reward-for-doing-right-is-mostly-an-internal-phenomenon-self/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [I think the reward for doing comedy is doing the comedy itself. You get to go to work everyday and laugh and make other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/i-think-the-reward-for-doing-comedy-is-doing-the-comedy-itself-you/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [The real reward for doing your best work is not the money you make but the leader you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/the-real-reward-for-doing-your-best-work-is-not-the-money-you-make/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [“Its reward is in the doing, And the rapture of pursuing Is the prize”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/its-reward-is-in-the-doing-and-the-rapture-of-pursuing-is-the-prize/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Don't cheat yourself out of music. Music is one thing. The music business is another thing. Save enough of yourself to keep living anyway.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-withers/don-t-cheat-yourself-out-of-music-music-is-one-thing-the-music/) [Bill Withers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-withers/) > [“We didn't come to the world just to entertain, we came to play remarkable roles, and our reward is to see you doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/we-didn-t-come-to-the-world-just-to-entertain-we-came-to-play/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) ## More by Mark Woods > [“I can never quite make out the words, and I’m afraid I’ll have to leave Yosemite before I understand what God is saying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-woods/i-can-never-quite-make-out-the-words-and-i-m-afraid-i-ll-have-to/) [Mark Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-woods/) > [“When darkness is at its darkest, that is the beginning of all light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-woods/when-darkness-is-at-its-darkest-that-is-the-beginning-of-all-light/) [Mark Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-woods/) > [“It is always sunrise somewhere,” he wrote in a journal. “The dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-woods/it-is-always-sunrise-somewhere-he-wrote-in-a-journal-the-dew-is-never/) [Mark Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-woods/) > [“It reminded me that if you spend a few hours in a national park, you check it off a list. If you spend a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-woods/it-reminded-me-that-if-you-spend-a-few-hours-in-a-national-park-you/) [Mark Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-woods/) > [Curiosity may have killed the cat, but the cat still had eight lives left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-woods/curiosity-may-have-killed-the-cat-but-the-cat-still-had-eight-lives/) [Mark Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-woods/) > [“We save rivers and canyons and mountains, and they save us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-woods/we-save-rivers-and-canyons-and-mountains-and-they-save-us/) [Mark Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-woods/) [Explore all 7 Mark Woods quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-woods/) ## More Friendship quotes > [Life is full of change. 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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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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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": "“I had thought once past there my reward will begin, but now everything seems kind of empty and I find I already have my reward—in the doing of the thing. 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