--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is my father whispering in my ear…" description: "\"There is my father whispering in my ear, Be still still still. And yet you change everything. What was the marsh like, waiting for the storm before you..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66d/paul-harding-11330_backsides_there-is-my-father-whispering-in-my-ear_1927731.jpg" --- # There is my father whispering in my ear, Be still still… ![“There is my father whispering in my ear, Be still still still. And yet you change everything. What was the marsh like, waiting for the storm before you came and kneeled in the water? It was nothing. Watch after you leave the water, now cold and regretful, miles from home, certain of the belt on…” quote by Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66d/paul-harding-11330_backsides_there-is-my-father-whispering-in-my-ear_1927731.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66d/paul-harding-11330_backsides_there-is-my-father-whispering-in-my-ear_1927731.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66d/paul-harding-11330_backsides_there-is-my-father-whispering-in-my-ear_1927731.jpg) > “There is my father whispering in my ear, Be still still still. And yet you change everything. What was the marsh like, waiting for the storm before you came and kneeled in the water? It was nothing. Watch after you leave the water, now cold and regretful, miles from home, certain of the belt on your backside, the cold shoulder, the extra chores; watch. Watch the water heal itself of your presence--not to repair injury but to offer itself again should you care to risk another strapping \[...\].” [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A father’s lingering presence and the inevitability of change shape our emotional landscape, urging us to confront loss and renewal. **In simple terms:** Father’s influence and change affect us deeply. Key Takeaway Embrace change and heal. Themes loss change healing memory family Mood reflective melancholic hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief - family dynamics - personal growth - acceptance - letting go Key Concepts existentialism grief renewal Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor past influences while moving forward? - What does “watch the water heal itself” mean to you? A Different Perspective Healing is not immediate; pain persists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold shoulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-shoulder/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Injury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injury/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Regretful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regretful/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Whispering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whispering/) ## Related quotes > [“He smelled cold water and cold intrepid green. Those early flowers smelled like cold water. Their fragrence was not the still perfume of high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/he-smelled-cold-water-and-cold-intrepid-green-those-early-flowers/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [In the cold, all the blood rushes to your core to protect your heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and brain. When you leave the water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-gordon-pugh/in-the-cold-all-the-blood-rushes-to-your-core-to-protect-your-heart/) [Lewis Gordon Pugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-gordon-pugh/) > [From "Wetness and Water" How does a part of the world leave the world? How can wetness leave water? Do not try to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/from-wetness-and-water-how-does-a-part-of-the-world-leave-the-world/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [The most important thing is to get the fish in quickly and leave it in the water. Forget the hero pose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/the-most-important-thing-is-to-get-the-fish-in-quickly-and-leave-it/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [The party will be pissed when I buy out the bar and leave water on the list](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jr-writer/the-party-will-be-pissed-when-i-buy-out-the-bar-and-leave-water-on/) [JR Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jr-writer/) > [Let's care for the land and water, heal our cherished planet, and promote wellness for all of her people. Water is life. Let's protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/let-s-care-for-the-land-and-water-heal-our-cherished-planet-and/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [Tears are God's gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-schiano/tears-are-god-s-gift-to-us-our-holy-water-they-heal-us-as-they-flow/) [Rita Schiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-schiano/) > [“I shower in the dark, barely able to tell soap from conditioner, and tell myself that I will emerge new and strong, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-shower-in-the-dark-barely-able-to-tell-soap-from-conditioner-and/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [If you can walk on water,heal the sick,raise the dead,forgive my sins,and die for me,then feel free to judgevaway!If not,BE QUIET](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-walk-on-water-heal-the-sick-raise-the-dead-forgive-my-sins/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tears are Gods gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-schiano/tears-are-gods-gift-to-us-our-holy-water-they-heal-us-as-they-flow/) [Rita Schiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-schiano/) > [I love her bare legs from a distance. When she's standing by a pool. When she's facing the water, thinking. Her legs are white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaclyn-moriarty/i-love-her-bare-legs-from-a-distance-when-she-s-standing-by-a-pool/) [Jaclyn Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaclyn-moriarty/) > [“You too, you took an interest in the world. That was long ago. I want you to cast your mind back to then. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/you-too-you-took-an-interest-in-the-world-that-was-long-ago-i-want/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [Ice cubes makes your water cold, but it can't make your water wetter. Straws make it easy to drink, but can't make it taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-boyland/ice-cubes-makes-your-water-cold-but-it-can-t-make-your-water-wetter/) Ty Boyland > [Happiness is the light on the water. The water is cold and dark and deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-maxwell/happiness-is-the-light-on-the-water-the-water-is-cold-and-dark-and/) [William Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-maxwell/) > [They say that the captain stays fast with the ship through still and storm but this ain't the Dakota, and the water is cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brand-new/they-say-that-the-captain-stays-fast-with-the-ship-through-still-and/) Brand New ## More by Paul Harding > [Who was the greatest business man ever. . . The greatest salesman? Advertiser? Who? . . . It was Jesus. . . Jesus was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/who-was-the-greatest-business-man-ever-the-greatest-salesman/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“The house had not merely lapsed back into the equilibrium of the woods but was blighted, as if inside it did not contain a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/the-house-had-not-merely-lapsed-back-into-the-equilibrium-of-the/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“Your cold mornings are filled with the heartache about the fact that although we are not at ease in this world, it is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/your-cold-mornings-are-filled-with-the-heartache-about-the-fact-that/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [The fictional world seems larger, seems to have more dimension and richness when, for example, the protagonist from one novel you've read has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/the-fictional-world-seems-larger-seems-to-have-more-dimension-and/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“Howard thought, Is it not true: A move of the head, a step to the left or right, and we change from wise, decent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/howard-thought-is-it-not-true-a-move-of-the-head-a-step-to-the-left/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“The joy of those years had its own integrity, and Kate existed within that. She could not be touched by the misery caused by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/the-joy-of-those-years-had-its-own-integrity-and-kate-existed-within/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [What an awful thing then, being there in our house together with our daughter gone, trying to be equal to so many sudden orders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/what-an-awful-thing-then-being-there-in-our-house-together-with-our/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [Don't confine truth to fact. Imaginative truth is as powerful, and often enough, more so than fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/don-t-confine-truth-to-fact-imaginative-truth-is-as-powerful-and/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“I woke up every morning on the couch. It felt like the same morning all the time, or like an infinite series of nested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/i-woke-up-every-morning-on-the-couch-it-felt-like-the-same-morning/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [The silver lining of those years when I was trying to get 'Tinkers' published but couldn't were the years when I had to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/the-silver-lining-of-those-years-when-i-was-trying-to-get-tinkers/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“There was a moment of sorrow, disappointment, and deep love for his son, whom he at that second wished had had a chance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/there-was-a-moment-of-sorrow-disappointment-and-deep-love-for-his-son/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“But it's a curse, a condemnation, like an act of provocation, to have been aroused from not being, to have been conjured up from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/but-it-s-a-curse-a-condemnation-like-an-act-of-provocation-to-have/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“Perhaps, Howard thought, the curtains and murals and pastel angels are a mercy, a dim reflection of things fit for the fragility of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/perhaps-howard-thought-the-curtains-and-murals-and-pastel-angels-are/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“Howard thought, Is it not true: A move of the head, a step to the left or right, and we change from wise, decent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/howard-thought-is-it-not-true-a-move-of-the-head-a-step-to-the-left-2/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) > [“And as the ax bites into the wood, be comforted in the fact that the ache in your heart and the confusion in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harding/and-as-the-ax-bites-into-the-wood-be-comforted-in-the-fact-that-the/) [Paul Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) [Explore all 60 Paul Harding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harding/) ## More Backsides quotes > [ I always resented Tom \[Hardy\] for turning up on Band Of Brothers and getting the girl — in fact, the only girl in a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/i-always-resented-tom-hardy-for-turning-up-on-band-of-brothers-and/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [Prizes do not mean anything to me. I think it is more important to make a child aware of the existence of a weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/prizes-do-not-mean-anything-to-me-i-think-it-is-more-important-to/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [God,' she cried, 'what is love? Man seeking his own head? The human head, so rented by misery that even the teeth weigh! She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/god-she-cried-what-is-love-man-seeking-his-own-head-the-human-head-so/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [Well, if you're talking about perfection, I'll show you the image of my backside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/onew/well-if-you-re-talking-about-perfection-i-ll-show-you-the-image-of-my/) [Onew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/onew/) > [As I have found out, recognition has its upside, its downside and – you may say – its backside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pippa-middleton/as-i-have-found-out-recognition-has-its-upside-its-downside-and-you/) [Pippa Middleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pippa-middleton/) > [The human backside is a dimension architects seem to have forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-whyte/the-human-backside-is-a-dimension-architects-seem-to-have-forgotten/) [William H. Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-whyte/) > [So remember it, lad. If your head thinks up mischief, your backside's going to pay for it. Brian Fraser to young Jamie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/so-remember-it-lad-if-your-head-thinks-up-mischief-your-backside-s/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [To win the Kentucky Derby is the goal of every trainer, every hot-walker, every backside person. They may be just rubbing on a horse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-lewis/to-win-the-kentucky-derby-is-the-goal-of-every-trainer-every-hot/) [Bob Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-lewis/) > [My backside and my privates. I’m stuck so full of prickers, it makes me smart just to think on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-newton-peck/my-backside-and-my-privates-i-m-stuck-so-full-of-prickers-it-makes-me/) [Robert Newton Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-newton-peck/) > [Both my parents came from Russia and suddenly they wound up in Boston, Massachusetts, Brookline, Massachusetts and they felt the sun rose and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/both-my-parents-came-from-russia-and-suddenly-they-wound-up-in-boston/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [If you turned the fabric of our lives over, I imagined the design on the backside would be woven in the bleak grays of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/if-you-turned-the-fabric-of-our-lives-over-i-imagined-the-design-on/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Faces can lie. Backsides can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/faces-can-lie-backsides-can-t/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [If this bloke's a Test match bowler, then my backside is a fire engine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd/if-this-bloke-s-a-test-match-bowler-then-my-backside-is-a-fire-engine/) [David Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd/) > [Rather than argue, Amanda smiled at him. “And then what will you do while your son or daughter is in charge of your store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/rather-than-argue-amanda-smiled-at-him-and-then-what-will-you-do/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [My history of lending money from banks is that they want to know the ins and outs of the backside of a duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sugar/my-history-of-lending-money-from-banks-is-that-they-want-to-know-the/) [Alan Sugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sugar/) Browse all 61 Backsides quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is my father whispering in my ear, Be still still still. And yet you change everything. What was the marsh like, waiting for the storm before you came and kneeled in the water? It was nothing. Watch after you leave the water, now cold and regretful, miles from home, certain of the belt on your backside, the cold shoulder, the extra chores; watch. 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