---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Look — here they come, their eyes are…"
description: "\"“Look — here they come, their eyes are hagstones & their words are shingle. They rise on the shore, rock-cored, flint beings, scattering chert to signa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/robert-macfarlane-11240_ness_look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagst_2381778.jpg"
---

#  Look — here they come, their eyes are hagstones &amp; their…

![“Look — here they come, their eyes are hagstones &amp; their words are shingle. They rise on the shore, rock-cored, flint beings, scattering chert to signal their passage, sending stones through time to foretell their seeings.” quote by Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/robert-macfarlane-11240_ness_look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagst_2381778.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/robert-macfarlane-11240_ness_look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagst_2381778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/robert-macfarlane-11240_ness_look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagst_2381778.jpg)

> ““Look — here they come, their eyes are hagstones &amp; their words are shingle. They rise on the shore, rock-cored, flint beings, scattering chert to signal their passage, sending stones through time to foretell their seeings.””

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The arrival of ancient stones is described as a natural, rhythmic procession, linking geological time with human perception.

**In simple terms:** Stones arrive like a natural procession.

Key Takeaway

Observe and honor natural cycles.

Themes

nature time perception geology poetry

Mood

contemplative inspired

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- hiking
- geological tours
- educational talks
- creative writing

Key Concepts

stone symbolism earth rhythms human connection

Questions to Reflect On

- What natural patterns do you overlook daily?
- How can you reconnect with Earth’s deep time?

A Different Perspective

Modern life can distract from noticing such subtle natural events.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“Look — here it comes, its bones are plastic, it builds itself from pallet slat &amp; bottle top, rises from sift, is lashed &amp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/look-here-it-comes-its-bones-are-plastic-it-builds-itself-from-pallet/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [The Loch Ness monster doesn't exist either. Loch Ness is just not big enough to hide a thirty foot amphibian or reptile for hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jones/the-loch-ness-monster-doesn-t-exist-either-loch-ness-is-just-not-big/)

[Brian Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jones/)

> [“He's seeing the actual Milky Way streaked across the sky. The whole of his entire galaxy, right there in front of him. Billions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/he-s-seeing-the-actual-milky-way-streaked-across-the-sky-the-whole-of/)

[Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/)

> [ “COOL·NESS \[KOOL-NIS\] -noun CATCHING your mom gazing at the crazy crowd like she finally gets it WATCHING your dad head-banging like he’s Finn’s twin… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-john/cool-ness-kool-nis-noun-catching-your-mom-gazing-at-the-crazy-crowd/)

[Antony John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-john/)

> [I'm a bit woo-woo - you know, I believe there's a Loch Ness monster. It's science!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cmat/i-m-a-bit-woo-woo-you-know-i-believe-there-s-a-loch-ness-monster-it-s/)

[CMAT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cmat/)

> [“I’m over it.” I’m over you and your bitch-ass-ness. “I’m”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lolah-lace/i-m-over-it-i-m-over-you-and-your-bitch-ass-ness-i-m/)

[Lolah Lace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lolah-lace/)

> [“The whole idea of "leaners" and "lifters" is the central teaching of the right wing ideologue, Ayn Rand, who penned books like The Virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-manne/the-whole-idea-of-leaners-and-lifters-is-the-central-teaching-of-the/)

Anne Manne

> [“I am Chandubhai’ is a vikalp (I-ness), and ‘this is mine’ is sankalp (my-ness).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/i-am-chandubhai-is-a-vikalp-i-ness-and-this-is-mine-is-sankalp-my-ness/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

## More by Robert Macfarlane

> [“The association of the wild and the wood also run deep in etymology. The two words are thought to have grown out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/the-association-of-the-wild-and-the-wood-also-run-deep-in-etymology/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“We are adept, if occasionally embarrassed, at saying what we make of places - but we are far less good at saying what places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/we-are-adept-if-occasionally-embarrassed-at-saying-what-we-make-of/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [Anyone who lives in a city will know the feeling of having been there too long. The gorge-vision that the streets imprint on us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/anyone-who-lives-in-a-city-will-know-the-feeling-of-having-been-there/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“I had started climbing trees about three years earlier, or rather, re-started; for I had been at a school that had a wood for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/i-had-started-climbing-trees-about-three-years-earlier-or-rather-re/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“The whole foot is a document of motion, inscribed by repeated action. Babies - from those first foetal footfalls, the kneading of sole against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/the-whole-foot-is-a-document-of-motion-inscribed-by-repeated-action/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“My grandparents... planted their land up with trees, both those native... and exotics which stood in memory of the countries where they had lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/my-grandparents-planted-their-land-up-with-trees-both-those-native/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“Touch is a reciprocal action, a gesture of exchange with the world. To make an impression is also to receive one, and the soles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/touch-is-a-reciprocal-action-a-gesture-of-exchange-with-the-world-to/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [Knowing another is endless,' Shepherd had written; 'The thing to be known grows with the knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/knowing-another-is-endless-shepherd-had-written-the-thing-to-be-known/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [By speaking of greater forces than we can possibly invoke, and by confronting us with greater spans of time than we can possibly envisage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/by-speaking-of-greater-forces-than-we-can-possibly-invoke-and-by/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [I remembered what Thoreau had written in his journal about thinking nothing of walking eight miles to greet a tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/i-remembered-what-thoreau-had-written-in-his-journal-about-thinking/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“...the instinct and the body (the felt smoothness of pebbles, the seen grain of light) must know in ways that the conscious mind cannot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/the-instinct-and-the-body-the-felt-smoothness-of-pebbles-the-seen/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“meaning indifferent to the distinction between things. It is not, on the whole, that natural phenomena and entities themselves are disappearing; rather that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/meaning-indifferent-to-the-distinction-between-things-it-is-not-on/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“When the lark sing he feels invulnerable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/when-the-lark-sing-he-feels-invulnerable/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“...he suggested that paths were imprinted with the 'dreams' of each traveler who had walked it and that his own experiences would in course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/he-suggested-that-paths-were-imprinted-with-the-dreams-of-each/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [ “Although the disappearance of the true wildwood \[in the British Isles\] occurred in the Neolithic period, before humanity began to record its own history,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/although-the-disappearance-of-the-true-wildwood-in-the-british-isles/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

[Explore all 60 Robert Macfarlane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

## More Ness quotes

> [The Loch Ness monster doesn't exist either. Loch Ness is just not big enough to hide a thirty foot amphibian or reptile for hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jones/the-loch-ness-monster-doesn-t-exist-either-loch-ness-is-just-not-big/)

[Brian Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jones/)

> [“He's seeing the actual Milky Way streaked across the sky. The whole of his entire galaxy, right there in front of him. Billions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/he-s-seeing-the-actual-milky-way-streaked-across-the-sky-the-whole-of/)

[Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/)

> [ “COOL·NESS \[KOOL-NIS\] -noun CATCHING your mom gazing at the crazy crowd like she finally gets it WATCHING your dad head-banging like he’s Finn’s twin… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-john/cool-ness-kool-nis-noun-catching-your-mom-gazing-at-the-crazy-crowd/)

[Antony John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-john/)

> [I'm a bit woo-woo - you know, I believe there's a Loch Ness monster. It's science!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cmat/i-m-a-bit-woo-woo-you-know-i-believe-there-s-a-loch-ness-monster-it-s/)

[CMAT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cmat/)

> [“I’m over it.” I’m over you and your bitch-ass-ness. “I’m”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lolah-lace/i-m-over-it-i-m-over-you-and-your-bitch-ass-ness-i-m/)

[Lolah Lace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lolah-lace/)

> [“Look — here it comes, its bones are plastic, it builds itself from pallet slat &amp; bottle top, rises from sift, is lashed &amp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/look-here-it-comes-its-bones-are-plastic-it-builds-itself-from-pallet/)

[Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/)

> [“The whole idea of "leaners" and "lifters" is the central teaching of the right wing ideologue, Ayn Rand, who penned books like The Virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-manne/the-whole-idea-of-leaners-and-lifters-is-the-central-teaching-of-the/)

Anne Manne

> [“I am Chandubhai’ is a vikalp (I-ness), and ‘this is mine’ is sankalp (my-ness).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/i-am-chandubhai-is-a-vikalp-i-ness-and-this-is-mine-is-sankalp-my-ness/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

Browse all 9 Ness quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Look — here they come, their eyes are hagstones & their words are shingle. They rise on the shore, rock-cored, flint beings, scattering chert to signal their passage, sending stones through time to foretell their seeings.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Macfarlane"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagstones-their-words-are-shingle/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagstones-their-words-are-shingle/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/robert-macfarlane-11240_ness_look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagst_2381778.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/robert-macfarlane-11240_ness_look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagst_2381778.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/robert-macfarlane-11240_ness_look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagst_2381778.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Look — here they come, their eyes are hagstones & their words are shingle. They rise on the shore…” — Robert Macfarlane",
                "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": "Robert Macfarlane",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Look — here they come, their...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagstones-their-words-are-shingle/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/look-here-they-come-their-eyes-are-hagstones-their-words-are-shingle/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
