--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do not know much about gods; but I…" description: "\"I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river is a strong brown god-sullen, untamed and intractable, Patient to some degree, at first recog..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/t-s-eliot-633_bridges_i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-thin_704459.jpg" --- # I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river… ![“I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river is a strong brown god-sullen, untamed and intractable, Patient to some degree, at first recognized as a frontier; Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce; Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges. The problem once…” quote by T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/t-s-eliot-633_bridges_i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-thin_704459.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/t-s-eliot-633_bridges_i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-thin_704459.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/t-s-eliot-633_bridges_i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-thin_704459.jpg) > “I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river is a strong brown god-sullen, untamed and intractable, Patient to some degree, at first recognized as a frontier; Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce; Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges. The problem once solved, the brown god is almost forgotten By the dwellers in cities-ever, however, implacable. Keeping his seasons, and rages, destroyer, reminder Of what men choose to forget. Unhonored, unpropitiated By worshippers of the machine, but waiting, watching and waiting.” [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The river is portrayed as a powerful, unpredictable force that humanity tries to control, yet it remains indifferent and can destroy those who ignore its power. **In simple terms:** Rivers are strong and untamed, often forgotten after we tame them. Key Takeaway Respect nature’s power and plan for its impact. Themes nature humanity control environment hubris Mood reflective somber Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - infrastructure projects - environmental policy - community resilience Key Concepts ecology mythology anthropocentrism Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance development with natural forces? - What lessons can we learn from past river engineering failures? A Different Perspective Ignoring natural forces leads to disaster. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Destroyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyers/) [Frontiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frontiers/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Rage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rage/) [Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rain/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Seasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seasons/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Worshippers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worshippers/) ## Related quotes > [I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river Is a strong brown god-sullen, untamed and intractable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-think-that-the-river-is-a-strong-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So let me tell you what I think about gods. I think a real god is not going to be so scared or angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/so-let-me-tell-you-what-i-think-about-gods-i-think-a-real-god-is-not/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [ “\[When asked about his thoughts on gods\] I think it's like a movie that was way too popular. It's a story that's been told… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/when-asked-about-his-thoughts-on-gods-i-think-it-s-like-a-movie-that/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [Everybody has a different definition of God. When people say, 'Do you believe?' I think they mean the Christian God. There are a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hayes/everybody-has-a-different-definition-of-god-when-people-say-do-you/) [Sean Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hayes/) > [“We don't become gods because we think we are gods. That is only a sign of ego. We become gods when we realise that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/we-don-t-become-gods-because-we-think-we-are-gods-that-is-only-a-sign/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [“you put too much faith in the power of the gods, if you think they can give and take away the shape of things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/you-put-too-much-faith-in-the-power-of-the-gods-if-you-think-they-can/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Let me tell you about gods," said Wiggin. "No matter how smart or strong you are, there's always somebody smarter or stronger, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/let-me-tell-you-about-gods-said-wiggin-no-matter-how-smart-or-strong/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“when we were old enough, Mom felt like she had given us all the tools she could to have happy lives, and she wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/when-we-were-old-enough-mom-felt-like-she-had-given-us-all-the-tools/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“Oh, everything is fun when I’m around.” Hercules’s knees knocked into the back of my seat as he leaned back. “This one time, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/oh-everything-is-fun-when-i-m-around-hercules-s-knees-knocked-into/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“Did the fact that Martin Luther King diddled all those women change what he did for his people? Or Franklin Roosevelt? General Eisenhower? Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/did-the-fact-that-martin-luther-king-diddled-all-those-women-change/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [We dont know Gods plan, but we do know were pretty blessed and God expects us to do something with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-hicks/we-dont-know-gods-plan-but-we-do-know-were-pretty-blessed-and-god/) [Catherine Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-hicks/) > [“What do you know of gods and saints?” I ask, filling my voice with scorn. His fingers drift to the silver oak leaf of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/what-do-you-know-of-gods-and-saints-i-ask-filling-my-voice-with-scorn/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [“How could Quing-jao know what the gods meant by anything?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/how-could-quing-jao-know-what-the-gods-meant-by-anything/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“I know some gods. Better than I want to. Not one of them gives a shit about your heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/i-know-some-gods-better-than-i-want-to-not-one-of-them-gives-a-shit/) [Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/) > [“Most witches don’t believe in gods. They know that the gods exist, of course. They even deal with them occasionally. But they don’t believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/most-witches-don-t-believe-in-gods-they-know-that-the-gods-exist-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by T. S. Eliot > [The Nobel is a ticket to one's own funeral. No one has ever done anything after he got it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-nobel-is-a-ticket-to-one-s-own-funeral-no-one-has-ever-done/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Dear Mother, I am getting on nicely in my work at the bank, and like it ... I want to find out something about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/dear-mother-i-am-getting-on-nicely-in-my-work-at-the-bank-and-like-it/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, But the faith and the love and the hope are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/for-love-would-be-love-of-the-wrong-thing-there-is-yet-faith-but-the/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [We must always take risks. That is our destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/we-must-always-take-risks-that-is-our-destiny/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [All significant truths are private truths. As they become public they cease to become truths; they become facts, or at best, part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/all-significant-truths-are-private-truths-as-they-become-public-they/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [When forced to work within a strict framework, the imagination is taxed to its utmost and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/when-forced-to-work-within-a-strict-framework-the-imagination-is/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation are directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/honest-criticism-and-sensitive-appreciation-are-directed-not-upon-the/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Desire itself is movement Not in itself desirable; Love is itself unmoving, Only the cause and end of movement, Timeless, and undesiring Except in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/desire-itself-is-movement-not-in-itself-desirable-love-is-itself/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [ the ordinary man's experience is chaotic, irregular, fragmentary. \[He\] falls in love or reads Spinoza, and these two experiences have nothing to do with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-ordinary-man-s-experience-is-chaotic-irregular-fragmentary-he/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [We had the experience, but we missed the meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/we-had-the-experience-but-we-missed-the-meaning/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [The end is in the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-end-is-in-the-beginning/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [You have learned enough to see that cats are much like you and me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/you-have-learned-enough-to-see-that-cats-are-much-like-you-and-me/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [The good poet welds his theft into a whole of feeling which is unique, utterly different than that from which it is torn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-good-poet-welds-his-theft-into-a-whole-of-feeling-which-is-unique/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [It's strange that words are so inadequate. Yet, like the asthmatic struggling for breath, so the lover must struggle for words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/it-s-strange-that-words-are-so-inadequate-yet-like-the-asthmatic/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Every end is a beginning...And every beginning is an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/every-end-is-a-beginning-and-every-beginning-is-an-end/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) [Explore all 433 T. S. Eliot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) ## More Bridges quotes > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you walk, try to think nothing! You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges do it for me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/al-pacino-and-jeff-bridges-do-it-for-me-in-a-big-way/) [Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/) > [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/) [Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/) [Browse all 1,521 Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river is a strong brown god-sullen, untamed and intractable, Patient to some degree, at first recognized as a frontier; Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce; Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges. The problem once solved, the brown god is almost forgotten By the dwellers in cities-ever, however, implacable. Keeping his seasons, and rages, destroyer, reminder Of what men choose to forget. Unhonored, unpropitiated By worshippers of the machine, but waiting, watching and waiting.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "T. S. Eliot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-think-that-the-river-is-a-strong/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bridges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-think-that-the-river-is-a-strong/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/t-s-eliot-633_bridges_i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-thin_704459.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/t-s-eliot-633_bridges_i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-thin_704459.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/t-s-eliot-633_bridges_i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-thin_704459.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river is a strong brown god-sullen, untamed and…” — T. S. Eliot", "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": "T. S. Eliot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do not know much about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-think-that-the-river-is-a-strong/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/i-do-not-know-much-about-gods-but-i-think-that-the-river-is-a-strong/#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 } } ] } ```