---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There rise authors now and then, who seem…"
description: "\"There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abf/washington-irving-1386_books_there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem_167671.jpg"
---

#  There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against…

![“There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of human nature. They are like gigantic trees that we sometimes see on the banks of a stream; which, by their vast and deep roots, penetrating…” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abf/washington-irving-1386_books_there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem_167671.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abf/washington-irving-1386_books_there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem_167671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abf/washington-irving-1386_books_there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem_167671.jpg)

> “There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of human nature. They are like gigantic trees that we sometimes see on the banks of a stream; which, by their vast and deep roots, penetrating through the mere surface, and laying hold on the very foundations of the earth, preserve the soil around them from being swept away by the ever-flowing current, and hold up many a neighboring plant, and perhaps worthless weed, to perpetuity.”

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

## About This Quote

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

Some authors anchor themselves in timeless human truths, acting like deep‑rooted trees that stabilize and support surrounding ideas against change.

**In simple terms:** Authors rooted in human nature provide stability.

Key Takeaway

Value timeless insights over fleeting trends.

Themes

literature human nature stability tradition influence

Mood

thoughtful respectful

Type

analytical reflective

When to use this quote

- education
- writing
- public discourse
- media analysis

Key Concepts

philosophy cultural continuity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance timeless truths with new ideas?
- When should tradition yield to innovation?

A Different Perspective

Rigid adherence can resist necessary progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Deep roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-roots/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Mutability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutability/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Swept away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swept-away/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Unchanging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unchanging/)

## Related quotes

> [There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability-2/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [The liberation of language is rooted in the liberation of ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/the-liberation-of-language-is-rooted-in-the-liberation-of-ourselves/)

[Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/)

> [“Truth is unchanging. The principles of morality are unchanging. The human essence is unchanging. Therefore there is no hope of a New Man, Heaven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/truth-is-unchanging-the-principles-of-morality-are-unchanging-the/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/we-must-adjust-to-changing-times-and-still-hold-to-unchanging/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> ["Adjust to changing times but sticking to unchanging principles" - committing me and all Americans to real ideals of justice and truth, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/adjust-to-changing-times-but-sticking-to-unchanging-principles/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [It may be said that the power of preventing bad laws includes that of preventing good ones; and may be used to the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-may-be-said-that-the-power-of-preventing-bad-laws-includes-that-of/)

[Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/)

> [Man's yesterday may never be like his morrow; Nought may endure but Mutability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/man-s-yesterday-may-never-be-like-his-morrow-nought-may-endure-but/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

> [The mutability of the past is the central tenet of Ingsoc. Past events, it is argued, have no objective existance, but survive only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-mutability-of-the-past-is-the-central-tenet-of-ingsoc-past-events/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Mutability is the source of much tomfoolery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mutability-is-the-source-of-much-tomfoolery/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A state too expensive in itself, or by virtue of its dependencies, ultimately falls into decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-bolivar/a-state-too-expensive-in-itself-or-by-virtue-of-its-dependencies/)

[Simon Bolivar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-bolivar/)

> [“He had come into a view of mutability, and I too could see that one is only ostensibly born to remain in specified limits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/he-had-come-into-a-view-of-mutability-and-i-too-could-see-that-one-is/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [I have come to know the mutability of all human relationships and have learned to insulate myself against both heat and cold so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-have-come-to-know-the-mutability-of-all-human-relationships-and/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Mutability is the badge of infirmity. It is seldom that a man continues to wish and design the same thing two days alike. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-charron/mutability-is-the-badge-of-infirmity-it-is-seldom-that-a-man/)

[Pierre Charron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-charron/)

> [True hope is based on the energy of character. A strong mind always hopes, and has always cause to hope, because it knows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ludwig-von-knebel/true-hope-is-based-on-the-energy-of-character-a-strong-mind-always/)

[Karl Ludwig von Knebel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ludwig-von-knebel/)

> [“It's a fact— everyone is ignorant in some way or another. Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/it-s-a-fact-everyone-is-ignorant-in-some-way-or-another-ignorance-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

## More by Washington Irving

> [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A woman's life is a history of the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [I have never found, in anything outside of the four walls of my study, an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-have-never-found-in-anything-outside-of-the-four-walls-of-my-study/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-who-thinks-much-says-but-little-in-proportion-to-his-thoughts-he/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-whole-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections-the-heart-is-her/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Redundancy of language is never found with deep reflection. Verbiage may indicate observation, but not thinking. He who thinks much says but little in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/redundancy-of-language-is-never-found-with-deep-reflection-verbiage/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/history-fades-into-fable-fact-becomes-clouded-with-doubt-and/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There is a majestic grandeur in tranquillity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-a-majestic-grandeur-in-tranquillity/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-england-that-exercises-a-more-delightful-spell/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [“It is worthy to note, that the early popularity of Washington was not the result of brilliant achievement nor signal success; on the contrary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-worthy-to-note-that-the-early-popularity-of-washington-was-not/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

[Explore all 244 Washington Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of human nature. They are like gigantic trees that we sometimes see on the banks of a stream; which, by their vast and deep roots, penetrating through the mere surface, and laying hold on the very foundations of the earth, preserve the soil around them from being swept away by the ever-flowing current, and hold up many a neighboring plant, and perhaps worthless weed, to perpetuity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Washington Irving"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abf/washington-irving-1386_books_there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem_167671.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abf/washington-irving-1386_books_there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem_167671.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abf/washington-irving-1386_books_there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem_167671.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted…” — Washington Irving",
                "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": "Washington Irving",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There rise authors now and then,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
