--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau!…" description: "\"Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau! Mock on, mock on: 'Tis all in vain! You throw the sand against the wind, And the wind blows it back again. And ev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/william-blake-397_atoms_mock-on-mock-on-voltaire-rousseau-mock-o_1913567.jpg" --- # Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau! Mock on, mock on… ![“Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau! Mock on, mock on: 'Tis all in vain! You throw the sand against the wind, And the wind blows it back again. And every sand becomes a gem Reflected in the beams divine; Blown back they blind the mocking eye, But still in Israel's paths they shine. The atoms of…” quote by William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/william-blake-397_atoms_mock-on-mock-on-voltaire-rousseau-mock-o_1913567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/william-blake-397_atoms_mock-on-mock-on-voltaire-rousseau-mock-o_1913567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/william-blake-397_atoms_mock-on-mock-on-voltaire-rousseau-mock-o_1913567.jpg) > “Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau! Mock on, mock on: 'Tis all in vain! You throw the sand against the wind, And the wind blows it back again. And every sand becomes a gem Reflected in the beams divine; Blown back they blind the mocking eye, But still in Israel's paths they shine. The atoms of Democritus And Newton's particles of light Are sands upon the Red Sea shore, Where Israel's tents do shine so bright.” [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem satirically critiques futile resistance, comparing futile actions to sand tossed against wind that returns as glittering gems, suggesting that even failed attempts can become valuable under divine perspective. **In simple terms:** Useless effort can become valuable when seen differently. Key Takeaway Find purpose in apparent failures. Themes satire philosophy spirituality resilience Mood reflective ironic hopeful Type poetic philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal setbacks - creative projects - spiritual practice - conflict resolution Key Concepts alchemy perception transformation Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe setbacks as opportunities? - What value lies in seemingly futile actions? A Different Perspective May overlook the inherent worth of effort, leading to complacency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atoms/) [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Gems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gems/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newton/) [Particles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particles/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [“Uh- you shouldn't mock orange if I were you - Why not? \*everyone sings\* He will He will mock you He will He will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annoying-orange/uh-you-shouldn-t-mock-orange-if-i-were-you-why-not-everyone-sings-he/) Annoying Orange > [The atoms of Democritus And Newton's particles of light Are sands upon the Red Sea shore, Where Israel's tents do shine so bright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-atoms-of-democritus-and-newton-s-particles-of-light-are-sands/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [You throw the sand against the wind and the wind blows it back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/you-throw-the-sand-against-the-wind-and-the-wind-blows-it-back-again/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The legend of the parting of the Red Sea probably refers to tidal changes in the Sea of Reeds related to the Thera eruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-jaynes/the-legend-of-the-parting-of-the-red-sea-probably-refers-to-tidal/) [Julian Jaynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-jaynes/) > [I don't know if you saw the parting of the Red Sea with the chariots on the horses, I did stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-farnsworth/i-don-t-know-if-you-saw-the-parting-of-the-red-sea-with-the-chariots/) [Richard Farnsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-farnsworth/) > [“God would not bring you through a Red Sea and turn around and allow you to perish in a fish pond.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/god-would-not-bring-you-through-a-red-sea-and-turn-around-and-allow/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [Most of us have made the mistake that after they crossed the Red Sea they spent 40 years in the wilderness fighting amongst each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/most-of-us-have-made-the-mistake-that-after-they-crossed-the-red-sea/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“Each scenario is about fifteen million years into the future, and each assumes that the Pacific Plate will continue to move northwest at about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-meldahl/each-scenario-is-about-fifteen-million-years-into-the-future-and-each/) Keith Meldahl > [“If, therefore, in the present time also, God, knowing the number of those who will not believe, since He foreknows all things, has given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/if-therefore-in-the-present-time-also-god-knowing-the-number-of-those/) The Church Fathers > [They say moses split the red sea, I split a blunt and roll a fat one when I'm deadly. blasphemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2pac/they-say-moses-split-the-red-sea-i-split-a-blunt-and-roll-a-fat-one/) [2pac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2pac/) > [“I especially loved the Old Testament. Even as a kid I had a sense of it being slightly illicit. As though someone had slipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-harris/i-especially-loved-the-old-testament-even-as-a-kid-i-had-a-sense-of/) [Joshua Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-harris/) > [We scuba dived in the Red Sea, the Pacific and the Indian oceans. We lived in Bali and India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-mimieux/we-scuba-dived-in-the-red-sea-the-pacific-and-the-indian-oceans-we/) [Yvette Mimieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-mimieux/) > [“The Red Sea lay beyond, inert, the whole thing doomed. The Saudis were sucking it dry to drink. In the seventies they’d drained a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-red-sea-lay-beyond-inert-the-whole-thing-doomed-the-saudis-were/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Mungu hutumia watu 'wajinga' na 'wapumbavu' kufanya mambo makubwa katika maisha yao na ya watu wengine. Katika Biblia, Musa aliitwa mjinga alipokiuka amri ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-hutumia-watu-wajinga-na-wapumbavu-kufanya-mambo-makubwa-katika/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [Those old hypocrites. They talk about killing witches but the Good Book’s full of magic. Turning the Nile to blood and parting the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/those-old-hypocrites-they-talk-about-killing-witches-but-the-good/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) ## More by William Blake > [Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/poetry-fettered-fetters-the-human-race-nations-are-destroyed-or/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Where any view of money exists, art cannot be carried on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/where-any-view-of-money-exists-art-cannot-be-carried-on/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [God only acts and is, in existing beings or men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/god-only-acts-and-is-in-existing-beings-or-men/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Kill not the moth nor butterfly, For the Last Judgement draweth nigh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/kill-not-the-moth-nor-butterfly-for-the-last-judgement-draweth-nigh/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The world of imagination is the world of eternity. 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I was angry with my foe; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-poison-tree-i-was-angry-with-my-friend-i-told-my-wrath-my-wrath/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The bird a nest the spider a web the human friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-bird-a-nest-the-spider-a-web-the-human-friendship/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) [Explore all 592 William Blake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) ## More Atoms quotes > [If the polymer chain assumes a helicoidal conformation in the crystalline state, and if it does not contain asymmetric carbon atoms, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-natta/if-the-polymer-chain-assumes-a-helicoidal-conformation-in-the/) Giulio Natta > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [A monkey is unaware that atoms exist. Likewise, our brainpower may not stretch to the deepest aspects of reality. The bedrock nature of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/a-monkey-is-unaware-that-atoms-exist-likewise-our-brainpower-may-not/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [ \[Decoding the human genome sequence\] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-the-most-significant/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Though an atom is invisible, unthinkable, yet in it are the whole power and potency of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/though-an-atom-is-invisible-unthinkable-yet-in-it-are-the-whole-power/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Traditional nationalism cannot survive the fissioning of the atom. One world or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/traditional-nationalism-cannot-survive-the-fissioning-of-the-atom-one/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [History is the short trudge from Adam to atom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-is-the-short-trudge-from-adam-to-atom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The dogma of the impossibility of determining the atomic constitution of substances, which until recently was advocated with such fervor by the most able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-korner/the-dogma-of-the-impossibility-of-determining-the-atomic-constitution/) Wilhelm Korner > [I have never seen what to me seemed an atom of proof that there is a future life. 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