--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know not that there is anything in…" description: "\"I know not that there is anything in nature more soothing to the mind than the contemplation of the moon, sailing, like some planetary bark, amidst a s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/william-gilmore-simms-12905_azure_i-know-not-that-there-is-anything-in-nat_2548640.jpg" --- # I know not that there is anything in nature more soothing… ![“I know not that there is anything in nature more soothing to the mind than the contemplation of the moon, sailing, like some planetary bark, amidst a sea of bright azure. The subject is certainly hackneyed; the moon has been sung by poet and poetaster. Is there any marvel that it should be so?” quote by William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/william-gilmore-simms-12905_azure_i-know-not-that-there-is-anything-in-nat_2548640.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/william-gilmore-simms-12905_azure_i-know-not-that-there-is-anything-in-nat_2548640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/239/william-gilmore-simms-12905_azure_i-know-not-that-there-is-anything-in-nat_2548640.jpg) > “I know not that there is anything in nature more soothing to the mind than the contemplation of the moon, sailing, like some planetary bark, amidst a sea of bright azure. The subject is certainly hackneyed; the moon has been sung by poet and poetaster. Is there any marvel that it should be so?” [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contemplating the moon’s calm beauty soothes the mind, despite overused poetic tropes. **In simple terms:** Moon gazing calms the mind. Key Takeaway Pause and appreciate simple natural wonders. Themes nature calm poetry reflection Mood tranquil contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - evening walks - stargazing - writing inspiration - meditation Key Concepts aesthetic appreciation mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How does nature’s simplicity affect your mental state? - Can repeated motifs still inspire? A Different Perspective Overuse of moon imagery may diminish its impact for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contemplation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplation/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Sailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailing/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Soothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soothing/) ## Related quotes > [Say, it's only a paper moon, / Sailing over a cardboard sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yip-harburg/say-it-s-only-a-paper-moon-sailing-over-a-cardboard-sea/) [Yip Harburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yip-harburg/) > [When your eyes freeze behind the grey window and the ghost of loss gets in to you, may a flock of colours, indigo, red,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/when-your-eyes-freeze-behind-the-grey-window-and-the-ghost-of-loss/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [February... Bending from Heaven, in azure mirth, It kissed the forehead of the Earth, And smiled upon the silent sea, And bade the frozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/february-bending-from-heaven-in-azure-mirth-it-kissed-the-forehead-of/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [There were so many miracles at work: that a blossom might become a peach, that a bee could make honey in its thorax, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/there-were-so-many-miracles-at-work-that-a-blossom-might-become-a/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [I was the shadow of the waxwing slain By the false azure in the windowpane; I was the smudge of ashen fluff -and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/i-was-the-shadow-of-the-waxwing-slain-by-the-false-azure-in-the/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Creamy and leggy, with long azure hair and the eyes of a silent-movie star, she moved like a poem and smiled like a sphinx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/creamy-and-leggy-with-long-azure-hair-and-the-eyes-of-a-silent-movie/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [Fair laughs the morn, and soft the zephyr blows, While proudly rising o'er the azure realm In gallant trim the gilded vessel goes, Youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gray/fair-laughs-the-morn-and-soft-the-zephyr-blows-while-proudly-rising-o/) [Thomas Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gray/) > [At Last It's a perfect winter day. No wind. No Arctic freeze. Cloudless azure sky. A day to fly. Snow drapes the mountain like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/at-last-it-s-a-perfect-winter-day-no-wind-no-arctic-freeze-cloudless/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [If we look on idly, heaven and earth will never be joined. To join heaven and earth, some decisive deed of purity is necessary.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/if-we-look-on-idly-heaven-and-earth-will-never-be-joined-to-join/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/fantasy-is-silver-and-scarlet-indigo-and-azure-obsidian-veined-with/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [Simplest of blossoms! To mine eye Thou bring'st the summer's painted sky; The May-thorn greening in the nook; The minnows sporting in the brook;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-macbeth-moir/simplest-of-blossoms-to-mine-eye-thou-bring-st-the-summer-s-painted/) [David Macbeth Moir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-macbeth-moir/) > [Go where he will, the wise man is at home, His hearth the earth, his hall the azure dome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/go-where-he-will-the-wise-man-is-at-home-his-hearth-the-earth-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [To exaggerate the fairness of hair, I come even to orange tones, chromes and pale yellow ... I make a plain background of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/to-exaggerate-the-fairness-of-hair-i-come-even-to-orange-tones/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [The beauteous dragonfly's dancing By the waves of the rivulet glancing; She dances here and she dances there, The glimmering, glittering flutterer fair. Full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-beauteous-dragonfly-s-dancing-by-the-waves-of-the-rivulet/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [“She liked the sharp salty smell of the air, and the vastness of horizons bounded only by a vault of azure sky above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/she-liked-the-sharp-salty-smell-of-the-air-and-the-vastness-of/) [George R R Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) ## More by William Gilmore Simms > [Distinction is an eminence that is attained but too frequently at the expense of a fireside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/distinction-is-an-eminence-that-is-attained-but-too-frequently-at-the/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [I believe that economists put decimal points in their forecasts to show they have a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/i-believe-that-economists-put-decimal-points-in-their-forecasts-to/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [Today's public opinion, though it may appear as light as air, may be tomorrow's legislation-for better or for worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/today-s-public-opinion-though-it-may-appear-as-light-as-air-may-be/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [The wonder is not that the world is so easily governed, but that so small a number of persons will suffice for the purpose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/the-wonder-is-not-that-the-world-is-so-easily-governed-but-that-so/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [Tact is one of the first mental virtues, the absence of which is often fatal to the best of talents; it supplies the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/tact-is-one-of-the-first-mental-virtues-the-absence-of-which-is-often/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [Ambition is frequently the only refuge which life has left to the denied or mortified affections. We chide at the grasping eye, the daring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/ambition-is-frequently-the-only-refuge-which-life-has-left-to-the/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [The true law of the race is progress and development. Whenever civilization pauses in the march of conquest, it is overthrown by the barbarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/the-true-law-of-the-race-is-progress-and-development-whenever/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [Better that we should err in action than wholly refuse to perform. The storm is so much better than the calm, as it declares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/better-that-we-should-err-in-action-than-wholly-refuse-to-perform-the/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [He who would acquire fame must not show himself afraid of censure. The dread of censure is the death of genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/he-who-would-acquire-fame-must-not-show-himself-afraid-of-censure-the/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [What we call vice in our neighbor may be nothing less than a crude virtue. To him who knows nothing more of precious stones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/what-we-call-vice-in-our-neighbor-may-be-nothing-less-than-a-crude/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [The birth of a child is the imprisonment of a soul. The soul must work its way out of prison, and, in doing so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/the-birth-of-a-child-is-the-imprisonment-of-a-soul-the-soul-must-work/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [Public opinion is the greatest force for good, when it happens to be on our side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/public-opinion-is-the-greatest-force-for-good-when-it-happens-to-be/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [Vanity may be likened to the smooth-skinned and velvet-footed mouse, nibbling about forever in expectation of a crumb; while self-esteem is too apt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/vanity-may-be-likened-to-the-smooth-skinned-and-velvet-footed-mouse/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [Tact is one of the first mental virtues, the absence of it is fatal to the best talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/tact-is-one-of-the-first-mental-virtues-the-absence-of-it-is-fatal-to/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [Neither praise or blame is the object of true criticism. Justly to discriminate, firmly to establish, wisely to prescribe, and honestly to award. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/neither-praise-or-blame-is-the-object-of-true-criticism-justly-to/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) [Explore all 52 William Gilmore Simms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) ## More Azure quotes > [“She liked the sharp salty smell of the air, and the vastness of horizons bounded only by a vault of azure sky above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/she-liked-the-sharp-salty-smell-of-the-air-and-the-vastness-of/) [George R R Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) > [The beauteous dragonfly's dancing By the waves of the rivulet glancing; She dances here and she dances there, The glimmering, glittering flutterer fair. Full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-beauteous-dragonfly-s-dancing-by-the-waves-of-the-rivulet/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [To exaggerate the fairness of hair, I come even to orange tones, chromes and pale yellow ... I make a plain background of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/to-exaggerate-the-fairness-of-hair-i-come-even-to-orange-tones/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Go where he will, the wise man is at home, His hearth the earth, his hall the azure dome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/go-where-he-will-the-wise-man-is-at-home-his-hearth-the-earth-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Simplest of blossoms! To mine eye Thou bring'st the summer's painted sky; The May-thorn greening in the nook; The minnows sporting in the brook;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-macbeth-moir/simplest-of-blossoms-to-mine-eye-thou-bring-st-the-summer-s-painted/) [David Macbeth Moir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-macbeth-moir/) > [Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/fantasy-is-silver-and-scarlet-indigo-and-azure-obsidian-veined-with/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [If we look on idly, heaven and earth will never be joined. To join heaven and earth, some decisive deed of purity is necessary.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/if-we-look-on-idly-heaven-and-earth-will-never-be-joined-to-join/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [At Last It's a perfect winter day. No wind. No Arctic freeze. Cloudless azure sky. A day to fly. Snow drapes the mountain like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/at-last-it-s-a-perfect-winter-day-no-wind-no-arctic-freeze-cloudless/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Fair laughs the morn, and soft the zephyr blows, While proudly rising o'er the azure realm In gallant trim the gilded vessel goes, Youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-gray/fair-laughs-the-morn-and-soft-the-zephyr-blows-while-proudly-rising-o/) [Thomas Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-gray/) > [Creamy and leggy, with long azure hair and the eyes of a silent-movie star, she moved like a poem and smiled like a sphinx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/creamy-and-leggy-with-long-azure-hair-and-the-eyes-of-a-silent-movie/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [I was the shadow of the waxwing slain By the false azure in the windowpane; I was the smudge of ashen fluff -and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/i-was-the-shadow-of-the-waxwing-slain-by-the-false-azure-in-the/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [There were so many miracles at work: that a blossom might become a peach, that a bee could make honey in its thorax, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/there-were-so-many-miracles-at-work-that-a-blossom-might-become-a/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [February... Bending from Heaven, in azure mirth, It kissed the forehead of the Earth, And smiled upon the silent sea, And bade the frozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/february-bending-from-heaven-in-azure-mirth-it-kissed-the-forehead-of/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [When your eyes freeze behind the grey window and the ghost of loss gets in to you, may a flock of colours, indigo, red,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/when-your-eyes-freeze-behind-the-grey-window-and-the-ghost-of-loss/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [The purity men love is like the mists which envelope the earth, and not like the azure ether beyond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-purity-men-love-is-like-the-mists-which-envelope-the-earth-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) Browse all 73 Azure quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know not that there is anything in nature more soothing to the mind than the contemplation of the moon, sailing, like some planetary bark, amidst a sea of bright azure. 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