In the story, Mole and Rat are rowing up the canal in Rat’s boat. They are discussing nautical things and life in general when Rat is heard to utter, “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much doing just messing about in boats. Simply messing … about in boats – or with boats. In or out of ’em, it does not matter. Nothing really seems to matter, that’s the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you do not; Whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or if you never get anywhere at all, you’re always busy, and you never do anything in particular; And when you’ve done it, there’s always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you’d much better not.” -Tracy
