"Most people read poetry listening for echoes because the echoes are familiar to them. They wade through it the way a boy wades through water, feeling with his toes for the bottom: The echoes are the bottom"

This quote by Wallace Stevens is a metaphor for how people check out poetry. He recommends that people read poetry not for the originality of the words, however for the familiarity of the echoes. He compares this to a boy learning water, feeling with his toes for the bottom. The bottom is the echoes, which are familiar and reassuring. This quote suggests that people are not searching for something brand-new and special when they check out poetry, but rather something that recognizes and reassuring. It recommends that individuals are not trying to find something that will challenge them, but rather something that will supply them with a sense of security. This quote is a pointer that people often look for convenience in the familiar, rather than challenge themselves with something new.