"The Mole had long wanted to make the I acquaintance of the Badger. He seemed, by all accounts, to be such an important personage and, though rarely visible, to make his unseen influence felt by everybody about the place"
About this Quote
Badger’s power is described the way institutions are: “rarely visible,” yet “unseen influence” is “felt by everybody.” That’s not just characterization; it’s a miniature sociology of deference. Grahame borrows the aura of a stern headmaster, a country squire, even a godlike patriarch - someone whose authority is strengthened by distance. Visibility would humanize Badger; scarcity keeps him mythic. Mole’s longing, then, isn’t merely curiosity. It’s a desire to plug into the local hierarchy and feel oriented by it.
Context matters: The Wind in the Willows is often remembered for pastoral comfort, but it’s also steeped in late-Victorian/Edwardian class reflexes. The riverbank operates like a well-mannered English village where reputation is currency and “important personage” is a role upheld collectively. Grahame’s genius is the gentleness: he shows how that system feels cozy from inside it. Mole’s yearning is sincere, even sweet, which is why the social satire lands softly - we recognize the impulse to seek proximity to gravitas, to mistake influence for intimacy.
Quote Details
| Topic | Friendship |
|---|---|
| Source | The Wind in the Willows — Kenneth Grahame (1908). Passage describing the Mole's desire to make the acquaintance of the Badger (public-domain novel). |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Grahame, Kenneth. (2026, January 17). The Mole had long wanted to make the I acquaintance of the Badger. He seemed, by all accounts, to be such an important personage and, though rarely visible, to make his unseen influence felt by everybody about the place. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-mole-had-long-wanted-to-make-the-i-78827/
Chicago Style
Grahame, Kenneth. "The Mole had long wanted to make the I acquaintance of the Badger. He seemed, by all accounts, to be such an important personage and, though rarely visible, to make his unseen influence felt by everybody about the place." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-mole-had-long-wanted-to-make-the-i-78827/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The Mole had long wanted to make the I acquaintance of the Badger. He seemed, by all accounts, to be such an important personage and, though rarely visible, to make his unseen influence felt by everybody about the place." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-mole-had-long-wanted-to-make-the-i-78827/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
