In ‘Expostulation and Reply,’ the speaker (William) not only defends the apparent act of dreaming his time away but also enlightens his fellow companion about the art of “wise passiveness.” According to him, human senses are never idle. When the mind is passive, free from day-to-day thoughts, it becomes highly perceptive of nature’s signals. Thus, his friend observes him sitting idly. Actually, his mind is at work, comprehending the meaning of the stimuli from nature.