sailboat quotes about life

75+ Best Sailing Quotes for Your Inner Sailor

The freedom that comes with casting off the lines and heading out into open water is something many authors, poets, and explorers have aimed to express in words.

This list contains the best sailing quotes, whether from a famous writer or an avid sailor.

Many of these famous quotes about sailing are inspirational, while others represent the challenges of a sailing lifestyle. Other sayings on the list are sailing metaphors for life – inspiration for all sailors, world travelers, and adventurers!

Find a specfic type of sailing quote in the sections below, or browse all the quotes.

Sail Away Quotes

Below are sailor sayings that express what it feels like to live on the ocean. These quotes make you want to cast off the lines and sail away with no plan for return to port.

1. “There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.” —  Joseph Conrad, Polish-British Writer

2. “I wanted freedom, open air, and adventure. I found it on the sea.” —  Alaine Gerbault, French Sailor

3. “Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.” —  Van Morrison, Irish Singer-Songwriter

4. “Flying might not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price.” —  Amelia Earhart, American Aviation Pioneer & Author

5. “A man is never lost at sea.” —  Ernest Hemingway, American Writer

6. “It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.” ―  Sir Francis Drake, English Explorer

7. “The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.” —   Joshua Slocum, First Person to Single-Hand Circumnavigate

8. “For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it’s always our self we find in the sea.” — E.E. Cummings, American Poet & Author

9. “To young men contemplating a voyage, I’d say go.” — Joshua Slocum, First Person to Single-Hand Circumnavigate

Inspirational Sailing Quotes

These are our favorite sailing and sailboat quotes that capture the feeling of a day on the water.

10. “A bad day sailing is 100 times better than a good day at work.” —  Unknown

11. “Hark, now hear the sailors cry, smell the sea, and feel the sky let your soul and spirit fly, into the mystic.” — Van Morrison, Northern Irish Singer & Songwriter

12. “It’s out there at sea that you are really yourself.” — Vito Dumas, Argentine Solo Sailor & Circumnavigator

13. “You haven’t lived until you’ve sailed.” — David Sedaris, Theft by Finding: Diaries

14. “The sail, the play of its pulse so like our own lives: so thin and yet so full of life, so noiseless when it labors hardest, so noisy and impatient when least effective.” — Henry David Thoreau, American Poet & Philosopher

15. “On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.” — Rumi, Persian Poet

16. “Confronting a storm is like fighting God. All the powers in the universe seem to be against you and, in an extraordinary way, your irrelevance is at the same time both humbling and exalting.” — Francis LeGrande

Sailing Quotes About Life

These are our favorite sailing quotes that are metaphors for life and translate to its many challenges and struggles.

17. “The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.” ―  Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch Post-Impressionist Painter

18. “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” ―  Louisa May Alcott, American Poet

19. “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” ―  Seneca, Roman Philosopher

20. “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” ― William Ernest Henley, English Poet & Writer

21. “Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.” —  Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean

22. “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” ―  Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Philosopher

23. “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ―  William Arthur Ward, American Writer

24. “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ―  Mark Twain, American Writer

25. “On life’s vast ocean, diversely we sail. Reasons the card, but passion the gale.” ―  Alexander Pope, English Poet

26. “One’s destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things.” —  Henry Miller, American Writer & Artist

27. “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” —  Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President

28. “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” — Christopher Columbus, Italian Explorer

29. “Any fool can carry on, but a wise man knows how to shorten sail in time.” ―  Joseph Conrad,   Polish-British Writer

30. “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.” — Willa Cather, American Writer

Cruising Quotes

These quotes are for the full-time cruisers living a life on the water. These are some of our favorite sayings about modern-day life on a sailboat.

31. “To be successful at sea, we must keep things simple.” ―   Pete Culler, Author & Renowned Wooden Boat Builder

32. “Go small, go simple, go now.” ―  Larry Pardey, Sailor & Writer

33. “At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.” —  Robin Lee Graham, American Sailor

34. “The single commandment of anchoring is ‘thou shall create scope.'” ― Reese Palley, Art Dealer & Circumnavigator

35. “The charm of singlehanded cruising is not solitude, but independence.” — Claud Worth, Master Mariner & Writer

36. “The lovely thing about cruising is that planning usually turns out to be of little use.” —  Dom Degnon, Yacht Broker & Freelance Writer

37. “Cruising is fixing your boat in exotic locations.” —  Unknown

38. “Home is where the anchor drops.” —  Unknown

39. “If you are going to do something, do it now. Tomorrow is too late.”   —  Pete Goss, British Sailor

40. “The planning stage of a cruise is often just as enjoyable as the voyage itself, letting one’s imagination loose on all kinds of possibilities. Yet translating dreams into reality means a lot of practical questions have to be answered.” —  Jimmy Cornell, British Sailor & Author

41. “It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.” —  Ernest K. Gann, American Sailor & Author

Sailing and Adventure Quotes from Novels

These quotes are from some of our favorite novels. They encapsulate life on the water, the sailing lifestyle, and seeking adventure!

42. “Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates.” —  Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

43. “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of lands remote, to travel is to live.” ―  Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography

44. “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” ―  Christopher McCandless, Into the Wild

45. “The truths of the sea, like the truths of the soul, cannot be reduced to numbers.” ― Webb Chiles, The Ocean Waits

46. “There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of ’em, it doesn’t matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that’s the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don’t; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether 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.” —  Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Quotes About Ships

Whether as vessels of exploration, symbols of resilience, or metaphors for life’s journey, ships have long captured the esscense of the adventurer’s spirit.

47. “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” ―  John A. Shedd, American Author

48. “The goal is not to sail the boat, but rather to help the boat sail herself.” — John Rousmaniere, American Author

49. “It’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs but what a ship is…what the Black Pearl really is…is freedom.” —  Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean

50. “A sailing vessel is alive in a way that no ship with mechanical power ever be.” ― Aubrey de Selincourt, English Writer

51. “Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made, for somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid.” — Robert N. Rose, Poet

Ocean Quotes

These quotes are specifically about the ocean or the sea. If you are a sailor or beach lover, I’m sure you love to romanticize the sea, and these quotes will resonate with you.

52. “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ―  Jacques Yves Cousteau, French Naval Officer

53. “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came.” ―  John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. President

54. “Dance with the waves, move with the sea, let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.” ―  Christy Ann Martine, Canadian Poet

55. “At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun.” ―  Sandy Gingras, Writer & Illustrator

56. “Every time I slip into the ocean, it’s like going home.” ―  Sylvia Earle, American Marine Biologist

57. “If there’s a heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it.” ―  Jimmy Buffett, American Singer-Songwriter

58. “The sea is a desert of waves, a wilderness of water.” —  Langston Hughes, American Poet

Funny Sailing Quotes

This selection features funny sailing quotes from poets, writers, and modern-day cruisers, that explore the lighter side of life at sea.

59. “Sailing – The fine art of slowly going nowhere at great expense while being cold, wet, and miserable.” — Irv Heller

60. “The sea speaks a language polite people never repeat. It is a colossal scavenger slang and has no respect.” — Carl Sandburg, American Poet

61. “Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk.” —  Sir Francis Chichester, Sailor & Author (First Man to Single-Hand Circumnavigate Non-Stop)

62. “Later down the road of life, I made the discovery that salt water was also good for the mental abrasions one inevitably acquires on land.” — Jimmy Buffett, American Singer-Songwriter (A Pirate Looks at Fifty)

63. “Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port, and the other was an atrocious liar.” —  Don Bamford, Sailor & Author

64. “The chance for mistakes is about equal to the number of crew squared.” — Ted Turner, Entrepreneur & America’s Cup Winner

65. “Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.” ‍‍— Brooks Atkinson, American Theatre Critic

66. “When the draught of your vessel exceeds the depth of the water, you are most assuredly, aground.” — Ian Walsh

67. “A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind. Live passionately, even if it kills you, because something is going to kill you anyway.” — Webb Chiles , Writer & Sailor

68. “Being hove to in a long gale is the most boring way of being terrified, I know.” — Donald Hamilton, American Writer

69. “If we get lost, we’ll just pull in somewhere and ask directions.” — Captain Ron Rico (Captain Ron)

70. “The only way to get a good crew is to marry one.” — Eric Hiscock, British Sailor & Author

Sailing Quotes from Movies

These unforgettable sailing quotes are all from the silver screen, where the sea has played a starring role in captivating audiences for decades.

71. “A diesel loves her oil same as a sailor loves rum.” — Captain Ron Rico (Captain Ron)

72. “It’s not just sails and knots, it’s seeing where you’re going in your mind. Knowing where you are by knowing where you’ve been.” — Maui (Moana)

73. “You know, there have been more people in space than have sailed around the world. I didn’t even know it was something you can do, but you can, and I want to. ‘Cause I’m an adventurer.” — Jessica Watson (True Spirit)

74. “You can’t run from the wind. You trim your sails, face the music, and keep going.”  — Captain Christopher “Skipper” Sheldon (White Squall)

75. “Now…bring me that horizon.” —  Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)

76. “But it ain’t all buttons and charts, little albatross. You know what the first rule of flying is? Love. You can learn all the math in the ‘Verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don’t love, she’ll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she’s hurtin’ ‘fore she keens. Makes her a home.” — Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Serenity)

READ NEXT: Check out many of the movies that feature these quotes on our sailing movies list .

Share your favorite sailing quotes.

I hope you were inspired or even nodded along in agreement with some of the sailor sayings on this list.

I’m sure I’m missing some other famous sailing quotes, so feel free to leave your favorite nautical saying in the comments below or even a personal quote that resonates with you!

RELATED ARTICLES

If you liked this list of sailing quotes, you will find many of these authors, songwriters, and actors on our other lists below.

• 25 Epic Sailing Songs for Sailors & Modern-Day Pirates
• 35 Inspiring Books for Sailors
• 17 Best Sailing Movies & Documentaries
• 51 Inspiring Camping Quotes & Captions

Hungry for more sailing inspiration?

Check out our lists of sailing movies, songs, books, and more to inspire this lifestyle.

Like this post? Save it on Pinterest for later.

Or view our web stories.

Morgan, the founder of The Home That Roams, has been living nomadically for over five years. She began her journey traveling across the U.S. in a motorhome and cruising on a liveaboard sailing catamaran. Currently, she lives full-time in a travel trailer, sharing resources on RV living and boat life to help others downsize their lives and thrive in an alternative lifestyle.

Id rather be lost at sea then found at work…..Anon.

I can definitely relate to this one!

The cost of good navigation is constant vigilance.

All sailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable. They live in the varying outer weather and inhale its fickleness – and when retained for any object remote and blank in the pursuit, however promissory of life and passion in the end, it is above all things requisite that temporary interests and employments should intervene to hold them healthily suspended for the final dash. – Herman Melville, Moby Dick

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Me Up!

Learn how to live on a boat.

Get weekly tips on how to start traveling full-time on a boat.

View our privacy policy .

Privacy Overview

The 101 Most Inspiring Sailing Quotes For Your Next Adventure

Looking for the best sailing quotes.

Sailing is one of the oldest and most captivating activities in history, so there are a whole lot of sailing quotes all over the internet. You’ll find quotes from famous authors, poets, songwriters, and actors, everyone has something to say about sailing and we don’t blame them!

With every passing year, more people are turning to sailing as a way to find respite from their everyday routines – and as they do, an increasing number of inspiring sailing songs and quotes about sailing have been shared by adventurers around the world.

Perhaps we need to get adding to the list as we embark on our fifth year of living on a sailboat!

In this blog post we’ll explore some of these sailing quotes. Most of them are great for Instagram captions (I know, I’ve used a lot of them!) or you can write them in the front of books when you gift them to people.

Or you can just read and enjoy! It’s totally up to you!

Famous Sailing Quotes

These are timeless sailing quotes that you’re likely to see over and over again, and for good reason. Some of these famous quotes are our absolute favourites!

• “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” John A. Shedd, American Author
• “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott, American Poe t
• “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain, American Writer
• “One’s destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things.” Henry Miller, American Writer & Artist
• “Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.” Van Morrison, Irish Singer-Songwriter
• “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” William Arthur Ward, American Writer
• “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President
• “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Christopher Columbus, Italian Explorer
• “A man is never lost at sea.” Ernest Hemingway, American Writer
• “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” Seneca, Roman Philosopher
• “A bad day sailing is 100 times better than a good day at work.” Unknown
• “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” William Ernest Henley
• “How inappropriate it is to call this planet Earth, when clearly it is Sea.” Arthur C. Clarke
• “The good seaman weathers the storm he cannot avoid and avoids the storm he cannot weather.” Unknown

Sailing Quotes About Freedom

These quotes will be sure to instill that feeling of freedom and adventure that you find when you’re out sailing. Warning – reading these may well encourage you to head off on a sailing adventure of your own!

15. “It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.” Sir Francis Drake, English Explorer

16. “The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.” Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch Post-Impressionist Painter

17. “I wanted freedom, open air, and adventure. I found it on the sea.” Alaine Gerbault, French Sailor

18. “The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.” Joshua Slocum, First Person to Single-Hand Circumnavigate

19. “Home is where the anchor drops.” Unknown

20. “It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.” Ernest K. Gann, American Sailor & Author

21 “On life’s vast ocean, diversely we sail. Reasons the card, but passion the gale.” Alexander Pope, English Poet

22 “Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.” Brooks Atkinson

23. “There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.” Joseph Conrad, Polish-British Writer

24. “Flying might not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price.” Amelia Earhart, American Aviation Pioneer & Author

25. “For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it’s always our self we find in the sea.” E.E. Cummings, American Poet & Author

26. “A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind. Live passionately, even if it kills you, because something is going to kill you anyway.” Webb Chiles

27. “The sail, the play of its pulse so like our own lives: so thin and yet so full of life, so noiseless when it labors hardest, so noisy and impatient when least effective.” Henry David Thoreau, American Poet & Philosopher

28. “On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.” Rumi

Weathering Storms Quotes

Sailors face some pretty tough conditions out there, and some great quotes have come from those reflecting on the strength and courage that storms at sea have given them. Sailing can be dangerous . These sailing quotes are great life quotes as well.

29. “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.” Willa Cather, American Writer

30. “Confronting a storm is like fighting God. All the powers in the universe seem to be against you and, in an extraordinary way, your irrelevance is at the same time both humbling and exalting.” Francis LeGrande

31. “The most challenging times bring us the most empowering lessons.” Karen Salmansohn

32. “The sea finds out everything you did wrong.” Francis Stokes

33. “Any fool can carry on, but a wise man knows how to shorten sail in time.” Joseph Conrad, Polish-British Writer

34. “The sea speaks a language polite people never repeat. It is a colossal scavenger slang and has no respect.” Carl Sandburg

Cruising Quotes

Our favourite sailing quotes sum up what life is really like as a full-time cruiser. It’s not always glamorous, but it’s always an adventure.

If you’re thinking of becoming a full-time liveaboard then we’ve got the ultimate guide for you . Go from landlubber to salty sea dog in no time!

35. “The goal is not to sail the boat, but rather to help the boat sail herself.” John Rousmaniere, American Author

36. “There is no better tool or equipment you can have on board than a well-trained crew.” Larry Pardey , Sailor

37. “A sailing vessel is alive in a way that no ship with mechanical power ever be.” Aubrey de Selincourt

38. “Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port and the other was an atrocious liar.” Don Bamford, Sailor & Author

39. “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” Ernest Hemingway

40. “If you are going to do something, do it now. Tomorrow is too late.” Pete Goss, British Sailor

41. “To be successful at sea, we must keep things simple.” Pete Culler, Author & Renowned Wooden Boat Builder

42. “Go small, go simple, go now.” Larry Pardey, Sailor & Writer

43. “To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives.” Carleton Mitchell

44. “At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.” Robin Lee Graham, American Sailor

45. “The lovely thing about cruising is that planning usually turns out to be of little use.” Dom Degnon, Freelance Writer

46. “Cruising is fixing your boat in exotic locations.” Unknown

Sailing Quotes From Novels

Nothing quite matches the feeling of waking up on a sailboat or yacht in the middle of an ocean and living life at its most adventurous.

Sailing quotes from books and novels demonstrate that this kind of experience has been inspiring adventure seekers for decades, expressed by writers who want to capture the unique freedom only found while sailing.

Whether you are just getting started with your sailing journey, or have a lifetime’s worth of experiences, these classic quotes will reconnect you to what makes such an activity so special!

47. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Ernest Hemingway

48. “I was amazed that what I needed to survive could be carried on my back. And, most surprising of all, that I could carry it.” Cheryl Strayed

49. “Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates.” Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

50. “Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made, for somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid.” Robert N. Rose 

51. “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live.” Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography

52. “I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.” Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

53. “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” Christopher McCandless, Into the Wild

Sailing Quotes From The Movies

A love for sailing often stirs within us when the wind picks up and we smell the salty sea. Movies have captured the allure of setting sail, taking that adventurous voyage across a vast ocean, and embracing what lies beyond.

Here is a collection of some of our favorite sailing quotes from the movies – motivating you to get out on open waters!

Whether you’re trying to motivate yourself to jump on an upcoming journey or just appreciate a beautiful day at sea, these sailing lines will undoubtedly hit close to home.

Here’s your invitation: suit up, let down your sails, drop anchor, and join us as we explore these famous words with our inspirational takeaways. Let’s set sail!

Top tip: Watch some of the best sailing YouTube channels to get inspired!

54. “Not all treasure is silver and gold.” Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean

55. “They say home is where the heart is, and for most people that consists of four walls and a welcome mat. But for me, it’s the ocean, with the warmth of the sun on my skin.” Bethany Hamilton Soul Surfer

56. “Now…bring me that horizon.” Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean

57. “The ocean doesn’t help you. You help yourself!” Dwayne Johnson (as Maui), Moana 

58. “It’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs but what a ship is…what the Black Pearl really is…is freedom.” Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean

Quotes About The Ocean

With the vastness of the ocean and its many mysteries, it’s no surprise that people have been writing about this enchanting body of water for centuries.

From ancient Greek philosophers to modern-day songwriters, each quote captures something different and provides an interesting perspective on this seemingly endless expanse of blue.

Whether you’re looking for inspiration on how to appreciate the beauty of nature or simply need a reminder to savor life’s little moments, read ahead to discover some insightful quotes about the ocean.

Or if you’re looking for something more short and snappy you’ll be wanting the best ocean captions for Instagram .

59. “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Jacques Yves Cousteau, French Naval Officer

60. “When your life is moving too fast and you find yourself in chaos, introduce yourself to each color of the sunset.” Christy Ann Martine

61. “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came.” John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. President

62. “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Philosopher

63. “At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun.” Sandy Gingras, Writer & Illustrator

64. “Dance with the waves, move with the sea, let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.” Christy Ann Martine, Canadian Poet

65. “If there’s a heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it.” Jimmy Buffett, American Singer-Songwriter

66. “Every time I slip into the ocean, it’s like going home.” Sylvia Earle, American Marine Biologist

67. “The sea is a desert of waves, a wilderness of water.” Langston Hughes, American Poet

Quotes To Encourage You To Untie The Docklines

Have you ever had a burning desire to strike out on your own but were too afraid or held back by the safety and security of staying within the confines of what’s comfortable?

Maybe it was a job, maybe it was a relationship, or perhaps you yearned for exploration – whatever it may be, know that you’re not alone. The uncertainty and fear associated with leaving comfort zones is felt by many.

To provide some motivation on your journey, here are some inspiring quotes to encourage you to untie those docklines and let the current take hold!

68. “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” T.S. Eliot

69. “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.” Michael Jordan

70. “In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.” Lewis Carroll

71. “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” Rachel Wolchin

72. “No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” Helen Keller

73. “You can. You should. And if you are brave enough to start, you will.” Stephen King

74. “Until you step into the unknown, you don’t know what you’re made of.” Roy T. Bennett

75. “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” Mary Anne Radmacher

76. “It feels good to be lost in the right direction.” Anonymous

77. “And after two days in civilization we realized we could never stay for long and started to plan our next adventure.” Bob Bitchin (Letters from the Lost Soul)

78. “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Christopher Robin

79. “Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul.” Jaime Lyn

Short Sailing Quotes For Instagram

Feel free to pair these quotes with your favorite sailing photos for a touch of inspiration and adventure on your Instagram feed! ⛵️📸✨

80. “Sail away into the horizon and let your worries drift away.” ⛵️✨

81. “Life’s roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors.” ⚓️💪

82. “Smooth seas never made skilled sailors.” 🌊⛵️

83. “Every adventure requires a first step. Mine was setting sail.” 🌟⛵️

84. “Find your direction and set sail towards your dreams.” 🌅⛵️

85. “The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination, and brings eternal joy to the soul.” 🌊❤️

86. “Sail with the wind, explore the unknown, and embrace the journey.” 🌬️⛵️

87. “In the waves of change, we find our true direction.” 🌊🧭

88. “Life is better on a boat.” 🚤💙

89. “Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ⛵️✨

90. “The ocean is calling, and I must go.” 🌊⛵️

91. “Saltwater heals everything.” 🌊💙

92. “Sailors have the best stories.” ⚓️📖

93. “Life is a journey. Enjoy the sail.” ⛵️✨

94. “Let the sea set you free.” 🌊⚓️

95. “Wind in my sails, salt in my veins.” 🌬️⛵️

96. “Sail more, worry less.” ⛵️😌

97. “Sailing is the ultimate freedom.” ⛵️🌅

98. “Adventure awaits where the sea meets the sky.” 🌊🌌

99. “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor, but it sure makes for a great day on the water.” 🌊⛵️

100. “Life’s a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” 🎶⛵️

101. “Happiness comes in waves.” 🌊😊

Conclusion: The Best Sailing Quotes

The best sailing quotes can provide guidance to help any sailor out on the open sea. These quotes range from statements of encouragement to lessons of caution; they provide advice and inspiration that can be appreciated by anyone who loves sailing and exploring the open water.

Even seasoned sailors may find the motivation to push further in the waves after reading these insightful words. You never know when you may need a bit of extra courage and resolve to reach your goals.

No matter what your sailing aspirations are, keep peace within yourself, sail with passion, and hold high hopes for all your upcoming voyages!

Similar Posts

The 13 Best Sailing Bags 2024: Waterproof And Rugged Bags For Sailboats

Sailboat Keel Types: Pros And Cons 2024

What Is A Sailboat Mast?

Lateen Sails – What Are They And Why Are They Important?

Sailing With A Baby: Essential Guide 2024

What Is The Draft Of A Boat?

• Search Search Hi! We’re Emily, Adam and Tiny Cat, liveaboard sailors travelling the world on our 38ft sailboat and writing about it as we go. We hope we can inspire you to live the life you’ve always dreamed, whether that’s exploring the world or living a more simple way of life in a tiny home. Find out more. Patreon
• Privacy Policy

The 74 Best Sailing Quotes

Ever since its inception, sailing has been linked to a sense of freedom and drive for adventure out on the sea. For many centuries, sailors were considered to be bold and courageous people willing to risk their lives for fortune and honor.

Many people have tried to express the freedom and enjoyment of sailing through words and quotes.

Many great men and women have fallen in love with sailing over the years, giving birth to a practically endless series of funny, happy and inspirational quotes.

Below you will find a comprehensive list of our personal favorites.

Inspirational Sailing Quotes

Our favorite inspirational sailing quotes to get you inspired and motivated are below.

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ‍ ‍-Mark Twain

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore” ‍ ‍-Christopher Columbus

“Sailors, with their built-in sense of order, service and discipline, should really be running the world.” ‍ ‍-Nicholas Monsarrat

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ‍ ‍-William Arthur Ward

“A bad day sailing is 100 times better than a good day at work.” ‍ ‍-An Unknown Sailor

“Who is staring at the sea is already sailing a little” ‍ ‍-Paul Carvel

“There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.” ‍ ‍-Willa Cather

“I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky. And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.” ‍ ‍-John Masefield

“To be successful at sea we must keep things simple.” ‍ ‍-Pete Culler

“The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats.” ‍ ‍-Ernest Hemingway

“Nothing comes sailing by itself” ‍ ‍-Alexander Dale Oen

“The goal is not to sail the boat, but rather to help the boat sail herself” ‍ ‍-John Rousmaniere

“Until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore, you will not know the terror of being forever lost at sea.” ‍ ‍-Charles Cook

“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.” ‍ ‍-William Sheed

“To young men contemplating a voyage I would say go” ‍ ‍-Joshua Slocum

“To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives.” ‍ ‍-Carleton Mitchell

“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous.” ‍ ‍-Thomas Merton

“I wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea.” ‍ ‍-Alain Gerbault

“There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.” ‍ ‍-Joseph Conrad

“To reach a port we must set sail - Sail, not tie at anchor - Sail, not drift.” ‍ ‍-Franklin D. Roosevelt

“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.” ‍ ‍-Vincent Van Gogh

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” ‍ ‍-Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” ‍ ‍-Fitzhugh Dodson

“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” ‍ ‍-Syrus Publilius

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” ‍ ‍-African proverb

“Can't control the wind but I can adjust the sail.” ‍ ‍-Ricky Skaggs

“We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn topsail in high winds.” ‍ ‍-Aristotle Onassis

“He who lets the sea lull him into a sense of security is in very grave danger.” ‍ ‍-Hammond Ines

“Sailing is just the bottom line, like adding up the score in bridge. My real interest is in the tremendous game of life.” ‍ ‍-Dennis Conner

“Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel.” ‍ ‍-Augustus Hare

“No literature is richer than that of the sea. No story is more enthralling, no tradition is more secure.” ‍ ‍-Felix Riesenberg

“The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea.” ‍ ‍-Ovid

“There is but a plank between a sailor and eternity.” ‍ ‍-Thomas Gibbons

“At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.” ‍ ‍-Robin Graham

“The lovely thing about cruising is that planning usually turns out to be of little use.” ‍ ‍-Dom Degnon

“I cannot not sail” ‍ ‍-E. B. White

“The art of the sailor is to leave nothing to chance” ‍ ‍-Annie Van De Wiele

“When all seems to be against you, remember, a ship sometimes has to sail against the current, not with it.” ‍ ‍-Matshona Dhliwayo

“In a calm sea, every man is a pilot.” ‍ ‍-John Ray

Happy Sailing Quotes

Below are our favorite sailing quotes that will make you happy.

“Never in my life before have I experienced such beauty, and fear at the same time.” ‍ ‍-Ellen MacArthur

“The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.” ‍ ‍-Joshua Slocum

“Mackerel skies and mares tails, soon will be time to shorten sails” ‍ ‍-Sailors Proverb

“Sailing a boat calls for quick action, a blending of feeling with the wind and water as well as with the very heart and soul of the boat itself. Sailing teaches alertness and courage, and gives in return a joyousness and peace that but few sports afford.” ‍ ‍-George Matthew Adams

“Success soon palls. The joyous time is when the breeze first strikes your sails, and the waters rustle under your bows.” ‍ ‍-Charles Buxton

“Instead of sailing off into the sunset, he hopes to sail into the next century.” ‍ ‍-Dave Anderson

“I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth, a nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present. In this limitless nation, this nation of wind, light, and peace, there is no other ruler besides the sea.” ‍ ‍-Bernard Moitessier

“You haven't lived until you've sailed.” ‍ ‍-David Sedaris

“It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.” ‍ ‍-Sir Francis Drake

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ‍ ‍-Jacques Yves Cousteau

“The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.” ‍ ‍-Edmund Gibbon

“Sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind. Live passionately, even if it kills you, because something is going to kill you anyway.” ‍ ‍-Webb Chiles

“I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it - but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” ‍ ‍-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

“It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage.” ‍ ‍-George William Curtis

“For the most part, a sailboat navigates through its world of wind and water not leaving a single trace of its passage. Nothing is consumed. Nothing is altered. The winds and the water are left in exactly the same condition for the next user. Sailing is forever.” ‍ ‍-Michael B. McPhee

“Wonders are many, and none is more wonderful than the power that crosses the white sea, driven by the stormy wind, making a path under surges that threaten to engulf him.” ‍ ‍-Sophocles

“The planning stage of a cruise is often just as enjoyable as the voyage itself, letting ones imagination loose on all kinds of possibilities. Yet translating dreams into reality means a lot of practical questions have to be answered.” ‍ ‍-Jimmy Cornell

“The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat” ‍ ‍-Francis Herreshoff

“And after two days in civilization we realized we could never stay for long and started to plan our next adventure.” ‍ ‍-Bob Bitchin

“Sail Now, Work Later” ‍ ‍-An Unknown Sailor

Funny Sailing Quotes

Below are our favorite funny sailing quotes that will make you laugh.

“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Give him a fishing lesson and he'll sit in a boat drinking beer every weekend.” ‍ ‍-Alex Blackwell

“Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk.” ‍ ‍-Sir Francis Chichester

“When a man comes to like a sea life, he is not fit to live on land.” ‍ ‍-Dr. Samuel Johnson

“The cure for anything is saltwater - sweat, tears, or the sea.” ‍ ‍-Isak Dinesen

“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.” ‍ ‍-Charles Davis

“Sailing – The fine art of slowly going nowhere at great expense while being cold, wet and miserable.” ‍ ‍-Irv Heller

“The only way to get a good crew is to marry one.” ‍ ‍-Eric Hiscock

“Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port and the other was an atrocious liar.” ‍ ‍-Don Bamford

“Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.” ‍ ‍-Brooks Atkinson

“Thing about boats is, you can always sell them if you don't like them. Can't sell kids.” ‍ ‍-Lin Pardey

Sad Sailing Quotes

Below are our favorite sad sailing quotes that are deeply thoughtful.

“As we sail through life, don't avoid rough waters, sail on because calm waters won't make a skillful sailor.” ‍ ‍-Unknown

“The ocean has taken everything from me and yet I still love her.” ‍ ‍-Unknown

“Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat.” ‍ ‍-Jean-Paul Sartre

These are our favorite sailing quotes to get you inspired, motivated and happy.

Some of these quotes are deeply thoughtful whilst others are more light- hearted and funny.

What's your favorite quote?

Sailing Quotes: 50+ Sayings About the Ocean

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ OUR DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.

Last Updated on October 9, 2021 by Amy

Whether you are just starting out and learning how to sail or have completed a world circumnavigation like us , sometimes it helps to be reminded why we do this. There are many benefits to the cruising life, and some inspirational words always help me get there. And at the moment, they make me miss cruising! That’s why I’ve compiled a list of over fifty sailing quotes to remind me how great – or how impactful, awe-inspiring, and essential the cruising life can be.

Are you just starting out? Or are you in the slumps about cruising? I hope some of these quotes about the sailing and cruising life will make you laugh, think, or even, dare I say it, want to go sailing.

Table of Contents - Click to Jump

Inspirational Boat Quotes

“To reach a port we must set sail – Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt

“I can’t control the wind but I can adjust the sail.” ―  Ricky Skaggs

“You must never despise the port you were born because no matter how small or how bad it is, it is the place you have started sailing to the universe!” ―  Mehmet Murat ildan

“We each have our oceans and seas that we travel on.” ―  Anthony T Hincks

“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” ― Helen Keller

“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came.” ― John F Kennedy

“I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky. And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.” ― John Masefield

Dark Subjects

“She watched the gap between ship and shore grow to a huge gulf. Perhaps this was a little like dying, the departed no longer visible to the others, yet both still existed, only in different worlds.” ― Susan Wiggs, The Charm School

“Sometimes I pretend I’m an anchor because there’s a difference between sinking and drowning.” ―  R.I.D. Inkskinned

“When  Predator  sailed into war, she  sang . The rapid winds and rising shrieks suddenly blended into a single harmonious tone. Lines in the rigging and the yards and the masts themselves quivered in time, and began giving off their own notes of music, in harmony with one another. As the speed increased, the chord rose and rose, and built and  built , until it reached a crescendo of pure, eerie, inhuman fury. Grimm  felt  the music rise around him, felt the ship straining eagerly to her task, and his own heart raced in fierce exultation in time with her. Every line of the ship, every smudge upon her decks, every stain upon the leathers of his aeronauts leapt into his mind in vibrant detail. He could feel the ship’s motion, forward and down, could feel the wind of her passage, could feel the rising terror of his crew. One of the men screamed–one of them always did–and then the entire crew joined in with  Predator , shrieking their battle cries together with their ship’s. The ship would not fail them–Grimm knew it; he felt it, the way he could feel sunlight on his face or the rake of wind in his hair.” ―  Jim Butcher,  The Aeronaut’s Windlass

“So there you have it: hearing voices at sea is not a pathological condition. It’s quite normal. Welcome to the world of illusions at sea. Of mirages, looming, towering, stooping and sinking. Of moons that change size, suns that change shape, horizons that bend, lights that change colour, and sounds that play hide and seek. Of waves that speak, ships that effervesce and whales that turn into baby elephants. For the sea has a lobsterpot full of tricks and illusions to confuse and beguile even the most rational 21st century sailor.” ―  Nic Compton,  Off the Deep End: A History of Madness at Sea

“For I say there is no other thing that is worse than the sea is for breaking a man, even though he may be a very strong one.” ―  Homer

“Sail through the good days, and on bad days pick a spot of blue sky to steer toward.” ―  Richelle E. Goodrich,  Making Wishes

Practical Sailing Quotes

“Go small, go simple, go now” ―  Larry Pardey,  Cruising in Seraffyn

“She found out that having something to do prevented you from feeling seasick, and that even a job like scrubbing a deck could be satisfying, if it was done in a seamanlike way. She was very taken with this notion, and later on she folded the blankets on her bunk in a seamanlike way, and put her possessions in the closet in a seamanlike way, and used ‘stow’ instead of ‘tidy’ for the process of doing so. After two days at sea, Lyra decided that this was the life for her.” ―  Philip Pullman,  The Golden Compass

“A small boat that sails the river is better than a large ship that sinks in the sea.” ―  Matshona Dhliwayo

Humorous Yacht Sayings

“Thing about boats is, you can always sell them if you don’t like them. Can’t sell kids.” ―  Lin Pardey,  Bull Canyon: A Boatbuilder, a Writer and Other Wildlife

“For those of you who wish to get a feel for it, get in the car and bring it up to fifty miles an hour and then stick your head and arms outside and, while driving, try to fold up a simple bath towel in the wind” ―  Gary Paulsen,  Caught by the Sea: My Life on Boats

“Charter boats are like books with no covers.” ―  Tania Aebi

“One of the reasons there are so many terms for conditions of ice is that the mariners observing it were often trapped in it, and had nothing to do except look at it.” ―  Alec Wilkinson,  The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andrée and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration

“The winds of fortune tend to favour the sails of those who politely yell out to it, ‘Nice to meet you!” ―  Nabil Sabio Azadi

“You don’t throw a compass overboard because the ocean is calm.” ―  Matshona Dhliwayo

The Joys of Sailing Quotes

“Seas were meant to be sailed by those with salt in their veins, and love in their heart.” ―  Anthony T.Hincks

“I wanted freedom, open air, adventure. I found it on the sea.” ― Alain Gerbault

“Sailing unties the knots in my mind.” ― Al Noble

To some it’s just water. To me, it’s where I regain my sanity. ― Anonymous

“A sailing vessel is alive in a way that no ship with mechanical power ever be.” ― Aubrey de Selincourt

“There is no more thrilling sensation I know of than sailing. It comes as near to flying as man has got to yet – except in dreams.” ―  Jerome K. Jerome,  Three Men in a Boat

“Just because a sea is calm doesn’t mean that you can believe in its stillness.” ―  Anthony T. Hincks

“When I’m out sailing, I don’t wonder what heaven is like because I know.” ―  Anthony T. Hincks

It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better. ― Sir Francis Drake

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. ― Jacques Yves Cousteau

There’s nothing like lying flat on your back on the deck, alone except for the helmsman aft at the wheel, silence except for the lapping of the sea against the side of the ship. At that time you can be equal to Ulysses and brother to him. ― Errol Flynn

“Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be Pirates” —Mark Twain

“That’s what a ship is, you know—it’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs. But what a ship is, really is, is freedom.” ― Captain Jack Sparrow, “Pirates of the Caribbean”

“You haven’t lived until you’ve sailed” ―  David Sedaris,  Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002

“Sometimes you need to tether your boats to stop them from following your dreams.” ―  Anthony T. Hincks

There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. ― Kenneth Grahame

“The ocean’s currents are a turbulent emotion which man has yet to come to terms with.” ―  Anthony T. Hincks

“If you are a boat that wants to sail in windy weather, you must be more stubborn than the waves!” ―  Mehmet Murat ildan

“We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.” ― Aristotle Onassis

A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for. ― William Shedd

“Storms draw out something out of us that calm seas don’t.” ― Bill Hybels

“I hate storms, but calms undermine my spirits.” ― Bernard Moitessier

The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore. ― Vincent Van Gogh

“The only ship you can truly steer in this ocean is the one you’re sailing. Quit trying to alter the winds; harness them.” ―  Richelle E. Goodrich,  Making Wishes

“The wind does not change, the wind only blows and gusts, and it swells and swirls, and it whispers.” ―  Christopher X. Shade,  The Good Mother of Marseille

“Maria didn’t fear the sea but, as taught by her father, she respected its power. In her experience the ocean had no intent to drown travellers.” ―  Sara Sheridan,  On Starlit Seas

“A sailor is not defined as much by how many seas he has sailed than by how many storms he has overcome.” ―  Matshona Dhliwayo

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” ― Louisa May Alcott

Distant Horizons

“The wind tousled his hair, and Dain’s chest loosed a little as his gaze broke from the wooden maid to follow a breeze-blown gull toward the horizon. The distant salmon skies dipped over the rim of the sea, and for the first time since boarding, he wondered where the waves might take him.” ―  Micheline Ryckman,   The Maiden Ship

“I hate the strange feeling of wanting to be in two places at once, like a sailor who misses the sea as much as he misses dry land.” ― Michelle Moran, Rebel Queen

“To meditate is to sail a course, to navigate, among problems many of which we are in the process of clearing up. After each one looms another, whose shores are even more attractive, more suggestive. Certainly, it requires strength and perseverance to get to windward of problems, but there is no greater delight than to reach new shores, and even to sail, as Camoëns says, “through seas that keel has never cut before.” If you will now open a bank-account of attention for me, I foretell sun-smitten landscapes and promise archipelagoes.” ―  José Ortega y Gasset

“But that’s how it is on a sailing ship, and in this respect its journey parallels that of life: simply knowing where you want to go isn’t enough, because life is a windblown voyage, consisting mainly of the detours imposed by alternating calm and storm.” ―  Carsten Jensen,  We, the Drowned

“At the end of the day…we are anchoring into the peaceful lagoon, smiling at the majestic sun and its flirting rays, slowly slipping into the glittering ballroom of immense night skies, sipping on the platinum moon liquor under the blues of rippling waves kissing my golden foot hanging over the board of gently rocking boat, and diving into the bed of galaxies whispering magical stories of their eternal lives connecting souls…till the dawn…” ―  Oksana Rus

“And there’s that one particular harbour Sheltered from the wind Where the children play on the shore each day And all are safe within” ― Jimmy Buffett

“Midnight sail and moonlight. I remember sunset, and gentle breeze. Leaving the city lights behind, and gazing at the moon. Mountains of clouds. Waves slapping our boat. It was easy to forget that love has no direction, or need for compass. Let it guide you to its destination.” ―  Fidelis O Mkparu

“Cold November nights. It feels as if summer never happened. The beauty of setting sun, moon, and stars. Sailing to nowhere, but finding happiness in our togetherness. Never forget what we are. Stranded hearts.” ― Fidelis O. Mkparu, Love’s Affliction

“The moon was low but not full. The men set out along the dock in conversation. As they dropped onto the dark beach, Simmons declared, ‘There can be no better place in the world than this.’ Henderson had to agree. The beach was beautiful. The stars lit the sand and balmy air rode in as the waves washed up on paradise” ―  Sara Sheridan,  On Starlit Seas

“There, in the shimmering distance, was a sail. I stared in momentary disbelief, but there it was, one of the most beautiful sights the Pacific can ever offer — a ship in full sail edging her way through the blue waters.” ―  Tom Neale,  An Island to Oneself: The Story of Six Years on a Desert Island

“Life on the blue part of the globe for eight years had suited me – the wild open spaces, the bliss of buoyancy, the volatile, soul-powered wind. Sailing had struck a nerve both primal and poetic. On and near the ocean life made sense, It made every sense work.” ―  Kaci Cronkhite

“A true sailor is one who finds love in every port.” ―  Tapan Ghosh

“Never a ship sails out of bay but carries my heart as a stowaway.” ―  Roselle Mercier Montgomery

Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit. ‍ ― Brooks Atkinson

“Simply sailing in a new direction you could enlarge the world” ―  Allen Curnow

“We didn’t make it around the world, but we were able to wrap the world around us.” ―  Janis Couvreux,  Sail Cowabunga!: A Family’s 10 Years at Sea

“It had occurred to her many times that on board it didn’t matter where you were coming from or where you were heading. Each voyage had its own charisma. Like writing a book – word by word – or crossing a country – step by step – each minute had to be lived moment by moment.” ―  Sara Sheridan,  On Starlit Seas

The Cruising Lifestyle

“The cruising life isn’t for all of us. It isn’t even for most of us, but it is for some of us, and for a few of us it is essential to survival.” ―  Jim Trefethen,  The Cruising Life

“What do you do?” is not a question asked to define someone, because out here we’re all working the same jobs: yachties, mechanics, navigators, weather-readers, fishermen, adventure travelers, storytellers.” ―  Torre DeRoche,  Love with a Chance of Drowning

“At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.” ― Robin Lee Graham

“Maybe you’re getting into the rhythm of sailing life,” says James. He looks out at the waves that are rolling in to lap against the dock. “You know, the tides going in and then out, the wind blowing east and then west, the high of a perfect day out on the water, the low of a thunderstorm or a wind that won’t go your way.” ―  Melissa C. Walker,  Unbreak My Heart

“For the most part, a sailboat navigates through its world of wind and water not leaving a single trace of its passage. Nothing is consumed. Nothing is altered. The winds and the water are left in exactly the same condition for the next user. Sailing is forever.” ― Michael B. McPhee

Quotes On Love & Crew

“We simply can’t abandon ship every time we encounter a storm in our marriage. Real love is about weathering the storms of life together.” ―  Seth Adam Smith

“He stared at her hard and long, as if he were gauging a cloudbank that might be worth the trouble to sail around rather than through.” ―  A.S. Peterson,  Fiddler’s Green

“That’s what sailing is, a dance, and your partner is the sea. And with the sea you never take liberties. You ask her, you don’t tell her. You have to remember always that she’s the leader, not you. You and your boat are dancing to her tune.” ―  Michael Morpurgo,  Alone on a Wide Wide Sea

“The only way to get a good crew is to marry one.” ― Eric Hiscock

“Now I remembered a captain’s honor and his only duty: to bring his crew back alive.” ―  Carsten Jensen,  We, the Drowned

“We of the sea come to know each other quickly; our loves, like our hates, are born of sudden dangers.” ―  Lew Wallace,  Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Quotes On Departing Ports

“I had acquired the skills to sail a ship; I didn’t acquire the knowledge.” ― Tom Holland

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ―  H. Jackson Brown Jr.,  P.S. I Love You

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― Christopher Columbus

“The boat is safer anchored at the port; but that is not the aim of boats.” ― Paulo Coelho

“The thing that most forget while dreamily looking off into the horizon for the ship of their dreams is that such ships never sail in but are built beneath their feet.” ―  Mike Dooley

“The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats.” ― Ernest Hemingway

“The sea was not meant to be controlled. The sea was meant to be sailed.” ―  Jon Acuff

“The sea speaks a language polite people never repeat. It is a colossal scavenger slang and has no respect.” ― Carl Sandburg

“The sea has never been friendly to man. At most it has been the accomplice of human restlessness.” ― Joseph Conrad

“How inappropriate it is to call this planet Earth, when clearly it is Sea.” ― Arthur C. Clarke

“She loved the sea. She liked the sharp salty smell of the air, and the vastness of the horizons bounded only by a vault of azure sky above. It made her feel small, but free as well.” ―  George R.R. Martin,  A Storm of Swords

Which sailing quote is your favorite?

Beautiful quotes. A pleasure to read. Thank you using so many of my quotes. “The sea is what makes me feel so young.”

All the best. Anthony T. Hincks

You have a way with words!

Amy, devem existir incontáveis citações célebres envolvendo o mar e o nosso eterno caso de amor, que é velejar. Parabéns pelo seu bom gosto. Surpreendente. Já li algumas mas sua seleção é melhor de todas. Sinceros agradecimentos.

The sea is a good muse! 🙂

I collect sailing/travel quotes and many of these were new to me. What a great list.

And…you corrected my erroneously attributing a certain quote to Mark Twain 😉

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where none intrudes, By the deep Sea, and music in its roar: I love not Man the less, but Nature more, Lord Byron

Thank you, Amy!

I looked up the Mark Twain thing before I posted, because I saw it attributed to both. Geat Bryon quote.

The quote: ‘Quit trying to alter the winds; harness them.’ really resonated with me today 🙂

Thanks for all the work putting this lovely collection together.

Aw great to hear from you! 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Sailor's anthem: Nautical quotes and sayings that set sail

The sea has long been a muse for poets, writers, and dreamers. Whether it's the calm waters reflecting the sky's hues or the tumultuous waves crashing against the shore, the sea's moods and mysteries have inspired profound quotes. We dive into the treasure trove of literary gems that pay homage to the vastness and unpredictability of the ocean.

Quotes about the sea and sailing

Sailor's language and slang.

Onboard a ship, sailors have their own language—a unique blend of slang and terminology that fosters a sense of community and camaraderie. Dive into the fascinating world of sailor slang, from "landlubber" to "aye aye, captain!" Learn the meanings behind these colorful expressions and how they bring the crew together.

Read our top notch articles on topics such as sailing, sailing tips and destinations in our Magazine .

Famous sailing quotes and sayings

Throughout history, sailing has captured the imagination of adventurers, philosophers, and writers. We delve into the words of luminaries such as Mark Twain, Herman Melville, and Joshua Slocum, who beautifully captured the essence of sailing in their quotes. These quotes not only celebrate the thrill of exploration but also reflect on the profound experiences of life at sea.

Inspirational quotes for sailors

Sailing isn't just a journey across the water—it's a metaphor for life itself. Inspirational quotes for sailors remind us of the lessons learned from the sea: resilience, adaptability, and the courage to face the unknown. We gather uplifting quotes that inspire sailors to set their course with confidence and determination.

Humorous sailboat quotes and sayings

Sailing isn't all serious business—there's plenty of room for humor on the high seas. Humorous sailboat quotes and sayings inject laughter into maritime life. From witty observations about navigation mishaps to playful jabs at the unpredictability of the wind, we highlight the lighthearted side of sailing.

Boat at sea.

Quotes of the sea: Capturing the essence of sailing

• "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
• "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." - William Arthur Ward
• "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Yves Cousteau
• "To reach a port, we must sail—sail, not tie at anchor—sail, not drift." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
• "I can't control the wind, but I can adjust the sails." - Ricky Skaggs
• "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen
• "The best way to observe a fish is to become a fish." - Jacques Yves Cousteau
• "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do." - Mark Twain
• "Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me: If you choose the simple things and find joy in nature's simple treasures, life and living need not be so hard." - Psyche Roxas-Mendoza
• "He that will learn to pray, let him go to sea." - George Herbert
• "A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind." - Webb Chiles
• "The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination, and brings eternal joy to the soul." - Wyland
• "Sailing a boat calls for quick action, a blending of feeling with the wind and water as well as with the very heart and soul of the boat itself." - George Matthew Adams
• "The sea has never been friendly to man. At most, it has been the accomplice of human restlessness." - Joseph Conrad
• "There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea." - Joseph Conrad

These quotes encapsulate the beauty, challenges, and allure of sailing and the sea.

So what are you waiting for? Take a look at our range of charter boats and head to some of our favourite sailing destinations .

FAQs about nautical quotes

Coppercoat: The environmentally sensitive antifoul choice *sponsored post*

Yachting Monthly sponsors the Chichester Marina Boat Show and Watersports Festival

Round the Island Race 2019: Entries open

Düsseldorf Boat Show 2019: Fairline announces yacht line-up

Düsseldorf Boat Show 2019: Bavaria to showcase its complete range of motoryachts

• Subscribe Now
• Digital Editions

Pearls of wisdom: 20 most inspiring sailing quotes ever

• Katy Stickland

We all need some inspiration from time to time. These quotes by sailing legends and enthusiasts have inspired us all at YBW since we launched 20 years ago

Credit: Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

“Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk.”  Sir Francis Chichester  

“Every single day since I heard that tap-tapping and knew I had survived, I have told myself I am lucky to be alive. Why go back? Because I’m a racing sailor; that’s what I do. I love the sea, and I love competition. You don’t give up on life just because you once had a narrow shave from death.”  Tony Bullimore

“My mother, when asked for her opinion of the voyage before I sailed, had replied that she considered it ‘totally irresponsible’ and on this Christmas Day I began to think she was right. I was sailing round the world simply because I bloody well wanted to – and, I realised, I was thoroughly enjoying myself.”  Robin Knox-Johnston

“The day passes happily with me wherever my ship sails.”  Joshua Slocum

“The art of the sailor is to leave nothing to chance.”  Annie Van De Wiele

Credit: ABACA/PA Images

“I really don’t know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it’s because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it’s because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea – whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came. ”  John F. Kennedy

“There have been times on this trip I’ve been convinced that GPS was wrong.”   Chris Robb

“Calm sailing doesn’t come from calm waters, it comes from having a good navigator; a good crew and a good vessel.”  Anthony T. Hincks

“It’s out there at sea that you are really yourself.”   Vito Dumas

“The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat.”  L. Francis Herreshoff

Top 10 yacht pioneers

YBW's list of the top 10 yacht pioneers in the last 100 years. Who do you think should be on…

Crazy voyages: Sailors who took to sea without the relevant experience

It's never too late to discover the joys of sailing. Here is our pick of the sailors who took to…

Ultimate sailing playlist: 20 songs to listen to onboard your boat

From ballads by Van Morrison and Neil Young to the 80s Duran Duran hit, Rio, and the haunting vocals of…

“The charm of singlehanded cruising is not solitude, but independence.”  Claud Worth

“When you are in a huge storm, and you’ve set the boat up for the winds, and the autopilot is steering the boat, there’s nothing to do apart from stand there and watch the walls of water breaking around you; it’s an awesome sight.”  Emma Richards

“In splicing, practice makes perfect, and in the doing you will learn more than from reading any ten books on the subject.”  Hervey Garrett Smith

“The only way to get a good crew is to marry one.”  Eric Hiscock

“To win, you have to believe you can do it. You have to be passionate about it. You have to really ‘want’ the result – even if this means years of work. The hardest part of any big project is to begin.”  Sir Peter Blake

Credit: PA Archive/PA Images

“When you spend so much time pushing, caring for, cajoling and maintaining a beautiful racing machine like this, you get very close. She’s looked after me well, and I look after her. I haven’t been lonely at all.”  Ellen MacArthur

“The chance of mistakes are about equal to the number of crew squared.”   Ted Turner

“The desire to build a house is the tired wish of a man content thenceforward with a single anchorage. The desire to build a boat is the desire of youth, unwilling yet to accept the idea of a final resting place.”  Arthur Ransome

“I want a boat that drinks six, eats four, and sleeps two.”  Ernest K. Gann

“A sailing ship is no democracy; you don’t caucus a crew as to where you’ll go anymore than you inquire when they’d like to shorten sail.”  Sterling Hayden

Boat Quotes

Life is like sailing a boat – you need to adjust your sails to catch the wind.

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

A boat is always safe in the harbor, but that’s not what boats are built for.

The only way to cross an ocean is to have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

The best journeys are those that are shared with friends on a boat.

A boat is a vessel of dreams – where the possibilities are endless.

Don’t wait for the perfect boat, take the boat and make it perfect.

When life gets rough, find your anchor and hold on tight.

Sail away from the safe harbor and embrace the adventure.

In a boat, you can discover new horizons and find yourself at the same time.

The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination, and brings eternal joy.

A boat is not just a mode of transportation, it’s a way of life.

A boat is freedom floating on water.

Sometimes, all you need is a little boat and a big dream.

Life is better on a boat – no worries, no stress, just endless possibilities.

There’s something magical about the moment when the wind catches the sails and the boat takes off.

A boat is a symbol of resilience – it can weather any storm.

A boat is a piece of art that sails on water.

A boat is the perfect escape from the chaos of everyday life.

The best memories are made on a boat – sunsets, laughter, and the feeling of complete freedom.

Boat Quotes part 2

A boat allows you to explore the world from a different perspective.

A boat is a reminder to live in the present moment and enjoy the journey.

A boat is a home away from home – a sanctuary on the water.

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

A boat is a symbol of hope – it takes you to places you’ve never been before.

A boat is a floating paradise – where worries disappear and dreams come alive.

A smooth sea never made skilled sailors – it’s the challenges that shape us.

In a boat, you’re not just a passenger, you’re the captain of your own destiny.

A boat is a symbol of freedom – it allows you to escape the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary.

The ocean is calling, and a boat is your ticket to answer its call.

A boat is an invitation to explore, discover, and enrich your soul.

A boat is like a magic carpet that takes you on adventures beyond your wildest dreams.

A boat is a metaphor for life – it requires patience, determination, and the willingness to navigate through storms.

The sea is a companion that never betrays – it’s always there, waiting for you.

In a boat, you don’t just sail the sea, you become one with it.

A boat is a timeless symbol of human ingenuity and the desire for exploration.

A boat is a canvas where you can paint your own adventure.

The sea is a teacher that provides valuable lessons about resilience, patience, and adaptability.

A boat is a vessel that carries your dreams to distant shores.

A boat is a symbol of harmony – it brings people together and creates lasting memories.

In a boat, you’re not just a passenger, you’re an explorer.

A boat is an escape from the noise and chaos of the world – a place of tranquility and serenity.

A boat is a vehicle for self-discovery – it helps you find your true north.

A boat is a symbol of adventure – it’s a ticket to explore the unknown.

In a boat, you’re not just floating, you’re soaring on the wings of the wind.

A boat is a reminder of the interconnectedness of the world – the ocean connects us all.

A boat is a sanctuary where you can heal, reflect, and find inner peace.

The true beauty of a boat lies not in its physical form, but in the memories and experiences it creates.

A boat is a companion that listens to your dreams and helps you discover new ones.

In a boat, you’re not just sailing the waters, you’re taming the wild.

Leave a Reply for Boat Quotes Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

With the article Boat Quotes is also read

Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M. get the money, dollar dollar bill, y’all – Wu-Tang Clan Protect ya neck, ’cause

The mind is like a parachute. It only works when it is open. Love is not something you find. Love

Love knows no bounds. In your embrace, I find solace. Every day with you is a blessing. Your love completes

Age is just a number, wisdom is timeless. With age comes wisdom, and a few more wrinkles. Growing older is

Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

Santa Claus has the right idea: visit people only once a year. Christmas is the time when everyone wants their

The world revolves around me, and I’m okay with that. I’m the star of my own show, and everyone else

Growth is not just about becoming taller, but also about becoming wiser. The most beautiful flowers grow in the most

Write for Us

TheThingsWeSay

Personality Quizzes

ILikeToQuote

Unsubscribe

[email protected]

Best Sailing and Sailors Quotes of all time

Best sailing quotes and mariners quotes.

Discover the best sailors and sailing quotes and mariners sayings. We often hear mariners quotes, sailing words, and proverbs from famous and unknown sailors, navigators, explorers about the ocean, the sea, their vessels, their sailing journeys or their adventures. The best mariners and sailors or sailing quotes you will find here are inspiring or funny but they all refer to a passion shared by boating enthusiasts all over the world. We also include maritime and sailing proverbs from different time and civilizations.

We decided to share them with our readers and sailors friends because they are inspiring and often tell in a few words sailors and boat lovers feel or experience at sea. Along with each quote we also indicate who the writer is and a a little bit of their accomplishment.

If you want to add your own preferred quote please contact Coboaters .  It is free and fun.

We hope you like these mariners and sailing or sailors quotes and other proverbs. You can also find them on our Coboaters Facebook and Instagram page. The quote of the week is also published every week on Coboaters home page! Happy reading!

We classified those quotes in different categories:

• Mariners and Sailing quotes from famous sailors
• Quotes and sayings from writers or artists
• Marine quotes from famous people (boat designers, scientists,
• Mariners and sailing quotes from anonymous individuals.

Related articles:

• What are the 3 top benefits of sailing?
• How does a crew connect website work?
• Sailing adventures in the Bahamas

Liveaboard Sailboats! 8 things YouTube did not tell you

• A quick guide to sailing in North America

1- Mariners and Sailing Quotes from famous sailors

“The only way to get a good crew is to marry one” – Eric Hiscock

“You do not ask a tame seagull why it needs to disappear from time to time toward the open sea.” Bernard Moitessier – Famous Sailor and adventurer- Circumnavigator in The Long Way (published in 1971)

“There is not better tool or equipment you can have on board than a well-trained crew”. Larry Pardey, Cruiser Larry Pardey lived at sea with his wife, Lin for more than 25 years.

Sail more so you can create your own quote after your experience.

Learn the best way to sail even if you do not have a boat.

“I wanted to win not as a woman, but at equal terms with all skippers.” Kirsten Neuschafer. Famous woman sailor. The first female sailor to win a circumnavigation race, the Golden Globe 2022.

“Spinnakers are perfect in lighter airs and flatter seas for crew to handle…” Unknown writer

“If we can’t decarbonate shipping, we can’t solve the climate crisis” Chritiaan de Beukelear

“On the 8th day, God created RUM to prevent sailors from taking over the world”

“Citius – Altius – Fortius . Faster – Higher – Stronger”. This is the Olympic games motto.

2- Sailing quotes from Famous writers or artists

“Anchor as though you plan to stay for weeks, even if you plan to stay for one hour” Tommy Moran, American artist

“I want a boat that drinks six, eats four, sleeps two.” Ernest Kellog Gann (1910-1991) American Aviator, Author, Sailor, and conservationist.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” – Confucius, Chinese Philosopher

“How inappropriate it is to call this planet earth when clearly it is sea” Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer and undersea explorer.

“The lovely thing about cruising is that planning turns out to be of little use.” Dom Degnon, Yacht broker and freelance writer.

“Everybody in the 15th century Spain was wrong about where China was and as a result, Columbus discovered Caribbean vacations!” P.J. O’Rourke.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end.” Ernest Hemingway

“I need the sea because it teaches me” Pablo Neruba

“Free man, you will always cherish the sea!” Charles Beaudelaire, French poet of the nineteenth century

“When a man comes to like a sea life, he is not fit to live on land.” Dr Samula Johnson, 18th century writer.

3- Marine quotes from famous sailors and mariners

“Prevention is, as in other aspects of seamanship, better than cure” . Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. British sailor, the first person to perform a non-stop single-handed circumnavigation of the globe.

“The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat” Francis Herreshoff.

“Sailboat racing becomes a game of chance only when you are not prepared” Buddy Melges.

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

“Red Sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors’ delight.” Ancient mariners

“ A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind” Webb Chiles, American sailor, poet, and explorer who has circumnavigated the globe five times.

“ For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; In this century he is starting to realize that, in order to survive he has to protect it.” Jacques-Yves Cousteau in the 20th Century

I wanted open air, adventures, I found it on the sea” Alain Gerbault

To young men contemplating a voyage, I would say, Go!” Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail single-handedly around the world.

“The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails” Joshua Slocum

Mariners quotes from anonymous writers

Land was created for boats to visit!

A Sailboat that sails backward can never see the sunrise

“To reach a port we must set sail – sail, not tie at anchor; sail not drift” Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Your autopilot may be your best crew but it will never be your best friend!”

“The sooner we learn how to be jointly responsible, the easier the sailing will be” Ella Maillart, Swiss adventurer, Sportwoman. Early 1900.

“Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.” Van Morrison Irish Singer – Songwriter

“There are three sorts of people: those who are alive, those who are dead, and those who are at sea” Aristotle – Greek philosopher 384-322 BC

To find boat and crew for your Atlantic crossing, offshore adventure or racing, please check Coboaters .

What is Coboaters ? Crew Finder Network

Join the leading crew finder network in North America . What is a crew finder or crew seekers network? The concept allows boat owners to look for crew members for their boating adventures. It is a great sailing network where boat owners meet their crew, chat, learn to know each other and spend time on the water together. There are other words to describe a crew finder network. Some people will use crew seekers platform or find a boat service or find a crew club. Thanks to our crew finder network Coboaters is proud to offer opportunities for everyone, powerboats, and sailboats. There are boating opportunities for cruising, racing, fishing, coastal or offshore navigation. You can embark on a sailing trip for a weekend, an afternoon, or a longer time, anywhere. Boat owners and crew meet on racer-cruisers, classic boats, catamarans, monohull, multihull. There are boats of any kind operated by sole owners, families or professionals. You can find crew for cross-Atlantic or cross-Pacific opportunities and very local sailing trips. Whatever your desire, you are welcome on board!

Related Posts

Team Coboaters

Super coboaters, the super heroes of co-boating.

Trio Travels is a family of three who have turned their love of sailing into a fulfilling life of inspiring others. Their story began with a holiday cruise on a yacht and soon they were "hooked" as they say, and the rest is history.

July 23, 2024

What is a good boating or sailing resume?

May 24, 2024

May 14, 2024

Subscribe Now!

Subscribe here for Coboaters Newsletter: Tips, crew opportunities, stories and much more.

Sailor Sayings and Sailing Quotes – Inspirational Quotes for Sailors

Are you a sailor and needs some more inspiration? Here’s my list of Quotes about the sea and sailing on a boat.

Two years ago, when Jonathan and I were still broke backpackers, he told me about how he dreams of sailing the open seas – that someday, he would buy himself a boat. Live in it. And travel around the world with it. And you guessed right; he sure did buy us a sailboat.

Here is the list of some popular sailor sayings and sailing quotes that will have you set before your sailing rendezvous:

actually, every sailor deserves a sailing challenge coin to record sailing life, the point is that you can use these popular sayings and aphorisms to customize an exclusive sailor challenge coin at GS-JJ.com, which is very important for every sailor because they all have unique meanings. You can create a nautical commemorative coin by clicking the navy challenge coins of GS-JJ.com , which is not only for the navy but also for seafarers.

1. Sailors, with their built-in sense of order, service, and discipline, should really be running the world. – Nicholas Monsarrat

2. the wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator. – edmund gibbon, 3. the pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. – william arthur ward.

4. Mackerel skies and mares tails, soon will be time to shorten sails . – sailors proverb

5. the cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat. – l. francis herreshoff.

• Best Teamwork Quotes to Overcome Challenges
• Best Life Quotes to get you Excited About Life Again
• Best Camping Quotes for Adventurous Travelers
• Best Sunset Quotes For Your Travels
• 50 Best Beach Quotes for Instagram Captions

6. I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving – we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor. – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

7. A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for. – William Shedd

8. You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. – Christopher Columbus

9. He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast. – Leonardo da Vinci

10. He is the best sailor who can steer within fewest points of the wind, and exact a motive power out of the greatest obstacles. – Walter Scott

11. I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky. And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by. – John Masefield

12. That’s what a ship is, you know – it’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that’s what a ship needs. But what a ship is, really is, is freedom. – Capt. Jack Sparrow

13. A tourist remains an outsider throughout his visit, but a sailor is part of the local scene from the moment he arrives. – Anne Davison

14. The perfection of a yacht’s beauty is that nothing should be there for only beauty’s sake.  – John MacGregor

15. A sailing vessel is alive in a way that no ship with mechanical power ever be. – Aubrey de Selincourt

16. Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made, for somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid . – Robert N. Rose

17. He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea. – Thomas Fuller

18. Until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore, you will not know the terror of being forever lost at sea. – Charles Cook

19. We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds. – Aristotle Onassis, Shipping Magnate

20. The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator. – Edmund Gibbon, Historian

21. I wanted freedom, open-air, and adventure. I found it on the sea. – Alaine Gerbault, Sailor

22. It is not the ship so much as the skilful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage. – George William Curtis

23. A ship on the port always waits for you to sail to the oceans!  – Mehmet Murat ildan

24. The only ship you can truly steer in this ocean is the one you’re sailing. Quit trying to alter the winds; harness them . – Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes

25. That’s what sailing is, a dance, and your partner is the sea. And with the sea you never take liberties. You ask her, you don’t tell her. You have to remember always that she’s the leader, not you. You and your boat are dancing to her tune. – Michael Morpurgo, Alone on a Wide Wide Sea

26. The sea hates a coward. – Eugene O’Neill

27. I was born in the breezes, and I had studied the sea as perhaps few men have studied it, neglecting all else. – Joshua Slocum

28. If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends . – Enoch Powell

29. I keep sailing on in this middle passage. I am sailing into the wind and the dark. But I am doing my best to keep my boat steady and my sails full. – Arthur Ashe

30. There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. – Kenneth Grahame

31. I was born in the breezes, and I had studied the sea as perhaps few men have studied it, neglecting all else. – Joshua Slocum

32. I keep sailing on in this middle passage. I am sailing into the wind and the dark. But I am doing my best to keep my boat steady and my sails full. – Arthur Ashe

Are you on Pinterest? Pin these!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

One thought on “ Sailor Sayings and Sailing Quotes – Inspirational Quotes for Sailors ”

Twice you have the same quote in here twice: 27 & 31 (Slocum) and 29 & 32 (Ashe).

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Many of the articles on Two Monkeys Travel Group are guest posts by a number of Approved Contributors and are hosted by Two Monkeys Travel Group. Approved Contributors control their own work and post freely to our site. This includes all text and images that they use within their own work. All contributors are instructed to follow internationally recognised copyright and intellectual property guidelines. Two Monkeys Travel Group takes its own responsibilities very seriously, so if you feel that any part of this work is abusive in any way, please send us an email so that we can investigate - [email protected]

DISCLOSURE: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. So when you make a purchase we sometimes make a small commission, at no extra cost to you. The cost to you remains the same, sometimes even cheaper if we have negotiated a special deal for our readers.We use all of the companies we have listed here and that’s why they are in this list, but of course we need to keep Two Monkeys Travel Group running as well as it can, which is exactly what you’re helping with if you do decide to buy or book something through an affiliate link! If you have any more questions about the companies we use or any other companies you’re looking at, just email us and we’ll be happy to help. Please see our full disclaimer page for more information.

Written by Two Monkeys Travel - Contributor

Two Monkeys Travel Group – Community Travel Blog is a travel blog and website. We quickly grew into a valuable source of inspiring travel stories, advice, itineraries and travel guides, with the aim of demonstrating how to live a sustainable life of travel, whilst living your own definition of success. If you'd like to contribute and write a guest post, contact us at [email protected]

11 Best Hiking Treks To Experience in Nepal

Getting the most out of your holiday in bali, 5 best things to do in canggu, bali, indonesia [diy travel guide to canggu], 10 awesome things to do in florence, italy, africa unveiled: discovering the continent’s hidden gems and iconic landmarks, related posts, reasons why i would go back to vietnam, life inspiration: from hollywood life to hostelling in santiago, chile, siberut, indonesia: saving the mentawai culture, a saudi life: an expatriate family surviving the real saudi arabia, previous post, 6 unique and cool things to do in europe [with photos], 3 day montenegro itinerary: how to maximize your 3 days in montenegro, subscribe to our newsletter.

Receive tips on how you can live a sustainable long-term travel lifestyle!

• First Name *
• Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

• Adventure Sails
• Evening Sails
• Seaport Events
• Educational Field Trips (K-12)
• Scholarships
• The Seafarer Collective
• Sail Training (TWBM)
• Get To Know Us
• Lady Washington
• Seaport Blog
• Seaport Landing
• Board of Directors
• Board & Committee Meetings
• Our Partners
• Legacy Donations
• E-Newsletter Signup

Some of Our Favorite Inspirational Quotes About Sailing

Poets, adventurers and sailors alike have captured the immense power found at sea through their words. Here, we highlight the quotations that inspire us at Gray Harbor Historical Seaport every day.

“There is no better tool or equipment you can have on board than a well-trained crew.” – Larry Pardey

Cruiser Larry Pardey lived at sea with his wife, Lin. Without GPS or engines, the couple completed two circumnavigations on sailing ships he built. They launched their first circumnavigation in 1968, spending 11 years traveling by sea. The second voyage, begun in 1984, consisted of 25 years of traveling.

“To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives.” – Carleton Mitchell

Cruiser Carleton Mitchell won three Newport Bermuda Races in 1956, 1958 and 1960. He often referred to his boat, Finisterre, as “the fat little monster.” A writer and photographer, Mitchell wrote articles for National Geographic and Sports Illustrated about sailing.

“It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.” – Ernest K. Gann

Gann thrived whenever he flew or sailed. A pilot during World War II, he used his aviation experience to write books. Later, he’d pen tales about his sea adventures in books such as Twilight for the Gods and Soldier of Fortune.

“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made, for somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid.” – Robert N. Rose

This beautiful quotation comes from the poem “Ships” by Robert N Rose. Simple in structure but lush with descriptive words, it romanticizes the beauty of ships. Rose likens the nails, wood and canvas to a nymph, lover and siren.

“On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.” – Rumi

Rumi has left an incredible impact on the world. The Persian poet and Sufi master, born in 1207, devoted his life to writing and worship. He wrote poems with simple yet vivid imagery and direct addresses to his readers.

“I wanted freedom, open air, adventure. I found it on the sea.” – Alain Gerbault

Which of us hasn’t imagined our own version of freedom? Alain Gerbault was a French sailor and writer who made a circumnavigation as a single-handed sailor. His gaff sloop, Firecrest, spent 700 days at sea and covered more than 40,000 miles.

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

Cousteau brought the wonder of the sea to the world. With engineer Emile Gagnan, Cousteau developed the first scuba apparatus in 1942. His boat Calypso allowed him to dive and conduct scientific research, strengthening his belief in protecting the ocean.

“If you are going to do something, do it now. Tomorrow is too late.” – Pete Goss

At Gray Harbor Historical Seaport, we love these words spoken by British yachtsman Pete Goss. Goss has sailed more than 250,000 nautical miles and knows the importance of understanding and exploring the sea.

Our programs explore maritime history through engaging and varied activities. Our historic sailing ship, Lady Washington, lets you discover adventures beyond your imagination. So seize the day. Contact us today , as tomorrow is too late.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

SailingEurope Blog - Sailing, Yacht Charter and Beyond

Speak Like a Sailor in 2024: A Collection of Sailing Quotes

You must have heard of terms like: “Land Ho!” or “Aye Aye Captain!” But did you know they were actually sailing quotes? Embarking on your first sailing adventure will surely be a whole lot easier if you already know the sailing language that speaks directly to the heart of every sailor. This article is about to show you how to sound like a true sailor in any sailing situation.

What Is the Importance of Sailing Quotes?

The sea, the sun and the wind have always been the best remedies for all diseases, broken hearts and loneliness. If you have never experienced the healing power of a day spent at sea and on a sailing ship , do it as soon as possible. You are missing out big time! Breathing in the sea air and the wind, feeling the sun’s warmth on your skin and listening to the waves crashing the rocks are truly unique experiences. And do not even get me started on sailing. Although it may sound complicated, it will be easier with our sailing guide .

So, you have decided to dedicate your life to the sea and the wind. You have mastered the art of sailing and you have started spending more and more time on board. Then you will inevitably become a sailor who lives a life according to inspiring sailing quotes ! Life on board can be tough, you can face all kinds of difficulties from bad weather or boat malfunction to boredom or feeling homesick. However, keep in mind that when you face and overcome those difficulties, this short dictionary will lift your spirit. You might also want to share them with others as your Instagram or Facebook captions.

We have gathered here a list of famous sailing quotes and sailor sayings that can help you survive the oh-so-monotone days on a sailing ship. Those still dreaming about sailing can be inspired to get out of their comfort zone and embark on their first sailing adventure. As long as you are decisive and ready to work on realizing your dreams, the rest will come. While you are still just considering it, after reading our favourite sailor sayings you will think no more!

Sailing Quotes for the Indecisive

• “A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd
• “To young men contemplating a voyage, I would say GO.” – Joshua Slocum
• “The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea.” – Isak Dinesen
• “There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.” – Joseph Conrad
• “You haven’t lived until you’ve sailed.” – David Sedaris, Theft by Finding: Diaries
• “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau

Sailing Quotes for the Adventurous

• “I wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea.” – Alaine Gerbault
• “He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea.” – Dr Thomas Fuller
• “The art of the sailor is to leave nothing to chance.” – Annie Van De Wiele
• “The sea hates a coward.” – Eugene O’Neill
• “A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind.” – Webb Chiles
• “The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.” – Edmund Gibbon

Sailing Quotes for Those Who Need a Little Bit of Inspiration

• “They that go down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business in great waters; these men see the works of the Lord; and His wonders in the deep.” – Book of Common Prayer
• “A bad day sailing is 100 times better than a good day at work.” – Anonymous
• “The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.” – Joshua Slocum
• “To be successful at sea we must keep things simple.” – Pete Culler
• “To reach a port we must set sail – Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “No literature is richer than that of the sea. No story is more enthralling, no tradition is more secure.” – Felix Riesenberg

Sailing Quotes for the Courageous

In the sea of sailing quotes and sailor sayings, we can highlight the ones by Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway, two of the most influential writers of all time. Get out of your comfort zone and let their sailor quotes serve as your greatest encouragement.

• “Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be Pirates.” – Mark Twain
• “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
• “A man is never lost at sea.” – Ernest Hemingway
• “The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats.” – Ernest Hemingway

Which Sailor Quotes Have Found Their Use in Everyday Language?

There are many phrases that we use on a regular basis that have their origin in the nautical world. However, they have lost their original meaning, so most of the time we are not aware that we are using the same phrases that were once used by sailors. We made a list of the most popular sailor phrases used in everyday language, explaining their metaphorical and original meaning.

The first example is the term feeling under the weather that people nowadays use to describe the feeling of sadness. Sailors would use this phrase when the weather was rough to warn the passengers to retreat to the lower levels of the boat to keep them safe from the storm.

We have all, not only once, experienced the calm before the storm. For example, we know that a really bad argument is always preceded by an extremely peaceful period. Sailors, on the other side, would use this phrase in anticipation of bad weather.

People often find themselves at a loose end , meaning they do not know what to do next. When on board, something that is often loose is the rope. A loose end means that the rope is not attached properly.

Have you ever gone overboard and completely exaggerated in your actions? Similar to that, when you go overboard on a boat, it means that you literally fall out of it.

The phrase fair winds and following seas is one of the most known sailor sayings. It means that the wind direction will be probably the same as the sea direction. It indicates that the sailors will probably have a “perfect day on the sea”. Furthermore, the phrase smooth sailing has a pretty similar meaning to the phrase fair winds and following seas. Smooth sailing means that there’ll be no problems further on, everything is alright now.

The phrase Anchors Aweigh means that there are no anchors in the sea at the moment, they are all clear of the sea bottom and the boat is ready for departure.

Sailor Slang – A Unique Way of Communication

Another interesting linguistic feature that emerged from the nautical world is sailor slang. Over the years spent on the sea, sailors have developed their own way of communicating. And that language was unknown to the ones who were not part of the crew. The phrases and nautical terms that they used were short and sweet, some of the examples are:

• “Aye Aye Captain!” – a sign of approval
• “Ahoy!” – sailors would use this exclamation among themselves to call out to each other
• “Land Ho!” – an exclamation that a sailor would make when they spotted the land
• “Matey” – mate, friend
• “Me” – referring to “my”
• “Ye” – referring to the pronoun “you”
• “Yo-ho-ho…and a bottle of rum!” – the first part refers to sailors’ laughter and the second one, well, we could say that rum was their favorite beverage.

Sailor slang was highly popularized by the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow from the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Jack Sparrow is an example of a real cap’n (captain) who loved his sailing ship Black Pearl more than his life and a man who gave his life to the sea . What a great example for a modern sailor, huh? Aside from his rum obsession and occasional cowardness, he was quite successful in his job. We are sure that you already quote him on a daily basis, but we will mention a few of his epic sailor quotes:

• “Why is the rum always gone?”
• “Hide the rum!”
• “Wherever we want to go, we go… that’s what a ship is, you know.”
• “The seas may be rough, but I am the Captain! No matter how difficult, I will always prevail.”

At the end of the day, you do not have to use sailing sayings and sailor quotes to be a sailor. Carleton Mitchell once said: “To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives.” Therefore, to be a successful sailor, the most important thing is to live without the fear of the unknown, to gather up the courage and start living your life to the fullest – at the sea.

10 thoughts on “Speak Like a Sailor in 2024: A Collection of Sailing Quotes”

That’s really nice post. I appreciate your skills. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re glad you enjoyed the post and appreciate your support.

We want to organise a sailing-themed event. This was very helpful! Thank you.

That’s wonderful to hear, Matt! We’re thrilled that the post could help with your event planning. Best of luck with your sailing-themed event!

how are you, dignified blog on lardy loss. like helped.

Thank you, Rueben! We’re glad you found the blog helpful.

Just an FYI: The term Aye Aye was actually a Navy term for I understand and I will comply

Thanks for the info, Kevin! We appreciate the additional context and will make sure to include it in future updates.

I am fixing up a story of a sailor this is very helpful, thank you!

We’re delighted to hear that our post has been helpful for your story! Best of luck with your writing!

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Quotabulary

Sail Through These 44 Famous Quotes About Sea and Sailing

There's nothing more liberating and exhilarating than living life on the sea waves. Some of the greatest sailing expeditions unfurled the edges of the world. Through this Quotabulary piece, embrace the vast entirety of the blue ocean and experience adventure as we present to you 44 famous quotes about sea and sailing.

There’s nothing more liberating and exhilarating than living life on the sea waves. Some of the greatest sailing expeditions unfurled the edges of the world. Through this Quotabulary piece, embrace the vast entirety of the blue ocean and experience adventure as we present to you 44 famous quotes about sea and sailing.

“I wanted freedom, open air, adventure. I found it on the sea.” ― Alain Gerbault, Sailor

Visualize this – you are standing at the stern of the ship with your arms wide open as if you are trying to clasp the wind to your breast and hug it. For once, you are blinded with bright luminance of the glistening waters, but you put up a brief fight with your eyes and coax them to remain open. For your eyes know, never on land will they be afforded with such a visual feast, never will they evince the ethereal demarcation of earth and heaven like this, never will they evidence beauty of such magnitude.

Be it watching the gentle tapping of waves or seeing the water cut up in soapsuds like effervescence, sailing is one of the most stimulating yet skittish experience one can ever live.

Experience adventure and learn some valuable lessons of life with the following famous quotes about sea and sailing.

Famous Quotes about Sea and Sailing

“There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.” ― Joseph Conrad

“To reach a port we must set sail – Sail, not tie at anchor Sail, not drift.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt

“At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.” ― Robin Lee Graham

“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.” ― Vincent Van Gogh

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” ― Louisa May Alcott

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” ― Antoine de Saint Exupery

“It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.” ― Sir Francis Drake

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau

“No literature is richer than that of the sea. No story is more enthralling, no tradition is more secure.” ― Felix Riesenberg

“I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a gray dawn breaking.” ― John Masefield

Inspiring Sea and Sailing Quotes

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ― Mark Twain

“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” ― Helen Keller

“To young men contemplating a voyage I’d say go.” ― Joshua Slocum

“The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea.” ― Isak Dinesen

“He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea.” ― Thomas Fuller

“The sea speaks a language polite people never repeat. It is a colossal scavenger slang and has no respect.” ― Carl Sandburg

“Thought is the wind, knowledge the sail, and mankind the vessel.” ― August Hare

“The sooner we learn to be jointly responsible, the easier the sailing will be.” ― Ella Maillart

“To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives.” ― Carleton Mitchell

“All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came.” ― John F. Kennedy

“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” ― Fitzhugh Dodson

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ― William Arthur Ward

“The sea finds out everything you did wrong.” ― Francis Stokes

“The sea has never been friendly to man. At most it has been the accomplice of human restlessness.” ― Joseph Conrad

“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” ― Syrus Publilius

“Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.” ― Robert Henri

Famous Nautical Quotes and Sayings

“The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.” ― Edmund Gibbon

“The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea.” ― Ovid

“Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.” ― Brooks Atkinson

“There is nothing like lying flat on your back on the deck, alone except for the helmsman aft at the wheel, silence except for the lapping of the sea against the side of the ship. At that time you can be equal to Ulysses and brother to him.” ― Errol Flynn

“There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” ― Kenneth Grahame, Writer

“Confronting a storm is like fighting God. All the powers in the universe seem to be against you and, in an extraordinary way, your irrelevance is at the same time both humbling and exalting.” ― Francis LeGrande

Famous Sailor Quotes and Sayings

“He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.” ― Leonardo da Vinci

“There is but a plank between a sailor and eternity.” ― Thomas Gibbons

“The wonder is always new that any sane man can be a sailor.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” ― African Proverb

“A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind. Live passionately, even if it kills you, because something is going to kill you anyway.” ― Webb Chiles, Sailor

“The sea drives truth into a man like salt.” ― Hilaire Belloc

“The only way to get a good crew is to marry one.” ― Eric Hiscock

“A sailor’s joys are as simple as a child’s.” ― Bernard Moitessier, Sailor

“I hate storms, but calms undermine my spirits.” ― Bernard Moitessier, Sailor

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.” ― Bible, Psalms 107:23-24

“He is the best sailor who can steer within fewest points of the wind, and extract a motive power out of the greatest obstacles.” ― Walter Scott

It is said one must never leap into doing anything without weighing its consequences. But if you are ever presented with an opportunity of sailing, we say don’t even think for a moment and take the plunge, for every journey comes with a promise of adventure and you never know, you will have something worthwhile to share with the world.

Get Updates Right to Your Inbox

25 Sailing Quotes For Insta That'll Get You Likes While You Cruise Into The Sunset

When the weather is just right and the sun is out, the water is calling your name. There's nothing more fun and refreshing than a day spent with your besties on the boat. Whether you're a passenger on a giant cruise ship or you're floating on a small boat on the lake, you'll want to have some sailing quotes for Instagram by your side when picture-perfect moments arise.

I don't know about you, but every boat I get on, I need to take a picture standing by the railings like I'm Rose from Titanic. If you're cruising at sunset, a gorgeous pic of the colorful sky touching the water should definitely be in your near future. Not to mention, you'll want to capture lounging on the deck with selfies, group snaps with the water in the background, and Boomerangs of you riding the waves.

Summer is drifting by so quickly, so this is your last chance to seas the day — quite literally. Get in as many Instagram-worthy sailing moments as you can before the Pumpkin Spice Lattes and apple picking pics take over your feed.

When the time comes to post those snaps, you'll be prepared with these 25 sailing quotes. All you need to do is pick your favorite one to go with whatever photo you want to post, and you'll be cruising straight into the sunset with tons of likes and comments.

1. "A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." — Franklin D. Roosevelt

2. "We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." — Thomas S. Monson

3. "Time to sail away."

4. "Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be." — Christopher Cross, "Sailing"

5. "Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." — H. Jackson Brown Jr.

6. "Every sea to scare the sailor, I have sailed." — Patrick Stump

7. "Sail far. Sail fast." — George R.R. Martin

8. "All good things come in waves."

9. "Always a good time sailing on the lake with these people."

10. "I'm all about smooth sailing."

11. "Let your dreams set sail."

12. "It's the weekend, let's get nauti!"

13. "Let's sail always."

14. "If you're not happy, adjust the sails and change course."

15. "The line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me." — Moana

16. "Whatever floats your boat."

17. "Good vibes happen on the tides."

18. "Happiness is the wind in your sails."

19. "Beach more, worry less."

20. "Life provides the wind. You control the direction of the sails."

21. "Let's pack a bag, buy a boat, and sail away to far off coasts."

22. "Come sail away with me." — Styx, "Come Sail Away"

23. "Somewhere beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me, my lover stands on golden sands, and watches the ships that go sailin'." — Bobby Darin, "Beyond the Sea"

24. "Sail on, sail on sailor." — The Beach Boys, "Sail On Sailor"

25. "Today's knot too bad to spend sailing around."