75 Ocean Quotes That Encourage Surprise and Reflection

The ocean is as mysterious as it’s lovely. We could swim and play on its floor, however we all know so little about what actually lies beneath. It’s no surprise that ocean quotes have been such a supply of awe and inspiration for a number of the most influential thinkers of our time!

Whether or not you’re trying to spark a category dialogue, add depth to a writing immediate, or discover inspiration to your bulletin board, we’ve put collectively an inventory of ocean quotes you’ll love. Dive in and uncover how the ocean has formed the ideas of a number of the biggest minds in historical past.

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Ocean Quotes Posters

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Ocean Quotes by Writers

How inappropriate to name this planet Earth when it’s clearly Ocean. — Arthur C. Clarke

How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is clearly Ocean. — Arthur C. Clarke

The huge sage desert undulates with virtually imperceptible tides just like the oceans. — Frank Waters

The vast sage desert undulates with almost imperceptible tides like the oceans. — Frank Waters

For all is like an ocean, all flows and connects; contact it in a single place and it echoes on the different finish of the world. — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

For all is like an ocean, all flows and connects; touch it in one place and it echoes at the other end of the world. — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Who heeds the waste abyss of chance? The ocean is all over the place the identical, but it surely has no character till seen with the shore or the ship. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Who heeds the waste abyss of possibility? The ocean is everywhere the same, but it has no character until seen with the shore or the ship. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

When one longs for a drink, it appears as if one might drink an entire ocean—that’s religion; however when one begins to drink, one can solely drink altogether two glasses—that’s science. — Anton Chekhov

When one longs for a drink, it seems as though one could drink a whole ocean—that is faith; but when one begins to drink, one can only drink altogether two glasses—that is science. — Anton Chekhov

Music … is the vapor of artwork. It’s to poetry what revery is to thought, what the fluid is to the liquid, what the ocean of clouds is to the ocean of waves. — Victor Hugo

Music … is the vapor of art. It is to poetry what revery is to thought, what the fluid is to the liquid, what the ocean of clouds is to the ocean of waves. — Victor Hugo

Why did they make birds so delicate and positive as these sea swallows when the ocean may be so merciless? — Ernest Hemingway

Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel? — Ernest Hemingway

The nice depths of the ocean are totally unknown to us. Soundings can’t attain them. — Jules Verne

The great depths of the ocean are entirely unknown to us. Soundings cannot reach them. — Jules Verne

Nothing is extra disturbing to the thoughts than the contemplation of the diffusion of forces at work within the unfathomable and illimitable area of the ocean. — Victor Hugo

Nothing is more disturbing to the mind than the contemplation of the diffusion of forces at work in the unfathomable and illimitable space of the ocean. — Victor Hugo

We don’t affiliate the thought of antiquity with the ocean, nor surprise the way it appeared a thousand years in the past, as we do of the land, for it was equally wild and unfathomable all the time. — Henry David Thoreau

We do not associate the idea of antiquity with the ocean, nor wonder how it looked a thousand years ago, as we do of the land, for it was equally wild and unfathomable always. — Henry David Thoreau

You’ll go to [talking of under the ocean] the fairyland of marvels. — Jules Verne

You are going to visit [talking of under the ocean] the fairyland of marvels. — Jules Verne

Will all nice Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clear from my hand? No, this my hand will slightly
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the inexperienced one crimson. — William Shakespeare

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red. — William Shakespeare

“It’s all like an ocean!” cried Dostoevsky. I say it’s all like cellophane. — Kurt Vonnegut

Friendship is a mysterious and ocean-bottom factor. Who can know the outer ranges of it? Maybe no human being has ever explored its limits. — Zora Neale Hurston

Friendship is a mysterious and ocean-bottom thing. Who can know the outer ranges of it? Perhaps no human being has ever explored its limits. — Zora Neale Hurston

A small craft within the ocean is, or must be, a benevolent dictatorship. The skipper’s mind is the vessel’s mind and he should quit his soul to her, no matter his personal emotions or inclinations. — Tristan Jones

A small craft in the ocean is, or should be, a benevolent dictatorship. The skipper's brain is the vessel's brain and he must give up his soul to her, regardless of his own feelings or inclinations. — Tristan Jones

Some individuals might take a look at a mud puddle and see an ocean with ships. — Zora Neale Hurston

Some people could look at a mud puddle and see an ocean with ships. — Zora Neale Hurston

O soul, be became little waterdrops,
And fall into the ocean—ne’er to be discovered.
My God! my God! look not so fierce on me! — Christopher Marlowe

O soul, be changed into little waterdrops,
And fall into the ocean—ne'er to be found.
My God! my God! look not so fierce on me! — Christopher Marlowe

Open all of your pores and bathe in all of the tides of nature, in all her streams and oceans, in any respect seasons. — Henry David Thoreau

Open all your pores and bathe in all the tides of nature, in all her streams and oceans, at all seasons. — Henry David Thoreau

Love is a component which although bodily unseen is as actual as air or water. It’s an performing, dwelling, shifting pressure … it strikes in waves and currents like these of the ocean. — Prentice Mulford

Love is an element which though physically unseen is as real as air or water. It is an acting, living, moving force … it moves in waves and currents like those of the ocean. — Prentice Mulford

Ocean Quotes by Poets and Lyricists

When the ocean surges, don’t let me simply hear it. Let it splash inside my chest! — Rumi

When the ocean surges, don't let me just hear it. Let it splash inside my chest! — Rumi

Can ye fathom the ocean, darkish and deep, the place the mighty waves and the grandeur sweep? — Fanny Crosby

Can ye fathom the ocean, dark and deep, where the mighty waves and the grandeur sweep? — Fanny Crosby

When water will get caught in routine whirlpools, dig a method out by way of the underside of the ocean. — Rumi

When water gets caught in habitual whirlpools, dig a way out through the bottom of the ocean. — Rumi

The celebrities usually are not wished now; put out each one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the solar,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good. — W.H. Auden

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good. — W.H. Auden

Now from the graceful deep ocean-stream the solar
Started to climb the heavens, and with new rays
Smote the encircling fields. — Homer

Now from the smooth deep ocean-stream the sun
Began to climb the heavens, and with new rays
Smote the surrounding fields. — Homer

Give as much as grace. The ocean takes care of every wave ’til it will get to shore. You want extra assist than . — Rumi

Give up to grace. The ocean takes care of each wave ’til it gets to shore. You need more help than you know. — Rumi

The smallest effort isn’t misplaced,
Every wavelet on the ocean tost
Aids within the ebb-tide or the circulation;
Every rain-drop makes some floweret blow;
Every battle lessens human woe. — Charles Mackay

The smallest effort is not lost,
Each wavelet on the ocean tost
Aids in the ebb-tide or the flow;
Each rain-drop makes some floweret blow;
Each struggle lessens human woe. — Charles Mackay

For God the entire created mass evokes:
By heaven and earth and ocean’s depth he throws
His affect spherical, and kindles as he goes. — Virgil

For God the whole created mass inspires:
Through heaven and earth and ocean's depth he throws
His influence round, and kindles as he goes. — Virgil

Love rests on no basis.
It’s an limitless ocean,
with no starting or finish. — Rumi

Love rests on no foundation.
It is an endless ocean,
with no beginning or end. — Rumi

The best way to maintain the miracle
Of being, that like a muted bell,
Or like some ocean-breathing shell,
Quivers, intense and nonetheless? — Babette Deutsch

How to sustain the miracle
Of being, that like a muted bell,
Or like some ocean-breathing shell,
Quivers, intense and still? — Babette Deutsch

Roll on, thou deep and darkish blue Ocean—roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in useless;
Man marks the earth with smash—his management
Stops with the shore. — Lord Byron

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean—roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin—his control
Stops with the shore. — Lord Byron

Late, on my own, within the boat of myself, no mild and no land anyplace, cloudcover thick. I attempt to keep simply above the floor, but I’m already below and dwelling throughout the ocean. — Rumi

ate, by myself, in the boat of myself, no light and no land anywhere, cloudcover thick. I try to stay just above the surface, yet I'm already under and living within the ocean. — Rumi

All that we do
Is touched with ocean, but we stay
On the shore of what we all know. — Richard Wilbur

All that we do
Is touched with ocean, yet we remain
On the shore of what we know. — Richard Wilbur

The ocean-blooms and the oozy woods which put on
The sapless foliage of the ocean. — Percy Bysshe Shelley

The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear
The sapless foliage of the ocean. — Percy Bysshe Shelley

Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The darkish unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air. — Thomas Grey

Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air. — Thomas Gray

You’re calmer than the seals within the Arctic Ocean
At the very least they flap their fins to precise emotion. — Dorothy Fields

You're calmer than the seals in the Arctic Ocean
At least they flap their fins to express emotion. — Dorothy Fields

To a frog that’s by no means left his pond, the ocean looks as if of venture. Look what he’s giving up: safety, mastery of his world, recognition! — Rumi

To a frog that's never left his pond, the ocean seems like a gamble. Look what he's giving up: security, mastery of his world, recognition! — Rumi

Within the ocean of baseness, the deeper we get, the better the sinking. — James Russell Lowell

In the ocean of baseness, the deeper we get, the easier the sinking. — James Russell Lowell

Certainly oak and threefold brass surrounded his coronary heart who first trusted a frail vessel to the cruel ocean. — Horace

Surely oak and threefold brass surrounded his heart who first trusted a frail vessel to the merciless ocean. — Horace

The waters have been his winding sheet, the ocean was made for his tomb;
But for his fame the ocean sea, was not enough room. — Richard Barnfield

The waters were his winding sheet, the sea was made for his tomb;
Yet for his fame the ocean sea, was not sufficient room. — Richard Barnfield

Ocean Quotes by Philosophers

An age will come after a few years when the Ocean will free the chains of issues, and an enormous land lie revealed; when Tiphys will disclose new worlds and Thule no extra be the final word. — Seneca the Youthful

An age will come after many years when the Ocean will loose the chains of things, and a huge land lie revealed; when Tiphys will disclose new worlds and Thule no more be the ultimate. — Seneca the Younger

It’s of nice use to the sailor to know the size of his line, although he can’t with it fathom all of the depths of the ocean. — John Locke

It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean. — John Locke

Mom is the house we come from.
She is nature, soil, ocean. — Erich Fromm

Mother is the home we come from.
She is nature, soil, ocean. — Erich Fromm

The world isn’t a stable continent of info sprinkled by a number of lakes of uncertainties, however an enormous ocean of uncertainties speckled by a number of islands of calibrated and stabilized kinds. — Bruno Latour

The world is not a solid continent of facts sprinkled by a few lakes of uncertainties, but a vast ocean of uncertainties speckled by a few islands of calibrated and stabilized forms. — Bruno Latour

As the nice ocean has however one style, that of salt, so has this Dharma and Self-discipline however one style, the style of Freedom. — Pāli Canon

As the great ocean has but one taste, that of salt, so has this Dharma and Discipline but one taste, the taste of Freedom. — Pāli Canon

Ocean Quotes by World Leaders and Different Notable Figures

In case you want to keep away from international collision, you had higher abandon the ocean. — Henry Clay

If you wish to avoid foreign collision, you had better abandon the ocean. — Henry Clay

We all know that to wage a nuclear warfare right now, for instance, can be a type of suicide; or that to pollute the air or the oceans in an effort to obtain some short-term profit can be to destroy the very foundation for our survival. — Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

We know that to wage a nuclear war today, for example, would be a form of suicide; or that to pollute the air or the oceans in order to achieve some short-term benefit would be to destroy the very basis for our survival. — Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

The ocean … just like the air, is the frequent birth-right of mankind. — Thomas Jefferson

The ocean … like the air, is the common birth-right of mankind. — Thomas Jefferson

Data of the oceans is greater than a matter of curiosity. Our very survival could hinge upon it. — John F. Kennedy

Knowledge of the oceans is more than a matter of curiosity. Our very survival may hinge upon it. — John F. Kennedy

Data—it excites prejudices to name it science—is advancing as irresistibly, as majestically, as remorselessly because the ocean strikes in upon the shore. — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Knowledge—it excites prejudices to call it science—is advancing as irresistibly, as majestically, as remorselessly as the ocean moves in upon the shore. — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

If God is huge and boundless because the ocean, how can a tiny drop like man think about what He’s? — Mahatma Gandhi

If God is vast and boundless as the ocean, how can a tiny drop like man imagine what He is? — Mahatma Gandhi

We ourselves really feel that what we’re doing is only a drop within the ocean. But when that drop was not within the ocean, I feel the ocean can be much less due to that lacking drop. I don’t agree with the massive method of doing issues. — Mom Teresa

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. I do not agree with the big way of doing things. — Mother Teresa

As quickly as we grow to be one with the ocean within the form of God, there is no such thing as a extra relaxation for us, nor certainly do we’d like relaxation any longer. — Mahatma Gandhi

As soon as we become one with the ocean in the shape of God, there is no more rest for us, nor indeed do we need rest any longer. — Mahatma Gandhi

Did I not say to you a short time in the past that the universe swam in an ocean of similitudes and analogies? — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Did I not say to you a little while ago that the universe swam in an ocean of similitudes and analogies? — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

The nice impediment to discovering the form of the earth, the continents, and the ocean was not ignorance however the phantasm of data. — Daniel J. Boorstin

The great obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the ocean was not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. — Daniel J. Boorstin

Ocean Quotes by Scientists

Man has inside him the lake of the blood the place the lungs rise and fall in respiration, so likewise the physique of the earth has its oceans which additionally rise and fall in consequence of the world’s respiration. — Leonardo da Vinci

Man has within him the lake of the blood where the lungs rise and fall in breathing, so likewise the body of the earth has its oceans which also rise and fall in consequence of the world's breathing. — Leonardo da Vinci

Pouring forth its seas all over the place, then, the ocean envelops the earth and fills its deeper chasms. — Nicolaus Copernicus

Pouring forth its seas everywhere, then, the ocean envelops the earth and fills its deeper chasms. — Nicolaus Copernicus

It’s not simple to measure the ocean, however we may be measured by it, confront it, and be in it. — Terence McKenna

It is not easy to measure the ocean, but we can be measured by it, confront it, and be in it. — Terence McKenna

We all know much less concerning the ocean’s backside than concerning the moon’s again aspect. — Roger Revelle

We know less about the ocean's bottom than about the moon's back side. — Roger Revelle

Males may as properly venture a voyage to the moon as try to make use of steam navigation towards the stormy North Atlantic Ocean. — Dionysius Lardner

Men might as well project a voyage to the moon as attempt to employ steam navigation against the stormy North Atlantic Ocean. — Dionysius Lardner

The ocean, as soon as it casts its spell, holds one in its web of surprise endlessly. — Jacques-Yves Cousteau

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

Ocean Quotes From Pop Tradition

I ponder if the ocean smells completely different on the opposite aspect of the world. — J.A. Redmerski

I wonder if the ocean smells different on the other side of the world. — J.A. Redmerski

The ocean is an intoxicant or extra like WD40. It greases the rusty components of the thoughts and physique and will get them shifting like a precision machine. — Michael Scott Gallegos

The ocean is an intoxicant or more like WD40. It greases the rusty parts of the mind and body and gets them moving like a precision machine. — Michael Scott Gallegos

Seeing demise as the tip of life is like seeing the horizon as the tip of the ocean. — Doc Searls

Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean. — Doc Searls

I stood nose to nose with the moon and the ocean and the long run that unfold out with all its bewildering immensity earlier than me. — Pat Conroy

I stood face to face with the moon and the ocean and the future that spread out with all its bewildering immensity before me. — Pat Conroy

The never-ceasing increase of the nice ocean because it breaks on the seaside drowns all smaller sounds. — Alexander Maclaren

The never-ceasing boom of the great ocean as it breaks on the beach drowns all smaller sounds. — Alexander Maclaren

The ocean was the very best place, in fact. That was what she liked most. It was a sense of freedom like no different, and but a sense of communion with all the opposite locations and creatures the water touched. — Ann Brashares

The ocean was the best place, of course. That was what she loved most. It was a feeling of freedom like no other, and yet a feeling of communion with all the other places and creatures the water touched. — Ann Brashares

Religion is figuring out there may be an ocean as a result of you could have seen a brook. — William Arthur Ward

Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook. — William Arthur Ward

… the ocean saved falling into itself, gathering itself up, and falling into itself once more. — Erica Jong

… the ocean kept falling into itself, gathering itself up, and falling into itself again. — Erica Jong

Our life is however a grain of sand within the detached ocean of infinity. — Sergei Dovlatov

Our life is but a grain of sand in the indifferent ocean of infinity. — Sergei Dovlatov

The Pacific Ocean was a physique of water surrounded on all sides by elephantiasis and different dread ailments. — Joseph Heller

The Pacific Ocean was a body of water surrounded on all sides by elephantiasis and other dread diseases. — Joseph Heller

Water is the formless potential out of which creation emerged. It’s the ocean of unconsciousness enveloping the islands of consciousness. — Scott Sanders

Water is the formless potential out of which creation emerged. It is the ocean of unconsciousness enveloping the islands of consciousness. — Scott Sanders

What number of whales do we actually want? I determine 5. One for every ocean. — Denis Leary

How many whales do we really need? I figure five. One for each ocean. — Denis Leary

I mentioned, I want the ocean when it’s grey. Or not likely grey. A pale, in-between coloration. It jogs my memory of ready for one thing good to occur. — Lauren Oliver

I said, I prefer the ocean when it's gray. Or not really gray. A pale, in-between color. It reminds me of waiting for something good to happen. — Lauren Oliver

Dive deep into the ocean, Sita, and you can see that the best treasures you discover are the illusions you permit behind. — Christopher Pike

Dive deep into the ocean, Sita, and you will find that the greatest treasures you find are the illusions you leave behind. — Christopher Pike

It was like making an attempt to bail out an ocean of water with a teaspoon. — Jodi Picoult

It was like trying to bail out an ocean of water with a teaspoon. — Jodi Picoult

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