Whether you just returned from a cruise, are eagerly counting down the days until you set sail, or just daydreaming about staring off into the vast and seemingly endless horizon, sometimes it is nice to find a quote that summarizes your thoughts and feelings.
While they may not be the most quirky Instagramable captions or cure your post-cruise blues, here are twenty-four quotes that will hopefully bring you closer to the sea, no matter how near or far you may be.
"Whenever I look at the ocean, I always want to talk to people, but when I'm talking to people, I always want to look at the ocean" - Haruki Murakami, Hear the Wind Sing
“It is extraordinary to see the sea; what a spectacle! She is so unfettered that one wonders whether it is possible that she again become calm” - Claude Monet
"I was happy anywhere I could see the ocean" - Ai Yazawa, Nana Vol. 18
“The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides” – Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
“See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me” - Disney's "How Far I'll Go" from Moana
"The beauty and mystery of the ocean, fills our lives with wonders, vast beyond our imagination" - M. L. Borges, By The Sea
“The ocean is a mighty harmonist” - William Wordsworth, "On the Power of Sound"
"In still moments by the sea life seems large-drawn and simple. It is there we can see into ourselves” - Rolf Edberg
“We are all connected to the ocean. Without healthy oceans, no life, not even on land, can exist” - Jean-Michel Cousteau, French oceanographic explorer who has produced over 70 films
“Beauty of expression is so akin to the voice of the sea” - George Matthew Adams
"The sea has boundless patience" - Craig Robertson, The Last Refuge
“To reach a port we must set sail. Sail, not tie at the anchor. Sail, not drift” - Franklin D. Roosevelt
“I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought” - Helen Keller
“Dance with the waves, move with the sea, let the rhythm of the water set your soul free" - Christy Ann Martine
“To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me” - Isaac Newton
“But where, after all, would be the poetry of the sea were there no wild waves?” - Joshua Slocum, Sailing Alone Around the World
"The sea possesses a power over one’s moods that has the effect of a will. The sea can hypnotize. Nature, in general, can do so” - Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian playwright who is often referred to as “The Father of Modern Drama”
"I wonder if the ocean smells different on the other side of the world" - J.A. Redmerski, The Edge of Never
"Singing to an ocean, I can hear the ocean’s roar. Play for free, I play for me and play a whole lot more, more" - Led Zeppelin, "The Ocean"
“The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul” - Robert Wyland, American conservationist and artist who is best known for his outdoor murals that feature life-size paintings of sea life
"The waves of the sea help me get back to me" - Jill Davis
"The ocean is a central image. It is the symbolism of a great journey" - Enya
“There’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away" - Sarah Kay
"[The sea] is my favorite thing, I think, that I have ever seen. Sometimes I catch myself staring at it and forget my duties. It seems big enough to contain everything anyone could ever feel" - Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
