Time spent sailing is like time in another world. If you are looking for sailing quotes this is the place for you. We have gathered all the best ones here, including sailboat quotes, inspirational quotes about sailing, short sailing quotes, sailing quotes about life, funny sailing quotes, romantic sailing quotes, quotes about sailing and the sea, quotes for sailors, inspirational quotes about sailors, boat quotes, ship quotes, sailing sayings, sailor sayings and sailing captions.
We have also paired our favorite quotes about sailing, quotes about sailboats and quotes on sailors with some great sailing photos.
Jump ahead to your favorite category or just start scrolling to find the perfect sailing quote, quote about sailing and sailboat quote for you.
Sailboat Quotes
Here are a few of our favorite sailboat quotes.
“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
“The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats.” ― Ernest Hemingway
“Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.” ― Brooks Atkinson
“The goal is not to sail the boat, but rather to help the boat sail herself.” ― John Rousmaniere
“The boat is safer anchored at the port, but that is not the aim of boats.” ― Paulo Coelho
“Even if it is made up of gold, the sailing boat can go nowhere without the humble wind!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan
“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
“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
“If one doesn’t know to which port one is sailing, no port is favorable.” ― Lucius Annaneus Seneca
“To meditate is to sail a course, to navigate, among problems many of which we are in the process of clearing up.” ― Jose Ortega y Gasset
“Sail through the good days, and on bad days pick a spot of blue sky to steer toward.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
“There are three sorts of people; those who are alive, those who are dead, and those who are at sea.” ― Aristotle
“A captain who does not know where he wants to sail, there is no wind on Earth that will bring him there.” ― Ami Ayalon
Sailing Quotes
Check out these great sailing quotes.
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ― Jimmy Dean
“We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.” ― Aristotle Onassis
“To reach a port we must set sail – Sail, not tie at anchor; Sail, not drift.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt
“I wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea.” — Alain Gerbault
“At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.” ― Robin Lee Graham
“The sea will grant each man new hope, and sleep will bring dreams of home…” – Christopher Columbus
“At night, when the sky is full of stars and the sea is still you get the wonderful sensation that you are floating in space.” – Natalie Wood
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“My course is set for an uncharted sea.” – Dante
“The sea! the sea! the open sea! The blue, the fresh, the ever free!” – Bryan W. Procter
Inspirational Quotes About Sailing
We love these inspirational sailing quotes. You should also check out our full list of Short Inspirational Quotes.
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ― William Arthur Ward
“One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore.” ― Andre Gide
“It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.” — Ernest K. Gann
“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.” ― Mark Twain
“It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage.” ― George William Curtis
“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” ― Fitzhugh Dodson
“To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes
“Men in a ship are always looking up, and men ashore are usually looking down.” ― John Masefield
Short Sailing Quotes
If you like these short sailing quotes, you might also like our list of Short Quotes.
“On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.” — Rumi
“The charm of singlehanded cruising is not solitude, but independence.” ― Claud Worth
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” — Louisa May Alcott
“You haven’t lived until you’ve sailed.” ― David Sedaris
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” ― Dolly Parton
“Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World.” ― Christopher Columbus
“The sooner we learn to be jointly responsible, the easier the sailing will be.” ― Ella Maillart
“The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.” ― Joshua Slocum
“Hoist up sail while gale doth last, Tide and wind stay no man’s pleasure.” ― Robert Southwell
“When I’m out sailing, I don’t wonder what heaven is like because I know.” ― Anthony T. Hincks
“The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.” ― Edmund Gibbon
Sailing Quotes About Life
Here are some great sailing quotes about life. You might also like our lists of Short Quotes About Life, Inspirational Life Quotes, and Life Changing Quotes. Find your favorite sailing life quotes now!
“‘Tis the set of the sail that decides the goal, and not the storm of life.” ― Ella Wheeler Wilcox
“Wind is to us what money is to life on shore.” ― Sterling Hayden
“The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” ― Sir Richard Burton
“Have an anchor so that life doesn’t toss you around.” ― Debby Ryan
“On life’s vast ocean diversely we sail. Reasons the card, but passion the gale.” ― Alexander Pope
“It isn’t that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.” ― Francis Drake
“There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.” ― Joseph Conrad
“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
RELATED POSTS: Fishing Quotes and Funny Fishing Quotes
“It’s out there at sea that you are really yourself.” ― Vito Dumas
“Life is as inexorable as the sea.” – Thomas Wentworth Higginson
“Don’t sit and wait. Get out there, feel life. Touch the sun, and immerse in the sea.” – Rumi
“Maybe life was like a sea, and all the people were like boats … Everybody who was born was cast into the sea. Winds would blow them in all directions. Tides would rise and turn, in their own rhythm. And the boats – they just went along as best they could, trying to find a harbor.” – Cynthia Voigt
Funny Sailing Quotes
When it comes to sailing quotes, funny ones are often the best and these funny sailing quotes will put a smile on your face. We also have a list of Funny Short Quotes.
“I’m sailing! I’m sailing! I’m sailing!… I’m sailing! I’m sailing! I sail! I’m sailiiiiiing!” — Bob Wiley on What About Bob
“Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk.” ― Sir Francis Chichester
“The lovely thing about cruising is that planning usually turns out to be of little use.” ― Dom Degnon
Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port, and the other was an atrocious liar.” ― Don Bamford
“There is no unhappiness like the misery of sighting land again after a cheerful, careless voyage.” ― Mark Twain
“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
“I had to choose between her and the boat, she said. Any sailor will know it is a lot more difficult to get a new boat than a new wife, so I bought her a one-way ticket back to Norway.” ― Peter Tangvald
“Sailing – The fine art of slowly going nowhere at great expense while being cold, wet and miserable.” ― Irv Heller
“Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be Pirates” ― Mark Twain
“I swear like a sailor, assuming the sailor in question died in 1800 and was really square.” ― Alexandra Petri
Romantic Sailing Quotes
If you are looking for sailing quotes about love, these romantic sailing quotes are perfect. You should also check out our lists of Short Love Quotes, Romantic Love Quotes and True Love Quotes.
“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
“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“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
“The only way to get a good crew is to marry one.” ― Eric Hiscock
“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
“Ships are safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for. So set sail on the stormy sea of love. You’re going to get soaked at times, but at least you’ll know you’re alive.” – Dan Millman
“The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.” – Kate Chopin
“The ocean is both my mistress and my lover. How else can I explain her salty kiss that is still on my lips.” – Anthony T. Hincks
“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
“What she really loved was to hang over the edge and watch the bow of the ship slice through the waves. She loved it especially when the waves were high and the ship rose and fell.” – Kristin Cashore
“She loves the serene brutality of the ocean, loves the electric power she felt with each breath of wet, briny air.” – Holly Black
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Cousteau
Quotes About Sailing and the Sea
You’ll love these quotes about sailing and the sea. We also have lists of Sea Quotes and Short Sea Quotes.
“He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea.” ― Dr. Thomas Fuller
“I went to sea from the most tender age and have continued in a sea life to this day. Wherever anyone has sailed, there I have sailed.” ― Christopher Columbus
“We are all born in a little port but not all of us sail the vast oceans! Majority remains in the port!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau
“My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea, and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“It’s the sound of the sea that makes you believe in mermaids.” – Anthony T.Hincks
“The waves of the sea help me get back to me.” – Jill Davis
“The sea possesses a power over one’s moods that has the effect of a will. The sea can hypnotize.” – Henrik Ibsen
“Let the waves carry you where the light cannot.” – Mohit Kaushik
“The ceaseless twinkling of laughter of the waves of the sea.” – Aeschylus
“But where, after all, would be the poetry of the sea were there no wild waves?” – Joshua Slocum
“There are always waves on the water. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small, and sometimes they are almost imperceptible. The water’s waves are churned up by the winds, which come and go and vary in direction and intensity, just as do the winds of stress and change in our lives, which stir up the waves in our minds.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
“I love the sea’s sounds and the way it reflects the sky.” – John Dyer
“The sea is a desert of waves, A wilderness of water.” – Langston Hughes
“The sea lives in every one of us.” – Robert Wyland
“The sea is as near as we come to another world.” – Anne Stevenson
“I’m thankful for the sea breeze that feels so good right now.” – Johnny Cash
“The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.” – Vladimir Nabokov
“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.” ― John F. Kennedy
Red Sky at Night Sailors Delight Quote
This is maybe the most famous sailor quote and we thought it deserved its own section even though it is only one quote.
“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” – Traditional Proverb
Quotes for Sailors
Here are some great quotes for sailors.
“Ships are but boards, sailors but men.” – William Shakespeare
“If it wasn’t for seasickness, all the world would be sailors.” ― Charles Darwin
“There is but a plank between a sailor and eternity.” ― Thomas Gibbons
“Sailors, with their built in sense of order, service and discipline, should really be running the world.” ― Nicholas Monsarrat
“Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ― Mark Twain
“Every sea to scare the sailor, I have sailed.” – Patrick Stump.
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port and the other was an atrocious liar.” ― Don Bamford
“Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.” ― Charles C. Davis
“I have the mouth of a sailor.” – Kristen Bell
“Vexed sailors cursed the rain, for which poor shepherds prayed in vain.” – Edmund Waller
Inspirational Quotes About Sailors
Check out these inspirational quotes about sailors.
“Any fool can carry on, but a wise man knows how to shorten sail in time.” ― Joseph Conrad
“Seafarers of yore were superstitious lot and paid a great deal of attention not to invoke the ire of the Gods.” – Captain Hank Bracke
“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
“The art of the sailor is to leave nothing to chance.” ― Annie Van De Wiele
“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
“Out of sight of land, the sailor feels safe. It is the beach that worries him.” – Charles Davis
“A man can pretend to be a lot of things in this world; but he can only pretend to be a sailor for as long as it takes to clear the harbor mouth!” – Bernard Hayman
“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
“The wonder is always new that any sane man can be a sailor.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Boat Quotes
These are our favorites from our list of Boat Quotes.
“Sometimes you need to tether your boats to stop them from following your dreams.” — Anthony T. Hincks
“Shells sink, dreams float, life’s good on our boat.” – Jimmy Buffet
“The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats.” – Ernest Hemingway
“I’m attracted to seeing how different I can be, pushing the boat out.” – James D’arcy
“The boats outside the window were always still I wondered if one of them would take me to the ocean.” – Yoko Ono
“For the ocean is big and my boat is small. Find the courage.” – Alanis Morissette
“I’ve always wanted to sail around the world in a handmade boat, and I built a boat.” – Will Ferrell
“Boats, like whiskey, are all good.” – R. D. Culler
“A boat is like a magic world, like a little island.” – Renzo Piano
“A boat can’t have two captains.” – Akira Mori
“Only the guy who isn’t rowing has time to rock the boat.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
“Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life.” – Werner Herzog
“This boat that we just built is just fine; And don’t try to tell us it’s not; The sides and the back are divine;
It’s the bottom I guess we forgot.” ― Shel Silverstein
“Don’t bring an anchor, on a sinking boat.” – Anthony Liccione
“If you boat a lot, you’re known as a boating enthusiast. I like to boat, but I just don’t want to ever be referred to as a boating enthusiast.” – Mitch Hedberg
“We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.” – G. K. Chesterton
“The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.” – Dale Carnegie
“We are imprisoned in the realm of life, like a sailor on his tiny boat, on an infinite ocean.” – Anna Freud
“Being on a boat that’s moving through the water, it’s so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what’s important and what’s not.” – James Taylor
“As soon as I get on my boat, something inside me changes. Then I really feel what living is.” – Laura Dekker
Ship Quotes
Check out these quotes about ships.
“Ship is the nearest thing to dreams that hands have ever made, for somewhere deep in their oaken hearts the soul of a song is laid.” — Robert N. Rose
“We did not all come over on the same ship, but we are all in the same boat.” – Bernard Baruch
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.” ― Zora Neale Hurston
“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
“You wouldn’t abandon ship in a storm just because you couldn’t control the winds.” – Thomas More
“A small boat that sails the river is better than a large ship that sinks in the sea.” – Matshona Dhliwayo
“Don’t give up the ship!” – James Lawrence
“But what a ship is, really is, is freedom.” ― Captain Jack Sparrow
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not why ships were built.” ― John A. Shedd
“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
“If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.” – Thomas Aquinas
Some people could look at a mud puddle and see an ocean with ships.” – Zora Neale Hurston
“Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope.” – Epictetus
“I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm’s way.” ― John Paul Jones
“If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out and meet it.” ― Jonathan Winters
Sailing Sayings and Proverbs
You’ll love these sailing sayings and proverbs.
“A great ship asks for deep waters.” – Romanian Proverbs
“It is good sailing with wind and tide.” – Dutch Proverbs
“Two captains sink a ship.” – Turkish Proverbs
“If you are in a boat you are more afraid of fire than you are of water.” – Japanese Proverb
“Don’t buy a boat that is under water.” – Congolese Proverbs
“After the ship has sunk, everyone knows how she might have been saved.” – Italian Proverb
“Loose lips sink ships.” – American Proverb
“One foot cannot stand on two boats.” – Chinese Proverb
“Don’t sail out further than you can row back.” – Danish Proverbs
“One should learn to sail in all winds.” – Italian Proverbs
“Better lose the anchor than the whole ship.” – Dutch Proverb
“A boat stands firmer with two anchors.” – Russian Proverb
Sailor Sayings and Proverbs
And here are a few classic sayings about sailors and sailor proverbs.
“Yo-ho-ho…and a bottle of rum!”
“Aye Aye Captain!”
“Land Ho!”
“Wherever we want to go, we go… that’s what a ship is, you know.”
“I’m not a hack; I sail the long tack.”
“Sailors have a port in every storm.” – Traditional Proverb
“You are not a fully fledged sailor unless you have sailed under full sail.” – Irish Proverbs
“Sailors get to know each other better when there is a storm.” – French Proverb
“There is no wind that blows right for the sailor who doesn’t know where the harbor is.” – Norwegian Proverbs
Sailing Captions
If you like these sailing captions you might also like our lists of Boat Captions and Sea Captions.
Good vibes happen on the tides
Life is better on a boat
Home is where the anchor drops
Come sail away with me
Let the sea set you free
Whatever floats your boat
Let your dreams set sail
It’s always a beautiful day for sailing
I’m always in a sailing mood
Setting sail
Sailboat life is the best life
Well, that’s our list! We hope you found the perfect sailing quote.
Now get out there and spend some time on the water!
Let us know in the comments below if we missed a quote on sailing that should be added.
Pin it for Later!
Other Posts About Quotes You May be Interested in:
