Quotes

120 Ocean Quotes

6 August 2021 Updated on Nov 4th, 2022

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Arthur C. Clarke once wrote that it was inappropriate to call our planet ‘Earth’ when so much of it is covered in the ocean. The ocean is a vast body of salt water covering 71% of Earth’s surface. It has been called “the last frontier” because it remains largely unexplored, and its resources are not yet fully exploited. The word ‘ocean’ comes from the Greek word Okeanos, meaning sea or gulf. There are five major types of oceans: Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Southern Ocean.

The word “ocean” has been used to describe a body of water since the earliest times. The ancient Greeks called it θάλασσα, which means sea, and they believed that underground rivers connected all oceans. In Latin, this became mare or Maris; in Greek, μερις.
We are drawn to it because of its beauty, mystery and power. The sea has been a source of inspiration for artists from ancient times through today. It’s also an essential part of our history as humans; in fact, many believe that life on Earth began with the first fish who swam into shallow water after being thrown out by a storm.

Famous explorers sailed the world’s oceans to discover new shores. The first person to discover a new continent was probably Amerigo Vespucci, who discovered South America in 1499. Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic Ocean, and his discovery led to European colonization of what would become known as the United States.

We love reading ocean quotes for inspiration. The sea is a vast and deep body of water, stretching out before our eyes for as long as we can see. And in this unending stretch, there are secrets to be discovered; it’s up to us now whether or not we take the plunge into its mysterious depths. The ocean is an abyss. Miles of water stretch endlessly into the horizon, and on any given day, you could find yourself face-to-face with a dolphin or whale in one direction while swimming through schools of jellyfish in another. The sheer size can be overwhelming at first glance, but it’s also comforting to know that there are still what seems like endless spaces for us to explore and discover new things about this world we live in today.

Ocean Quotes

Famous Ocean Quotes

1- “Would you learn the secret of the sea? Only those who brave its dangers, comprehend its mystery!” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

This is an ocean quote that has stood the test of time. The search for the secrets of the sea is a quest that transcends time. One way or another, every human knows something about the mysteries of the sea.

Whether it’s catching crabs or watching sharks swim past your boat, or just appreciating them for their beauty and gracefulness, every single living creature on this planet is connected to the ocean.

It seems fitting that these words should adorn the cover of nearly every book ever written about the sea.

The ocean can inspire one to learn more about themselves. No matter where you go on the globe, the sea is an anchor of life.

2- “Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel?” – Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.

Famous American writer Ernest Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea in 1951. The short novel was Hemingway’s last major work, and he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1054 for this work.

3- “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” – Mother Teresa.

Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary born in Skopje. Her famous ocean quote reminds us all of how everything we do counts.

4- “To me the sea is a continual miracle; The fishes that swim – the rocks – the motion of the waves – the ships, with men in them, What stranger miracles are there?” – Walt Whitman.

American poet and journalist Walt Whitman points out that the sea is one of nature’s most wondrous creations. Its calmness makes it seem almost supernatural, but when a storm rages, it takes on a spirit of its own, and you could almost believe that an evil spirit possesses the ocean.

5- “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.

When you are alone in the middle of the ocean, the sounds of the sea will remind you that you’re part of something far more significant than yourself. This is one of the quotes about the ocean to keep you grounded.

6- “Our oceans cover 70 percent of the world’s land area yet contain 95% of its fish stocks. Our seas produce half of our oxygen supply while absorbing 80% of our carbon dioxide emissions. But they’re also home to many species which provide food for millions around the globe.” – UNEP

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is focused on environmental issues that affect the world we live in.

7- “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” –Mahatma Gandhi.

This is one of my favourite ocean quotes and a reminder to have faith.

8- “The deep sea is the largest museum on earth, it contains more history than all the museums on land combined, and yet we’re only now penetrating it.” – Robert Ballard.

Our lives are a drop in the ocean, and the sea hides many mysteries humanity has yet to decipher.

9- “Fifty percent of the United States of America is underneath the ocean. And we have better maps of Mars than those areas.” – Robert Ballard.

10- “There are more active volcanoes beneath the sea than on land by two orders of magnitude.” – Robert Ballard.

Robert Ballard is a deep-sea explorer and underwater archaeologist known for his discoveries of hydrothermal vents and famous shipwrecks, including the R.M.S. Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck. He has done over 100 expeditions to learn the secrets of the oceans of the world.

Short Ocean Quotes

11- “My soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

12- “Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.” – William Arthur Ward.

Or is this called blind faith? American writer William Arthur Ward wrote over 100 articles, poems and meditations in Reader’s Digest, Science of Mind, and various Christian publications.

13- “The sea does not like to be restrained.” – Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief.
The Lightning Thief is a young adult fantasy novel based on Greek mythology that won several awards, including the Adult Library Services Association Best Books for Young Adults.

14- “How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it’s so clearly Ocean.” – Arthur C. Clarke.

15- “Follow the river and you will find the sea.” – French Proverb

16- “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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

18- “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt.

19- “The sea teaches men to wait patiently until opportunity comes knocking.” – Aristotle Onassis.

20- “I love the sea because it gives up so much without complaining.” – William Wordsworth.

21- Looking out over the ocean, you can see reflections of God. – Catherine Pulsifer.

22- “Men do need sea monsters in their personal oceans” – John Steinbeck.

23- “The sea is an underwater museum still awaiting its visitors.” – Phillip Dole.

24- “The waves of the sea help me get back to me.” – Jill Davis

25- “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.” –Kahlil Gibran.

26- “Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.” – Van Morrison.

27- “The cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears or the sea.” – Karen Blixen.

28- “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

29- ‘Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.’ – Ryunosuke Sataro.

30- “My altars are the mountains and the ocean.” – Lord Byron.

31- “Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool, or you go out in the ocean.” – Christopher Reeve.

Love Quotes About The Ocean

32- “The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can’t.” – Christopher Paolini.

33- “The person you think of when you stand in front of the ocean. That’s the person you’re in love with.” – Colleen Michele

34- “A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets.” – Titanic

35- “Life is short, but the ocean is endless. Live now and make love by the sea because tomorrow might never come.”

36- “The ocean is like a love poem, eternal and beautiful.”

37- “The sea is a mysterious thing. You cannot explain why she is angry sometimes. Or happy at other times. She just is.” – Arundhati Roy

38- “If my love were an ocean, there would be no more land. If my love were a desert, you would see only sand. If my love were a star-late at night, only light. And if my love could grow wings, I’d be soaring in flight.” – Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why.

39- “I love you more than there are stars in the sky and fish in the sea.” – Nicholas Sparks.

40 – “The human heart is like a ship on a stormy sea driven about by winds blowing from all four corners of heaven.” – Martin Luther King

Sometimes I think about the sea and wonder if maybe it has been here forever, since before man was born and before love began. If so, then perhaps it will be around long after humanity becomes extinct and love dies.

41- “The sea brings together those who belong together. Those whose hearts beat as one.”

42- “God’s LOVE is Like an Ocean; You can See its Beginning, but not its end.” – Rick Warren’

Inspirational Ocean Quotes

If you’re looking for inspirational ocean quotes to motivate you to keep going, these are worth reading.

43- “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. The sea is only the embodiment of supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the Living Infinite.” – Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

44- “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
This is one of the inspirational ocean quotes to remember when you are unsure about whether to push on in the face of adversity.

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

46- “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

47- “The sea is a perfect companion. The sea does not judge. The sea forgives. The sea heals.”

48- “The three ingredients of happiness are a sunny sky, a blue sea, and a happy heart.”

49- “The sea is a child that doesn’t care whether you get wet. It just wants you to play with it every day.”

50- “No matter what kind of storm comes raging at you from the sea, don’t give up until you reach land.”

51- “The sea is a desert of waves, A wilderness of water.” – Langston Hughes.

52- “I must be a mermaid. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.” – Anais Nin.

53- “All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full.” – King Solomon.

54- “The Pacific is my home ocean; I knew it first, grew up on its shore, collected marine animals along the coast. I know its moods, its color, its nature.” – John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America.

55- “The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.” – Robert Wyland.

Life Quotes About The Ocean

56- “My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?” – David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas.

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

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

59- “When the tide goes out, even the stones cry out in protest.”

60- “All things change, yet the sea remains constant.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

61- “The ocean is a mirror reflecting the world.”

62- “On the surface of the ocean, men wage war and destroy each other; but down here, just a few feet beneath the surface, there is a calm and peace, unmolested by man” – Jules Verne.

63- “With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea. No matter where on Earth you live.” – Sylvia Earle.

Frank Ocean Quotes

64- “When you’re standing on the shoreline, watch the waves roll in. Watch the foam break against the rocks and listen to the sound of the breaking surf. Feel the wind blowing through your hair and smell the salty air. You won’t regret taking time to enjoy these natural wonders.”

65- “In my mind, the sea represents everything pure and clean: love, hope, joy, freedom, faithfulness, trustworthiness, loyalty, friendship, generosity, forgiveness, gentleness, humility, purity, truthfulness, kindness, compassion, mercy, modesty, innocence, wisdom, understanding, serenity, tranquillity, courage, perseverance, fortitude, diligence, determination, honour, justice, integrity, creativity, inspiration, power, enthusiasm, optimism, and gratitude.”

66- “I am drawn to the sea whenever I feel lost and alone. The sea reminds me that there is no such thing as separation between people.”

67- “One day, the sea will take away everything we’ve built along her shores. One day, she will swallow up our cities and towns. She will wash away our highways and buildings. She will erase our memories and history.

68- “As far as I’m concerned, the sea is the greatest teacher of all.”

69- “What happens under the sea stays under the sea.”

Instagram Captions About The Ocean

70- “Ocean waves are made up of millions of tiny drops of water.”

71- “Our bodies may die, but the ocean will live forever.”

72- “To swim in the sea is to enter into communion with the universe.”

73- “Seashells are treasures of beauty and mystery. They tell stories about creatures that once inhabited them and left their imprints behind. Seashells are windows to worlds past.”

74- “Life began out of just a drop of salt water. Life started in just a drop of the deep blue sea. All forms of life came from just a drop of the same source.”

75- “A child can’t help loving the ocean because she sees so much of herself in it.”

76- “It takes only an instant to drown, but it takes centuries to become wise.”

77- “The sea gives without any thought of return. We receive its gifts gladly, gratefully, always knowing that someday we’ll give something in exchange.”

78- “If you have ever seen a sunset over a calm sea, you know what I mean when I say that the sky itself looks like a piece of coloured glass set above us.”

79- “There is nothing more beautiful than watching the rising ocean’s tides lap at your feet as you stand looking out across the vast expanse of the Atlantic.”

80- “For every drop of rain falling on the earth, ten thousand gallons fall back into the sea.”

81- “The sea is not merely a place where we go to get wet. It’s a way of thinking, feeling, being, becoming.”

82- “The sea is full of mysteries and miracles.”

There are many secrets hidden beneath the surface of the waters. But one thing is sure and that is even after thousands of years, they still hold some surprises!

Save The Ocean Quotes

83- “People ask: Why should I care about the ocean? Because the ocean is the cornerstone of the earth’s life support system, it shapes climate and weather. It holds most of life on earth. 97% of the earth’s water is there. It’s the blue heart of the planet – we should take care of our heart. It’s what makes life possible for us. We still have the capacity to make things better than they are. They won’t get better unless we take action and inspire others to do the same thing. No one is without power. Everybody has the capacity to do something.” – Sylvia Earle.

84- “We know that when we protect our oceans, we’re protecting our future.” – William J. Clinton.

85- “Every day, billions of microscopic organisms drift through the waters of the open ocean. Some float freely like tiny specks of dust or pollen. Others cling together in huge swarms called plankton. These floating plants and animals form the base of the marine ecosystem. In turn, they support countless numbers of larger animals such as whales, dolphins, sharks, tuna, codfish, squid, octopus, shrimp, crabs, lobsters, eels, clams, oyster, mussels, barnacles, jellyfish, starfish, sponges, coral reefs, kelp forests, algae, shellfish, worms, snails, molluscs, crustaceans, insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and even us!.”

86- “The ocean has given birth to countless species of plants and animals. Some of those species have evolved into new kinds of plant and animal life. Others remain unchanged. In either case, the oceans continue to provide food and shelter for billions of beings.”

87- “All the animals in the sea depend on each other for their survival. So do people. That means that everyone depends on everyone else.”

88- “As long as man continues to pollute the seas, fish stocks will decline, and marine mammals will suffer. If we want healthy oceans and abundant wildlife, we must stop pollution now.”

89- “The sea is never empty. It teems with life. From the smallest plankton to the biggest whales, the sea is home to almost every kind of creature imaginable.”

90- “In order to keep the balance between the supply and demand of freshwater, nature keeps creating rivers and streams which flow into lakes and finally into the sea.”

Ocean Quotes About Waves

91- “Ocean waves bring joy to everyone. They remind us of God’s great creation. No matter whether we are walking along the shoreline or sitting quietly under the sun, watching them play their magic tricks brings just a drop of tranquillity to our hearts.”

92- “A single wave is like a drop of rain falling into the ocean: each small ripple increases the size of the entire lake.”

93- “Waves break on rocks, but ships sink due to holes in their hulls and the salt water mixed with metal is etched in your memory.”

94- “It takes three minutes for a wave to reach the shore from its crest; it takes an hour for the bottom trace of the same wave to return.”

95- “You can’t see waves until you’re knee-deep in them; then all of a sudden, there they are: gigantic moving mountains of water crashing against the beach.”

96- “What happens to the tides affects everything living on land and undersea. “

97- “We live surrounded by magnificent bodies of water, yet few of us take time out to appreciate this great natural wonder.”

98- “Life began in the sea, and it ends there too. We owe a debt of gratitude to these vast underwater worlds for giving rise to our earthly existence.”

99- “I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and the lows.” – Drew Barrymore.

100- “When you swim in deep waters, you learn how much you really know when you get back out again.” – David Allen Grier.

101- “If the ocean were not so wild, we would probably destroy her instead of merely abuse her.”

102- “To hear the roar of the surf on the sand, To feel the spray upon my face, Is enough to make me shout aloud, For what may be awaiting me here, Above or below the tide?”

103- “There’s nothing quite like being beside the sea, nothing as restful, peaceful, sublime as the smell of saltwater and clean air.” – Jack London.

104- “No one knows where the sea begins nor where it ends.” – Pablo Neruda.

105- “The power of the sea lies in its mystery.” – Unknown Author.

106- “Everywhere around the globe, people depend on the sea to sustain them and provide food supplies. The sea provides jobs for millions of fishermen across the planet. Its beauty inspires art, literature and poetry. Most importantly, however, the sea makes possible the lives of billions of humans who rely on seafood for survival.”

107- “The sea is always changing, even though she seems still. Her moods are many and various. She looks calm today, serene. But tomorrow, perhaps, she will rage, foam and thunder.”

109- “Seashells have been used since ancient times to decorate jewellery because of their beautiful colours and lustre.”

110- “Fishing boats are sometimes called ‘ships of the open sea’ because they sail far beyond the sight of land, never knowing exactly what might lie ahead.”

111- “People think that the sea is cold, boring, and dangerous. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, without the sea, life itself wouldn’t exist.”

112- “Why do sailors love the sea? Because they believe that only after experiencing danger, struggle, and hardship can they truly understand the meaning of happiness.”

113- “They say the sea changes shape according to the weather and the restless ocean breeze, the wind shapes the sea, and the waves carry hope.”

114- “Sailing over the sea is very different from sailing on inland waterways.

115- “Waves carry the ocean’s soul to the shore and brings eternal joy to those who are blessed.”

116- “The warm and salty air of the ocean is a balm to the soul as are the wild waves.”
Funny Ocean Quotes

117- If God had wanted us to walk across the dry ground, he would have given us feet instead of legs. He gave out a lot more than that, but we’ve been blessed with an ability most people don’t get: when you’re in the ocean and feel those waves washing over your toes as they break onshore – it’s like being worshipped by nature itself because from there all things start their life-cycle anew.

118- “Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh at you.” – Jim Rohn.

119- “Don’t try to describe the ocean if you’ve never seen it.” – Jimmy Buffett

120- “The vitamin sea is a pill for the soul.”