There is something so freeing about being on a boat that helps your other troubles slip away. If you are looking for short inspirational boat quotes for Instagram captions, this is the place for you. We have gathered all the best ones, including short boat sayings.
Start scrolling to find the perfect quote for you.
Our Favorite Short Inspirational Boat Quotes for Instagram
“Boats in the harbor are safe but that is not what they are meant for.” – Zig Ziglar
“For the ocean is big and my boat is small. Find the courage.” – Alanis Morissette
“Peace is not found in a calmer storm, It’s found in a better boat.” – Travis Meadows
“The boat is safer anchored at the port; but that’s not the aim of boats.” – Paulo Coelho
“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
“At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.” – Robin Lee Graham
“The lovely thing about cruising is that planning usually turns out to be of little use.” – Dom Degnon
“The only ship you can truly steer in this ocean is the one you’re sailing.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
“‘Tis the set of the sail that decides the goal, and not the storm of life.” ― Ella Wheeler Wilcox
“Sail away from safe harbor.” ― Mark Twain
“You haven’t lived until you’ve sailed.” ― David Sedaris
“The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.” ― Joshua Slocum
“A boat can’t have two captains.” – Akira Mori
“As a child, I always wanted to live on a boat.” – Jamie Wyeth
“When I’m not surfing or sailing, I am to be found at the harbour working on my boat.” – Laura Dekker
“Sometimes you need to tether your boats to stop them from following your dreams.” — 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
“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 want a boat that drinks six, eats four, and sleeps two.” – Ernest K. Gann
“She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her away, she adjusted her sails.” – Elizabeth Edwards
“I’m attracted to seeing how different I can be, pushing the boat out.” – James D’arcy
“If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out and meet it.” ― Jonathan Winters
“The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.” ― Edmund Gibbon
“To reach a port we must set sail – sail, not tie at achor; sail, not drift.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths, it has its pearls too.” ― Vincent Van Gogh
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” ― Kenneth Grahame
“If you’re really ready to sail, then the sea, the wind and the ship will be ready too! You must be ready first for the universe to help you!” ― Mehmet Murat Ildan
“The boats outside the window were always still I wondered if one of them would take me to the ocean.” – Yoko Ono
If you like these, you might also want to check out our other lists of Yacht Captions, Sailing Quotes, Boat Captions and Boat Puns.
Inspiring but Funny Boat Quotes
“Someone asked me, if I were stranded on a desert island what book would I bring… ‘How to Build a Boat.’” – Steven Wright
“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
“Don’t bring an anchor, on a sinking boat.” – Anthony Liccione
“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 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
“Often it does seem such a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat.” – Mark Twain
“On my tombstone, I want written: ‘He never did ‘Love Boat!’” – Orson Welles
“I’ve always believed that a goal in life is not to own a boat but have a friend with a boat.” – Christie Hefner
“If I were mayor, I’d invite everyone to have free boat trips on the river and free balloon rides over the city. I’d let the elderly in residential homes wander free.” – Jane Birkin
“Two captains sink a ship.” – Turkish Proverb
“There are a lot of mysterious things about boats, such as why anyone would get on one voluntarily.” – P. J. O’Rourke
“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
“The love boat has crashed against the everyday.” – Vladimir Mayakovsky
Inspirational Boat Quotes
“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
“It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage.” ― George William Curtis
“Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit.” – Brooks Atkinson
“We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.” – G. K. Chesterton
“To reach a port we must set sail –
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.”
― Franklin D. Roosevelt
“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
“It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.” — Ernest K. Gann
“I feel bad for a boat that doesn’t go out. Its purpose in life is it should be out, and somebody should be on it, and somebody should enjoy it.” – Adrian Gradinaru
“Whenever I find myself growing grim […] I quietly take to the ship. Almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.” ― Herman Melville
“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
Inspiring Quotes About Boat Life
“If the water is calm, the boat is also calm! If your thoughts are calm, your life is also calm!” — Mehmet Murat Ildan
“There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea.” ― Joseph Conrad
“It isn’t that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.” – Francis Drake
“I am the master of my fate and I am the captain of my boat. While ups and downs are a part of everyone’s journey, how you face it makes you the person or artiste you are.” – Jubin Nautiyal
“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
“Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.” – Robert Fulghum
“We are imprisoned in the realm of life, like a sailor on his tiny boat, on an infinite ocean.” – Anna Freud
“Most people are rowing against the current of life. Instead of turning the boat around, all they need to do is let go of the oars.” – Esther Hicks
“Part of life has to be about enjoying life and having different experiences, especially if you’re with friends and you’re on an adventure on a boat or a submarine – it’s a lot of fun.” – Paul Allen
“Life without a defined purpose is similar to a boat without a crew in the middle of the ocean.” – Debasish Mridha
“My escape is to just get in a boat and disappear on the water.” – Carl Hiaasen
“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
“The most expensive hobby a rich man could have is a boat, and the second most expensive hobby he could have is a very old house.” – Barbara Corcoran
“Home for me is my boat, really.” – Rory McCann
“I can sit on a boat or a river bank and problems that seemed insurmountable just don’t seem that important anymore.” – Van Heflin
“As soon as I get on my boat, something inside me changes. Then I really feel what living is.” – Laura Dekker
“If the boat started shaking, we stayed on course and didn’t lose focus. That made the difference.” – Sebastian Vettel
“When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters on the grill, get the ice-cold beer and the cigars – that’s heaven here on earth.” – Bernie Mac
“I’ve always wanted to sail around the world in a handmade boat, and I built a boat.” – Will Ferrell
“A boat is the hardest thing I know of to put into perspective. It is so much like a human figure, there is something alive about it.” – Barry S Strauss
“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
“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” – Rabindranath Tagore
“I like the peace and quiet of being at sea.” – Rafael Nadal
“Life is as inexorable as the sea.” – Thomas Wentworth Higginson
“I wanted freedom, open air and adventure. I found it on the sea.” – Alain Gerbeault
“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
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ― William Arthur Ward
“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” ― Fitzhugh Dodson
“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
“I feel bad for a boat that doesn’t go out. Its purpose in life is it should be out, and somebody should be on it, and somebody should enjoy it.” – Adrian Gradinaru
“Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.” – Warren Buffett
“Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau
“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
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ― Jimmy Dean
“The goal is not to sail the boat, but rather to help the boat sail herself.” — John Rousmaniere
“Sailing – The fine art of slowly going nowhere at great expense while being cold, wet and miserable.” ― Irv Heller
“Even if it is made up of gold, the sailing boat can go nowhere without the humble wind!” ― Mehmet Murat Ildan
“The sooner we learn to be jointly responsible, the easier the sailing will be.” ― Ella Maillart
“When I’m out sailing, I don’t wonder what heaven is like because I know.” ― Anthony T. Hincks
“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 trade winds in your sails…explore…dream….discover.” ― Mark Twain
“The art of the sailor is to leave nothing to chance.” ― Annie Van De Wiele
“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
“On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.” — Rumi
“Sail through the good days, and on bad days pick a spot of blue sky to steer toward.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
“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
“It’s out there at sea that you are really yourself.” ― Vito Dumas
“Whenever your preparations for the sea are poor; the sea worms its way in and finds the problems.” ― Francis Stokes
“The sea speaks a language polite people never repeat. It is a colossal scavenger slang and has no respect.” ― Carl Sandburg
“He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea.” ― Thomas Fuller
“The ocean is this beautiful, unexplored place. Why on Earth everyone isn’t down there, I don’t know.” ― Graham Hawkes
“If you want to hear the distant voice of the ocean put your ear to the lips of a seashell.” ― Curtis Tyrone Jones
“You will love the ocean. It makes you feel small, but not in a bad way. Small because you realize you’re part of something bigger.” ― Lauren Myracle
“In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans; in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of existence.” ― Kahlil Gibran Jr
“I grew to judge every purchase by how many bronze screws I could buy for the boat if I didn’t spend on this or made do without that.” ― Lin Pardey
“There is no better tool or equipment you can have onboard than a well-trained crew.” ― Larry Pardey
“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.” ― Rachel Carson
“I’d love to have a proper sailing boat and go around the world.” – Jonathan Powell
“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
“I have my own boat, but when I first thought about taking a cruise, I thought, ‘You’re going to trap me on a boat, and I’m going to walk in circles and go crazy,’ but it’s awesome.” – Guy Fieri
“I wouldn’t say I’m that social… I’m either sailing my boat by myself or living in some small place.” – Rory McCann
“Thoughts will change and shift just like the wind and the water when you’re on the boat; thoughts are no different than anything else.” – Jeff Bridges
“If a man must be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most.” – E.B. White
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Vessels large may venture more, But little boats should keep near shore.” – Benjamin Franklin
Inspirational Boat Sayings
“Let your dreams set sail.”
“Do not put each foot in a different boat.”
“I don’t need therapy, I just need my boat.”
“I’m sorry for what I said while docking the boat.”
“Remember when you were my boat, and I was your sea?”
“Life is like a boat in the sea. When the sea is rough the only way to keep your boat moving forward is to keep rowing.”
“Boats don’t sink because of the water on the outside, boats sink if water gets inside. Don’t let negative get inside of you, and sink your goals.”
“Some people are boat people. I am one of those people.”
Funny Boat Sayings
“A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.”
“I’m sorry for what I said while docking the boat.”
“You can’t buy happiness. But you can buy a boat and that’s pretty much the same thing.”
“Good vibes on the high and low tides.”
“It’s aboat time we all made it out on the water.”
“Boats, like whiskey, are all good.”
“Don’t be afraid to rock the boat once in a while. If someone falls out, then obviously they were never meant to be in your boat in the first place.”
“I got 99 problems, but the boat aint one.”
On Board
Batten Down the Hatches
Give a Wide Berth
Caught Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
In Deep Water
Down in the Doldrums
All at Sea
Three Sheets to the Wind
Left High and Dry
High and Dry
Sink or Swim
Dead in the Water
Sailing Close to the Wind
Don’t Rock the Boat
All Hands on Deck
Loose Cannon
A Shot Across the Bows
Plain Sailing
Make Waves
Hunky-Dory
Shipshape and Bristol Fashion
On the Right Tack
Turn the Corner
Run a Tight Ship
Scraping the Barrel
Landlubber
Make up Leeway
Boat hair, don’t care
Whatever floats your boat
You can’t be crabby when you’re fishing on a boat
I like big boats and I cannot lie
Worry less, paddle more
Giving in to the pier pressure
Floating into the weekend
Not salty about this situation
Life is better on the boat
The boat is calling. I must go.
Let’s just cruise and see where the waves go
You had me at boat
Eat. Sleep. Boat. Repeat.
Life is best with a lake and a boat
You can’t be crabby when you’re on a boat
Let’s sail away into forever
Giving in to pier pressure
Come sail away with me
Literally sailing into the sunset
And there you have it, our full list of perfect boating quotes and boating sayings.
Now get out there and spend some time on a boat!
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About the Author
Laynni Locke
I am Laynni Locke, a Canadian writer, reader and traveller with a passion for sharing life’s moments on social media. Keeping friends and family in the loop of our lives though photos and videos has become an essential activity for most.
And it doesn’t matter if you are travelling, celebrating a special occasion or just appreciating day-to-day life, when you take that perfect photo you are going to need the perfect caption or quote before you share it. Which is why we started Routinely Shares, providing comprehensive lists of quotes and captions to cover every occasion, adventure or loved one.
With extensive experience as a travel writer, social media specialist and grant writer, I have made it my mission to curate the best and easiest to use lists for your next post.
