Inspirational Ocean Quotes
With vast beauty, mystery, and life, there is so much to love about the ocean. It is no wonder why millions of writers around the globe use it as inspiration.
Whether you're longing for your next trip to the ocean or looking for an Instagram caption to act as the cherry on top of your gorgeous sunset photo, come with us as we explore some of the best and most inspirational ocean quotes around.
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Top Ocean Quotes
“We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.”
Mother Teresa
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are an ocean in a drop.”
Joy N. Hensley
“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 ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.”
Robert Wylan
"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
“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
“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.
“The ocean makes me feel really small and it makes me put my whole life into perspective… it humbles you.”
Beyonce Knowles
“Life is like an ocean, jump right in.”
Cliff Hannold
“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
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
Jacques Cousteau
"I love the beach. I love the sea. All my life I live within — in front of the sea."
Rafael Nadal
"Dance with the waves, move with the sea. Let the rhythm of the water set your soul free."
Christy Ann Martine
“Never underestimate the power of the ocean.”
Heidi Klum
“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
“You will love the ocean. It makes you feel so… I don’t know. Small, but not in a bad way. Small because you realize you’re part of something bigger.”
Lauren Myracle
"Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self."
B.R. Ambedkar
"One kernel is felt in a hogshead; one drop of water helps to swell the ocean; a spark of fire helps to give light to the world. None are too small, too feeble, too poor to be of service. Think of this and act."
Hannah More
“The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul."
Robert Wyland
“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
“Being out there in the ocean, God’s creation, it’s like a gift He has given us to enjoy.”
Bethany Hamilton
"A pool just isn’t the same as the ocean. It has no energy. No life."
Linda Gerber
“Waves tossed themselves against the shore, dragging grit and sand between their nails as they were slowly pulled back out to sea.”
Holly Black
"An ocean breeze puts a mind at ease."
Unknown
“The universe is an ocean upon which we are the waves. While some decide to surf, others venture to dive.”
Charbel Tadros
“Wild waves rise and fall when they arrive and that’s what makes the calm sea alive.”
Munia Khan
“Summer is calling me with the music of an ocean breeze. I must go dance with the waves of love.”
Debasish Mrida
“The sea knows no limits, makes no concessions. It has given us everything and it can take everything away from us.”
John Ajvide Lingqvist
“Waves are the voices of tides. Tides are life. They bring new food for shore creatures and take ships out to sea. They are the ocean’s pulse, and our own heartbeat.”
Tamora Pierce
“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
“Like the ocean that remains calm in its depths even when waves rage over its surface, and like the sun that continues shining on high even during storms, we can at each moment create value and develop our state of life, enjoying our existence to the fullest in times of both suffering and joy.”
Daisaku Ikeda
“Isn’t it strange, the way time moves? I could stand here and watch the sea crash beneath me for hours and it would feel like only minutes had passed.”
Sjana Elise Earp
"I like anywhere with a beach. A beach and warm weather is all I really need."
Rob Gronkowski
"I like anywhere with a beach. A beach and warm weather is all I really need."
Vincent Van Gogh
"The potential of the average person is like a huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good."
Brian Tracy
“If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air”
Nayyirah Waheed
For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it’s always our self we find in the sea.”
E.E. Cummings
“There must be something strangely sacred in salt. It is in our tears and in the sea.”
Khalil Gibran
“With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea. No matter where on Earth you live.
Sylvie Earle
“I wanted freedom, open air, and adventure. I found it on the sea.”
Alain Gerbeault
"Your thoughts, feelings, and sensations are the waves of the ocean – coming and going. There are big strong waves and there are soft gentle waves; they are all water and all part of the ocean."
Rosie-Marie Sorokin
"The calming movement of the sea along with the restless ocean breeze gently caresses me creating a soothing trance, which lulls me to a place of peace."
M.L. Borges
"Even when the sea is stirred up by the winds of self-doubt, we can find our way home. We can discover, in the midst of the waves, our spacious and wakeful awareness."
Brian Tracy
"You have to think of your career the way you look at the ocean, deciding which wave you're gonna take and which waves you're not gonna take. Some of the waves are going to be big, some are gonna be small, sometimes the sea is going to be calm. Your career is not going to be one steady march upward to glory."
Alan Arkin
"Treasures of the sea can be found at the beach. Let go and discover!"
Catherine Pulsifer
"Even when the sea is stirred up by the winds of self-doubt, we can find our way home. We can discover, in the midst of the waves, our spacious and wakeful awareness."
Tara Brach
"Well, the Ocean hides many secrets, and all of them are precious and beautiful."
SA Krishnan
"Ideals are like stars: you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the ocean desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you reach your destiny."
Carl Schurz
"Our own greed and stupidity are taking away the beautiful world of Arctic Ocean sea ice, which once protected us from the impacts of climatic extremes. Now urgent action is needed if we are to save ourselves from the consequences."
Peter Wadhams
"The ocean holds secrets, Baby. It sees a lot and tells nothing."
Lois Ruth Scott
“If you want to hear the distant voice of the ocean put your ear to the distant lips of a seashell”
Curtis Tyrone Jones
“I couldn’t imagine living in a state that didn’t reach the ocean. It was a giant reset button. You could go to the edge of the land and see infinity and feel renewed.”
Avery Sawyer
“No one would have crossed the ocean if he could have gotten off the ship in the storm.”
Charles Kettering
“Just as the ocean has waves or the sun has rays, so the mind ’s own radiance is its thoughts and emotions.”
Sogyal Rinpoche
“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
“The ocean has always been a salve to my soul.”
Jimmy Buffet
“When people who love the ocean come together, they can achieve extraordinary things.”
Francis Beinecke
“Waves are the voices of tides. Tides are life. They bring new food for shore creatures and take ships out to sea. They are the ocean’s pulse, and our own heartbeat.”
Tamora Pierce
“What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams.”
Werner Herzog
“I have always been fascinated by the ocean, to dip a limb beneath its surface and know that I’m touching eternity, that it goes on forever until it begins here again.”
Lauren DeStefano
“If peace flows like a river, may it flow into the ocean of our souls.”
J. Autherine
“I love the ocean. I’ve always liked the blue, so tranquil and peaceful and gliding. And the fear of it.”
Siouxsie Sioux
“My soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea. And the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“You can either see yourself as a wave in the ocean or you can see yourself as the ocean.”
Oprah Winfrey
“Find comfort in the rhythm of the sea.”
Charlotte Eriksson
For similar posts, see our walk on the beach quotes article.
