--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you get on the boat that's saving…" description: "\"When you get on the boat that's saving you, don't pull up the ladder behind you\" — Adrienne Clarkson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/adrienne-clarkson-50554_behind-you_when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-y_970998.png" --- # When you get on the boat that's saving you, don't pull up… ![“When you get on the boat that's saving you, don't pull up the ladder behind you” quote by Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/adrienne-clarkson-50554_behind-you_when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-y_970998.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/adrienne-clarkson-50554_behind-you_when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-y_970998.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/adrienne-clarkson-50554_behind-you_when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-y_970998.png) > “When you get on the boat that's saving you, don't pull up the ladder behind you” [Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When rescued, keep the rescue path open for others; don’t block it behind you. **In simple terms:** Leave the ladder for others. Key Takeaway Help others after being helped. Themes solidarity compassion community Mood empathetic hopeful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - volunteering - mentoring - emergency aid - team projects Key Concepts altruism social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you support others without compromising yourself? - What does “pull up the ladder” symbolize for you? A Different Perspective Sometimes personal safety requires closing the ladder temporarily. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Ladder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ladder/) [Pull ups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pull-ups/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) ## Related quotes > [Know that there is nothing you can't aspire to do. Take offense. Bide your time. Pick your battles. Take revenge when you can -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hirshman/know-that-there-is-nothing-you-can-t-aspire-to-do-take-offense-bide/) [Linda Hirshman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hirshman/) > [People who pull you up grabs your whole arm and lift you up with them to success on the ladder ,those who pull you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/people-who-pull-you-up-grabs-your-whole-arm-and-lift-you-up-with-them/) Frenchqueen > [There are elites that are real leaders and role models. There are elites that are really selfish and want to pull up the ladder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-are-elites-that-are-real-leaders-and-role-models-there-are/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I don't ever remember them telling us or teaching us that the only way we could be more successful is if other people were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-don-t-ever-remember-them-telling-us-or-teaching-us-that-the-only/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You have a 12-foot fence. You know what'll happen? Thirteen foot ladders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/you-have-a-12-foot-fence-you-know-what-ll-happen-thirteen-foot-ladders/) [Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/) > [Those who are able to climb up the ladder will find ways to pull it up after them, or selectively lower it down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/those-who-are-able-to-climb-up-the-ladder-will-find-ways-to-pull-it/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [He that climbs a ladder must begin at the first round.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/he-that-climbs-a-ladder-must-begin-at-the-first-round/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [The ladder of success isn't a ladder. It's a series of steps with leaps interspersed along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-ladder-of-success-isn-t-a-ladder-it-s-a-series-of-steps-with/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [No man can climb the ladder of success without first placing his foot on the bottom rung.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cash-penney/no-man-can-climb-the-ladder-of-success-without-first-placing-his-foot/) [James Cash Penney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cash-penney/) > [Literacy could be the ladder out of poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/literacy-could-be-the-ladder-out-of-poverty/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [What signifies the ladder, provided one rise and attain the end?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/what-signifies-the-ladder-provided-one-rise-and-attain-the-end/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [One thing I would like to see is a stronger ladder series for up-and-coming American drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-andretti/one-thing-i-would-like-to-see-is-a-stronger-ladder-series-for-up-and/) [Michael Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-andretti/) > [I'm a little bit superstitious, and I think that just comes from playing hockey. I won't avoid the number thirteen. A big one for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-badge-dale/i-m-a-little-bit-superstitious-and-i-think-that-just-comes-from/) [James Badge Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-badge-dale/) > [In order for us to reach success, we must first find, the ladder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hensel/in-order-for-us-to-reach-success-we-must-first-find-the-ladder/) [Robert M. Hensel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hensel/) > [It's sort of the American way to go up and down the ladder, maybe several times in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/it-s-sort-of-the-american-way-to-go-up-and-down-the-ladder-maybe/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) ## More by Adrienne Clarkson > [No one is so poor that they cannot give, and no one is so rich that they cannot receive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/no-one-is-so-poor-that-they-cannot-give-and-no-one-is-so-rich-that/) [Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/) > [To be complex does not mean to be fragmented. This is the paradox and the genius of our Canadian civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/to-be-complex-does-not-mean-to-be-fragmented-this-is-the-paradox-and/) [Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/) > [Our horizon is the creation of a noble society to which, like the medieval builder of those glorious cathedrals, you will have added your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/our-horizon-is-the-creation-of-a-noble-society-to-which-like-the/) [Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/) > [Each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column, or cutting a piece of stained glass in the construction of something much bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/each-of-us-is-carving-a-stone-erecting-a-column-or-cutting-a-piece-of/) [Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/) > [As I go across the country and privately visit women's shelters and counselling centres, I am appalled that the most vulnerable people in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/as-i-go-across-the-country-and-privately-visit-women-s-shelters-and/) [Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/) > [Sometimes we read or hear too much news that makes us fearful or suspicious of others. We can forget that most of the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/sometimes-we-read-or-hear-too-much-news-that-makes-us-fearful-or/) [Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/) [Explore all 7 Adrienne Clarkson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/) ## More Behind you quotes > [Strong families use the word "we" a lot, but "I" is never forgotten. Family members know they have the freedom to go off on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/strong-families-use-the-word-we-a-lot-but-i-is-never-forgotten-family/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [For God is wholly present in all creation, in every corner, he is behind you and before you. Do you think he is sleeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/for-god-is-wholly-present-in-all-creation-in-every-corner-he-is/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The worst thing that can happen is that the effect that they create behind you is bigger than the performance you're putting out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-is-that-the-effect-that-they-create/) [Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-hiroyuki-tagawa/) > [I would rather speak the truth to ten men than blandishments and lying to a million. Try it, ye who think there is nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-would-rather-speak-the-truth-to-ten-men-than-blandishments-and/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Leave your yawns behind you and feel the tiny new breeze of life lighting up inside of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-porchon-lynch/leave-your-yawns-behind-you-and-feel-the-tiny-new-breeze-of-life/) [Tao Porchon-Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-porchon-lynch/) > [Be sure that Christ is not behind you, but before, calling and drawing you on. This is the liberty, the beautiful liberty of Christ.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-bushnell/be-sure-that-christ-is-not-behind-you-but-before-calling-and-drawing/) [Horace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-bushnell/) > [When you become angry, you enter a tunnel, leaving the light behind you; when you get calm, you exit the tunnel, finding the light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-become-angry-you-enter-a-tunnel-leaving-the-light-behind-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I wish you were that birch rising from the clump behind you, and I the gray oak alongside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/i-wish-you-were-that-birch-rising-from-the-clump-behind-you-and-i-the/) [Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/) > [What has happened has happened and it is now behind you. Take the best of it all as you move positively forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/what-has-happened-has-happened-and-it-is-now-behind-you-take-the-best/) [Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/) > [A cultivated style would be like a mask. Everybody knows it's a mask, and sooner or later you must show yourself -- or at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/a-cultivated-style-would-be-like-a-mask-everybody-knows-it-s-a-mask/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [I understand the opposite side of the camera. I have a profound respect for that. I have worked with people who, when you hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-understand-the-opposite-side-of-the-camera-i-have-a-profound/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [Man, do not pride yourself on your superiority to the animals, for they are without sin, while you, with all your greatness, you defile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-do-not-pride-yourself-on-your-superiority-to-the-animals-for-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The thing about 50 is that you've clearly reached a point where you have more of your life behind you than ahead of you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/the-thing-about-50-is-that-you-ve-clearly-reached-a-point-where-you/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Inwardly you are God, outwardly you are a person. Instead of thinking you are just a person, that appearance, you can awake to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-harding/inwardly-you-are-god-outwardly-you-are-a-person-instead-of-thinking/) [Douglas Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-harding/) > [After all the planets and all the hosts you've left behind, you've finally found the place and the body you'd die for. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/after-all-the-planets-and-all-the-hosts-you-ve-left-behind-you-ve/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) Browse all 320 Behind you quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you get on the boat that's saving you, don't pull up the ladder behind you", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adrienne Clarkson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-you-don-t-pull-up-the-ladder/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behind you" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-you-don-t-pull-up-the-ladder/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/adrienne-clarkson-50554_behind-you_when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-y_970998.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/adrienne-clarkson-50554_behind-you_when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-y_970998.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdd/adrienne-clarkson-50554_behind-you_when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-y_970998.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you get on the boat that's saving you, don't pull up the ladder behind you” — Adrienne Clarkson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Adrienne Clarkson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you get on the boat...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-you-don-t-pull-up-the-ladder/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/when-you-get-on-the-boat-that-s-saving-you-don-t-pull-up-the-ladder/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```