--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It rose slowly like a gull sensing a…" description: "\"It rose slowly like a gull sensing a reckless blue fish to close to the surface, and then it dived relentlessly for the green, kicked and stopped three..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/alistair-cooke-9876_blue_it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-rec_2655761.jpg" --- # It rose slowly like a gull sensing a reckless blue fish to… ![“It rose slowly like a gull sensing a reckless blue fish to close to the surface, and then it dived relentlessly for the green, kicked and stopped three feet short of the flag.” quote by Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/alistair-cooke-9876_blue_it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-rec_2655761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/alistair-cooke-9876_blue_it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-rec_2655761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/alistair-cooke-9876_blue_it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-rec_2655761.jpg) > “It rose slowly like a gull sensing a reckless blue fish to close to the surface, and then it dived relentlessly for the green, kicked and stopped three feet short of the flag.” [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A slow‑rising opportunity, like a gull spotting prey, can surge forward but may fall short of its goal. **In simple terms:** Opportunities can rise fast but sometimes miss the mark. Key Takeaway Pursue goals with patience and perseverance. Themes motivation risk perseverance Mood determined reflective Type inspirational pragmatic When to use this quote - Business ventures - personal projects - sports competitions Key Concepts Opportunity cost goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What factors cause near‑misses? - How can you adjust after a shortfall? A Different Perspective Failure can be discouraging if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Dived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dived-577478/) [Dived Relentlessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dived-relentlessly-2386490/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Fishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishes/) [Flags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flags/) [Golf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golf/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Gulls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gulls/) [Like Gull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-gull-2386491/) [Reckless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reckless/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/) [Rose Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose-slowly-2386493/) [Sensing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensing/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) [Surface Dived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface-dived-2386492/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) ## Related quotes > [“Some stories don't get told. Some stories you hold on to. To stand and watch and hold it in your arms was not cowardice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-blake/some-stories-don-t-get-told-some-stories-you-hold-on-to-to-stand-and/) [Sarah Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-blake/) > [“She rose slowly. She didn't want to go. She also rather resented staying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/she-rose-slowly-she-didn-t-want-to-go-she-also-rather-resented-staying/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“And the smoke rose slowly, slowly, Through the tranquil air of morning, First a single line of darkness, Then a denser, bluer vapor, Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellowlongfellow/and-the-smoke-rose-slowly-slowly-through-the-tranquil-air-of-morning/) [Henry Wadsworth LongfellowLongfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellowlongfellow/) > [The sun rose slowly, as if it wasn't sure it was worth all the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-sun-rose-slowly-as-if-it-wasn-t-sure-it-was-worth-all-the-effort/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Then the dog began to moan in old Salamano’s room, and through the sleep-bound house the little plaintive sound rose slowly, like a flower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-the-dog-began-to-moan-in-old-salamano-s-room-and-through-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Of all divers, thou hast dived the deepest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/of-all-divers-thou-hast-dived-the-deepest/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“I closed my eyes and dived into foreign water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/i-closed-my-eyes-and-dived-into-foreign-water/) [Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/) > [“Oh, Ahab! what shall be grand in thee, it must needs be plucked at from the skies, and dived for in the deep, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/oh-ahab-what-shall-be-grand-in-thee-it-must-needs-be-plucked-at-from/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Clowns, hoboes, gypsies, and furry animals of all kinds scattered madly and dived for cover. No doubt they thought I'd finally lost it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-andrews/clowns-hoboes-gypsies-and-furry-animals-of-all-kinds-scattered-madly/) [Donna Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-andrews/) > [I remember Nayim at Tottenham dived all over the place, and we used to say to him, 'What are you doing?' You do talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lineker/i-remember-nayim-at-tottenham-dived-all-over-the-place-and-we-used-to/) [Gary Lineker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lineker/) > [“He felt as if he’d dived into a deep, clear lake and discovered it was a shallow, knee-deep pond. What did you do? Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/he-felt-as-if-he-d-dived-into-a-deep-clear-lake-and-discovered-it-was/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“The glass shattered but the bullet hadn’t passed through and at the same time Bond was diving to one side, his left hand scrabbling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/the-glass-shattered-but-the-bullet-hadn-t-passed-through-and-at-the/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [And an airplane of spittle dived into the sea, there were no salivas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-cooper/and-an-airplane-of-spittle-dived-into-the-sea-there-were-no-salivas/) [Tommy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-cooper/) > [“The sun sat, in immense fieriness, just above the horizon, the sea, glittering in great swatches of phosphorescent white, waiting to receive it. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-brinkley/the-sun-sat-in-immense-fieriness-just-above-the-horizon-the-sea/) [William Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-brinkley/) > [I wasn't paying attention," said Myrtle dramatically. "Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to kill myself. Then, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wasn-t-paying-attention-said-myrtle-dramatically-peeves-upset-me-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Alistair Cooke > [It has always been cited as an irrepressible symptom of America's vitality that her people, in fair times and foul, believe in themselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-has-always-been-cited-as-an-irrepressible-symptom-of-america-s/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [No myth dies harder, and none is more regularly debunked by the facts, than the one about international sports contributing to international friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/no-myth-dies-harder-and-none-is-more-regularly-debunked-by-the-facts/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [The emblem on the necktie reserved for the members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews - The Vatican of golf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/the-emblem-on-the-necktie-reserved-for-the-members-of-the-royal-and/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [If computers take over, it will serve us right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/if-computers-take-over-it-will-serve-us-right/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [ \[In 1889\] the last big tract of Indian land was declared open for settlement, in Oklahoma. The claimants and the speculators mounted their horses… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/in-1889-the-last-big-tract-of-indian-land-was-declared-open-for/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [“Every sport pretends to be literature. . .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/every-sport-pretends-to-be-literature/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [To watch an American on a beach, or crowding into a subway, or buying a theatre ticket, or sitting at home with his radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/to-watch-an-american-on-a-beach-or-crowding-into-a-subway-or-buying-a/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [To the goggling unbeliever Texans say, as people always say about their mangier dishes, 'But it's just like chicken, only tenderer.' Rattlesnake is, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/to-the-goggling-unbeliever-texans-say-as-people-always-say-about/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [I talk to my typewriter and that is what I've been working on for 40 years-how to write for talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/i-talk-to-my-typewriter-and-that-is-what-i-ve-been-working-on-for-40/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [I hasten to say to snobs from the Surrey pine-and-sand country that no invention since the corn plaster or the electric toothbrush has brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/i-hasten-to-say-to-snobs-from-the-surrey-pine-and-sand-country-that/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [A professional is a person who can do his best at a time when he doesn't particularly feel like it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/a-professional-is-a-person-who-can-do-his-best-at-a-time-when-he/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [Liberty is the luxury of self-discipline, that those nations historically who have failed to discipline themselves have had discipline imposed by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/liberty-is-the-luxury-of-self-discipline-that-those-nations/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [The best thing about Eisenhower's Presidency was his Jeffersonian conviction that there should be as little government and as much golf as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/the-best-thing-about-eisenhower-s-presidency-was-his-jeffersonian/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [There is even - as with no other game - a fascinating detective literature, a wry commentary on the human comedy, implicit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/there-is-even-as-with-no-other-game-a-fascinating-detective/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [It's an acting job - acting natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-s-an-acting-job-acting-natural/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) [Explore all 68 Alistair Cooke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) ## More Blue quotes > [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Human beings should stick together. Honestly, if I see a red-haired person with blue eyes now, I say, 'Is your granny black?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/human-beings-should-stick-together-honestly-if-i-see-a-red-haired/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [The Louvre! The Louvre has me in its clutches. Every time I'm there rich blessings rain down upon me. I am coming to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-modersohn-becker/the-louvre-the-louvre-has-me-in-its-clutches-every-time-i-m-there/) [Paula Modersohn-Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-modersohn-becker/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Mother, she likes the blue material just fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/mother-she-likes-the-blue-material-just-fine/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [You know, I'm the only one in this family who has no problems, . . . And you know why? Because any time I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-i-m-the-only-one-in-this-family-who-has-no-problems-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [it'll be this kind of deep blue”she said. “The kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/it-ll-be-this-kind-of-deep-blue-she-said-the-kind-of-color-that/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [It is moonlight. Alone in the silence I ascend my stairs once more, While waves remote in pale blue starlight Crash on a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/it-is-moonlight-alone-in-the-silence-i-ascend-my-stairs-once-more/) [Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/) > [The grape Hyacinth is the favorite spring flower of my garden - but no! I though a minute ago the Scilla was! and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/the-grape-hyacinth-is-the-favorite-spring-flower-of-my-garden-but-no/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) [Browse all 3,452 Blue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It rose slowly like a gull sensing a reckless blue fish to close to the surface, and then it dived relentlessly for the green, kicked and stopped three feet short of the flag.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alistair Cooke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-reckless-blue-fish-to-close-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blue" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-reckless-blue-fish-to-close-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/alistair-cooke-9876_blue_it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-rec_2655761.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/alistair-cooke-9876_blue_it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-rec_2655761.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/alistair-cooke-9876_blue_it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-rec_2655761.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It rose slowly like a gull sensing a reckless blue fish to close to the surface, and then it dived…” — Alistair Cooke", "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": "Alistair Cooke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It rose slowly like a gull...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-reckless-blue-fish-to-close-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/it-rose-slowly-like-a-gull-sensing-a-reckless-blue-fish-to-close-to/#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 } } ] } ```