---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And this was the surprising thing about…"
description: "\"“And this was the surprising thing about life on Berk. It was a bit like the sea itself. One minute it was all storms, and shipwrecks, and desperate es..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/cressida-cowell-7158_life_and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about_178475.jpg"
---

#  And this was the surprising thing about life on Berk. It…

![“And this was the surprising thing about life on Berk. It was a bit like the sea itself. One minute it was all storms, and shipwrecks, and desperate escapes from deadly dragons, the next is was calm, and peacefully restful, as if these things had never happened.” quote by Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/cressida-cowell-7158_life_and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about_178475.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/cressida-cowell-7158_life_and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about_178475.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/cressida-cowell-7158_life_and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about_178475.jpg)

> ““And this was the surprising thing about life on Berk. It was a bit like the sea itself. One minute it was all storms, and shipwrecks, and desperate escapes from deadly dragons, the next is was calm, and peacefully restful, as if these things had never happened.””

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Life alternates between chaotic challenges and sudden peace, much like a stormy sea turning calm.

**In simple terms:** Life shifts from turmoil to tranquility.

Key Takeaway

Accept change and find calm after chaos.

Themes

change resilience peace adversity

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- adventure
- personal growth
- stressful periods
- moments of peace

Key Concepts

natural metaphor life cycles

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you navigate sudden shifts?
- What practices sustain peace?

A Different Perspective

Calm may be temporary; challenges can recur.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/)

## Related quotes

> [“The Hooligans had never intended to settle on Berk in the first place. Berk was not the most comfortable, the most luxurious, the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/the-hooligans-had-never-intended-to-settle-on-berk-in-the-first-place/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [Life is just like a sea, we are moving without an end. Nothing stays with us, what remains is just the memories of some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-just-like-a-sea-we-are-moving-without-an-end-nothing-stays/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I like the sea: we understand one another. It is always yearning, sighing for something it cannot have; so am I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/i-like-the-sea-we-understand-one-another-it-is-always-yearning/)

[Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/)

> [“The Sierra Madre was like the sea, he thought. Both of them deathless, monotonously eternal, and so indifferent in their magnitude that either could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/the-sierra-madre-was-like-the-sea-he-thought-both-of-them-deathless/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means, Time held me green and dying Though I sang in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/oh-as-i-was-young-and-easy-in-the-mercy-of-his-means-time-held-me/)

[Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/)

> [~love is like the sea it never stop.you thought you would never ever fall in love with that preson but u thought wrong. the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/love-is-like-the-sea-it-never-stop-you-thought-you-would-never-ever/)

She's\_gone

> [“I have left behind what tethered me to the lake. The sadness. The self-pity. The dark tentacles of the murky sea monster only I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wunder/i-have-left-behind-what-tethered-me-to-the-lake-the-sadness-the-self/)

[Wendy Wunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wunder/)

> [“I have hair that drifts like seaweed when I swim. I have eyes that shine like rock pools. My ears are like scallop shells.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-almond/i-have-hair-that-drifts-like-seaweed-when-i-swim-i-have-eyes-that/)

[David Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-almond/)

> [“i miss my brother like the sea would miss salt if that were taken away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cameron/i-miss-my-brother-like-the-sea-would-miss-salt-if-that-were-taken-away/)

[Emma Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cameron/)

> [When peace like a river, attendeth my way / When sorrow like sea billows roll / Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-spafford/when-peace-like-a-river-attendeth-my-way-when-sorrow-like-sea-billows/)

Horatio Spafford

> [Love is like the stars, shine in the sky. They give way to the light, and love gives to the heart. Love is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serdyuk-oksana/love-is-like-the-stars-shine-in-the-sky-they-give-way-to-the-light/)

[Serdyuk Oksana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serdyuk-oksana/)

> [“When the windowpanes start to turn from black to gray, my sisters cradle themselves around me, rocking me like the sea until I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-miller/when-the-windowpanes-start-to-turn-from-black-to-gray-my-sisters/)

[Sarah Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-miller/)

> [“I would like to be the sea I would like to break into millions of pieces and I would like each piece to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fade-merrick/i-would-like-to-be-the-sea-i-would-like-to-break-into-millions-of/)

Jane Fade Merrick

> [Time has three dimensions and one positive pitch or direction. It is therefore not so much like any river or any sea as like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-manley-hopkins/time-has-three-dimensions-and-one-positive-pitch-or-direction-it-is/)

[Gerard Manley Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-manley-hopkins/)

> [The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-heart-of-man-is-very-much-like-the-sea-it-has-its-storms-it-has/)

[Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/)

## More by Cressida Cowell

> [Most of us are lucky not to be Kings and Heroes, because we do not have to make the choices that Kings and Heroes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/most-of-us-are-lucky-not-to-be-kings-and-heroes-because-we-do-not/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [“WARNING Any Relationship to any historical fact WHATSOEVER is entirely coincidental. You have been WARNED”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/warning-any-relationship-to-any-historical-fact-whatsoever-is/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [“Come on, Fishlegs,” whispered Camicazi, whistling happily. “You know we have to do this. Besides, I feel like a bit of exercise. We’ve been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/come-on-fishlegs-whispered-camicazi-whistling-happily-you-know-we/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [For a Hero cannot triumph all the time. Sometimes he will be defeated, and how he faces that defeat is a test of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/for-a-hero-cannot-triumph-all-the-time-sometimes-he-will-be-defeated/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [The thing about grown ups is that they're always wanting you to be this Great Hero and Leader. What's wrong with being NORMAL, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/the-thing-about-grown-ups-is-that-they-re-always-wanting-you-to-be/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [“The thing is, we are all, in a sense, supper. Walking, talking, breathing suppers, that's what we are. Take you, for instance. YOU are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/the-thing-is-we-are-all-in-a-sense-supper-walking-talking-breathing/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [“The dragon bracelet that Humongous created, out of misplaced love and gratitude, in the hellish nightmare of the Lava-Lout Jail-Forges is exquisitely made, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/the-dragon-bracelet-that-humongous-created-out-of-misplaced-love-and/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [The Hero cares not for a wild winter's storm. For it carries him swift on the back of the storm. All may be lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/the-hero-cares-not-for-a-wild-winter-s-storm-for-it-carries-him-swift/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [“However bad things seem to be, they can always get worse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/however-bad-things-seem-to-be-they-can-always-get-worse/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [I was not a natural. . . . This is the story of becoming . . . the Hard Way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/i-was-not-a-natural-this-is-the-story-of-becoming-the-hard-way/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [GO FOR HIS EYES! OR BITE HIM ON THE NOSE! DRAGON NOSES ARE VERY SENSITIVE!" Oh, very helpful, Camicazi, very helpful...thought Hiccup. What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/go-for-his-eyes-or-bite-him-on-the-nose-dragon-noses-are-very/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [Sometimes a King has to do terrible things in order to protect those he has sworn to look after. When the stakes are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/sometimes-a-king-has-to-do-terrible-things-in-order-to-protect-those/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [“Norbert the Nutjob may have been a maniac, but lunacy and genius are very close together, and it had to be admitted, he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/norbert-the-nutjob-may-have-been-a-maniac-but-lunacy-and-genius-are/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [“the witch softly, ‘for the dragons’ days are numbered”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/the-witch-softly-for-the-dragons-days-are-numbered/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [“If you were a fanciful person, you might have said that it was almost as if that box was looking for Hiccup. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/if-you-were-a-fanciful-person-you-might-have-said-that-it-was-almost/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

[Explore all 89 Cressida Cowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“And this was the surprising thing about life on Berk. It was a bit like the sea itself. One minute it was all storms, and shipwrecks, and desperate escapes from deadly dragons, the next is was calm, and peacefully restful, as if these things had never happened.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cressida Cowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about-life-on-berk-it-was-a-bit/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about-life-on-berk-it-was-a-bit/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/cressida-cowell-7158_life_and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about_178475.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/cressida-cowell-7158_life_and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about_178475.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/cressida-cowell-7158_life_and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about_178475.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“And this was the surprising thing about life on Berk. It was a bit like the sea itself. One minute it was…” — Cressida Cowell",
                "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": "Cressida Cowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“And this was the surprising thing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about-life-on-berk-it-was-a-bit/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/and-this-was-the-surprising-thing-about-life-on-berk-it-was-a-bit/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
