---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't show it and don't panic. Do like…"
description: "\"“Don't show it and don't panic. Do like the ducks; on the surface stay calm, and below it paddle lile hell”\" — Dan Brown"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/dan-brown-203_calm_don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-th_2799652.png"
---

#  Don't show it and don't panic. Do like the ducks; on the…

![“Don't show it and don't panic. Do like the ducks; on the surface stay calm, and below it paddle lile hell” quote by Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/dan-brown-203_calm_don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-th_2799652.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/dan-brown-203_calm_don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-th_2799652.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/dan-brown-203_calm_don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-th_2799652.png)

> ““Don't show it and don't panic. Do like the ducks; on the surface stay calm, and below it paddle lile hell””

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

## About This Quote

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

Stay calm outwardly while working hard beneath the surface, like a duck.

**In simple terms:** Appear calm, work hard underneath.

Key Takeaway

Maintain composure while tackling challenges.

Themes

resilience focus calmness

Mood

steady motivational

Type

self-help inspirational

When to use this quote

- high-pressure jobs
- personal crises
- exam preparation

Key Concepts

duck metaphor stress management

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you manage hidden stress?
- What signals indicate you need a break?

A Different Perspective

Surface calm can hide burnout.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) [Calm Paddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm-paddle-3440798/) [Ducks Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ducks-surface-3440797/) [Like Ducks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-ducks-1588615/) [Stay calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-calm/)

## Related quotes

> [“I like ducks." Jem observed diplomatically. "Esspecially the ones in Hyde Park." He glanced side ways at Will; both boys were sitting at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-like-ducks-jem-observed-diplomatically-esspecially-the-ones-in-hyde/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [You point your feet out too much when you walk,” Will went on. He was busy polishing an apple on his shirtfront, and appeared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-point-your-feet-out-too-much-when-you-walk-will-went-on-he-was-2/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Coaches are like ducks. Calm on top, but paddling underneath. Believe me, there's a lot of leg movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hitchcock/coaches-are-like-ducks-calm-on-top-but-paddling-underneath-believe-me/)

[Ken Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-hitchcock/)

> [“She doesn’t like ducks,” Shane said, nodding.  “I’ve seen a couple of dead ducks before my dad fishes them out.  He says they died…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-ripley/she-doesn-t-like-ducks-shane-said-nodding-i-ve-seen-a-couple-of-dead/)

[Ron Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-ripley/)

> [“Task are like Ducks. We should look to shoot them not store them. (paraphrased from Twitter Meeting)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin-mann/task-are-like-ducks-we-should-look-to-shoot-them-not-store-them/)

[Merlin Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merlin-mann/)

> [“You point your feet out too much when you walk,” Will went on. He was busy polishing an apple on his shirtfront, and appeared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-point-your-feet-out-too-much-when-you-walk-will-went-on-he-was/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [his snores sounded like ducks mating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/his-snores-sounded-like-ducks-mating/)

[George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/)

> [The thing about fashion - it's like ducks going quack, quack quack. It's being dictated from above, and it just makes me want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-blakely/the-thing-about-fashion-it-s-like-ducks-going-quack-quack-quack-it-s/)

[Sara Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-blakely/)

> [Women are a lot like ducks-they don’t like mud on their butts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/women-are-a-lot-like-ducks-they-don-t-like-mud-on-their-butts/)

[Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/)

> [There are two kinds of people,’ she’d said. ‘Those who coast through life like ducks in a row, following one after the other, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-she-d-said-those-who-coast-through-life/)

[Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/)

> [“I do. I understand if I let you go, you'll put yourself right in the middle of the fight. And I know it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-kirk/i-do-i-understand-if-i-let-you-go-you-ll-put-yourself-right-in-the/)

[A&amp;E Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-kirk/)

> [How can you stay so calm?" It helps if you're terrified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/how-can-you-stay-so-calm-it-helps-if-you-re-terrified/)

[John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/)

> [The main factor in a penalty shootout is luck again. You need to stay calm and focussed but the biggest thing you need is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shilton/the-main-factor-in-a-penalty-shootout-is-luck-again-you-need-to-stay/)

[Peter Shilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shilton/)

> [“Just because I stay calm, doesn't mean that I have no wind in my sails.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-t-hincks-2/just-because-i-stay-calm-doesn-t-mean-that-i-have-no-wind-in-my-sails/)

[Anthony t hincks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-t-hincks-2/)

> [My medications make me easier to deal with. They don't interfere with my creativity or turn me into a zombie or dull my real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/my-medications-make-me-easier-to-deal-with-they-don-t-interfere-with/)

[Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/)

## More by Dan Brown

> [The more science I studied, the more I saw that physics becomes metaphysics and numbers become imaginary numbers. The farther you go into science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-more-science-i-studied-the-more-i-saw-that-physics-becomes/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [A little faith can do wonders...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/a-little-faith-can-do-wonders/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/for-me-the-spiritual-quest-will-be-a-life-long-work-in-progress/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [Sometimes all it takes is a tiny shift of perspective to see something familiar in a totally new light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/sometimes-all-it-takes-is-a-tiny-shift-of-perspective-to-see/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [“Leonardo believed his research had the potential to convert millions to a more spiritual life. Last year he categorically proved the existence of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/leonardo-believed-his-research-had-the-potential-to-convert-millions/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [“The price of greatness...is responsibility - Winston Churchill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-price-of-greatness-is-responsibility-winston-churchill/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [We did not have a television while I was growing up, and so I read voraciously. My earliest memory of being utterly transfixed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/we-did-not-have-a-television-while-i-was-growing-up-and-so-i-read/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [“Robert,” Ambra whispered, “just remember the wise words of Disney’s Princess Elsa.” Langdon turned. “I’m sorry?” Ambra smiled softly. “Let it go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/robert-ambra-whispered-just-remember-the-wise-words-of-disney-s/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [“¿Tienes enemigos? Bien. ¡Eso significa que has defendido algo!”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/tienes-enemigos-bien-eso-significa-que-has-defendido-algo/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [Who will guard the guards ? If we're the guards of society, then who will watch us and make sure that we're not dangerous?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/who-will-guard-the-guards-if-we-re-the-guards-of-society-then-who/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [“Dante's poem, Langdon was now reminded, was not so much about the misery of hell as it was about the power of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/dante-s-poem-langdon-was-now-reminded-was-not-so-much-about-the/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [It's kind of a catch-22 now because since the 'Da Vinci Code,' I have access to places and people that I didn't have access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/it-s-kind-of-a-catch-22-now-because-since-the-da-vinci-code-i-have/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [“The man was no stranger to deception, and yet his heart was pounding wildly now. He took another deep, throbbing breath. You've been deceiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-man-was-no-stranger-to-deception-and-yet-his-heart-was-pounding/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [“the entire operating system of the cosmos could be summed up by a single overriding command: spread energy!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-entire-operating-system-of-the-cosmos-could-be-summed-up-by-a/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

[Explore all 833 Dan Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

## More Calm quotes

> [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

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

> [“After the storm, reigns the calm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simdi-onuora/after-the-storm-reigns-the-calm/)

[Simdi Onuora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simdi-onuora/)

> [So mightiest powers buy deepest calms are fed, And sleep, how oft, in things that gentlest be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-procter/so-mightiest-powers-buy-deepest-calms-are-fed-and-sleep-how-oft-in/)

[Bryan Procter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-procter/)

> [KEEP CALM and HAVE A SUGAR CUBE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/keep-calm-and-have-a-sugar-cube/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [To practice Aikido fully you must calm the spirit and go back to the origin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/to-practice-aikido-fully-you-must-calm-the-spirit-and-go-back-to-the/)

[Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/)

> [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/)

[Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/)

> [The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages, only then will Israel be calm for the next 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-ari/the-goal-of-the-operation-is-to-send-gaza-back-to-the-middle-ages/)

[Michael Ben-Ari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ben-ari/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthinking-love-as-calm-and-deep-as/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

> [~Keep Calm and Swagger On~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/keep-calm-and-swagger-on/)

[Im Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/im-nothing/)

> [Ride your horse calm, forward and then make him straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-zettl/ride-your-horse-calm-forward-and-then-make-him-straight/)

[Walter Zettl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-zettl/)

> [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/)

[Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/)

[Browse all 3,074 Calm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Don't show it and don't panic. Do like the ducks; on the surface stay calm, and below it paddle lile hell”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dan Brown"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-the-ducks-on-the-surface-stay/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Calm"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-the-ducks-on-the-surface-stay/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/dan-brown-203_calm_don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-th_2799652.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/dan-brown-203_calm_don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-th_2799652.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/dan-brown-203_calm_don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-th_2799652.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Don't show it and don't panic. Do like the ducks; on the surface stay calm, and below it paddle lile hell” — Dan Brown",
                "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": "Dan Brown",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Don't show it and don't panic....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-the-ducks-on-the-surface-stay/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/don-t-show-it-and-don-t-panic-do-like-the-ducks-on-the-surface-stay/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
