--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: like corks. To Langdon’s surprise, dozens…" description: "\"“like corks. To Langdon’s surprise, dozens of gondolas were making this same crossing. Their slender hulls—at nearly forty feet in length and almost fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/dan-brown-203_gondolas_like-corks-to-langdon-s-surprise-dozens_1728108.jpg" --- # like corks. To Langdon’s surprise, dozens of gondolas were… ![“like corks. To Langdon’s surprise, dozens of gondolas were making this same crossing. Their slender hulls—at nearly forty feet in length and almost fourteen hundred pounds—appeared remarkably stable in the rough waters. Each vessel was piloted by a sure-footed gondolier” quote by Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/dan-brown-203_gondolas_like-corks-to-langdon-s-surprise-dozens_1728108.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/dan-brown-203_gondolas_like-corks-to-langdon-s-surprise-dozens_1728108.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/dan-brown-203_gondolas_like-corks-to-langdon-s-surprise-dozens_1728108.jpg) > ““like corks. To Langdon’s surprise, dozens of gondolas were making this same crossing. Their slender hulls—at nearly forty feet in length and almost fourteen hundred pounds—appeared remarkably stable in the rough waters. Each vessel was piloted by a sure-footed gondolier”” [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. A surprising number of similar vessels navigate the same challenging route, showing unexpected stability in rough conditions. **In simple terms:** Many similar boats handle tough waters well. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden strengths in familiar settings. Themes surprise stability navigation Mood curious reflective Type observational analytical When to use this quote - river crossings - team projects - adventure travel - engineering design Key Concepts engineering risk assessment group dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What familiar tools can you trust in new challenges? - How does group similarity affect confidence? A Different Perspective Stability may be due to design, not just skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dozens Gondolas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozens-gondolas-1404632/) [Gondolas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gondolas/) [Gondolas Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gondolas-making-1404633/) [Slender Hulls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slender-hulls-1404634/) [Titanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/titanic/) [Vessel Piloted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vessel-piloted-1404635/) ## Related quotes > [Sailin' 'round the world in a dirty gondola Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/sailin-round-the-world-in-a-dirty-gondola-oh-to-be-back-in-the-land/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [ Does anyone know where these gondolas of Paris come from? \[Fr., Ne sait on pas ou viennent ces gondoles Parisiennes?\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/does-anyone-know-where-these-gondolas-of-paris-come-from-fr-ne-sait/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [“It really does look like musical sheets, frayed at the edges, constantly played, coming to you in tidal scores, in bars of canals with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/it-really-does-look-like-musical-sheets-frayed-at-the-edges/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Afloat.We move: Delicious! Ah, What else is like the gondola?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/afloat-we-move-delicious-ah-what-else-is-like-the-gondola/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [As to Don Juan, confess that it is the sublime of that there sort of writing; it may be bawdy, but is it not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/as-to-don-juan-confess-that-it-is-the-sublime-of-that-there-sort-of/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [ \[On Venice:\] A wondrous city of fairest carving, reflected in gleaming waters swirled to new patterning by every passing gondola. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/on-venice-a-wondrous-city-of-fairest-carving-reflected-in-gleaming/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [ The gondola of London \[a hansom\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-gondola-of-london-a-hansom/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [To go out in a gondola at night is to reconstruct in one's imagination the true Venice, the Venice of the past alive with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-guggenheim/to-go-out-in-a-gondola-at-night-is-to-reconstruct-in-one-s/) [Peggy Guggenheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-guggenheim/) > [“Venice appeared to me as in a recurring dream, a place once visited and now fixed in memory like images on a photographer’s plates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-inbinder/venice-appeared-to-me-as-in-a-recurring-dream-a-place-once-visited/) [Gary Inbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-inbinder/) > [By day, Venice is a city of museums and churches, packed with great art. 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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. 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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. 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I was writing about climate change - Anne and I actually wrote the book. We discussed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/overall-the-population-bomb-was-probably-too-optimistic-i-was-writing/) [Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/) > [By day, Venice is a city of museums and churches, packed with great art. Linger over lunch, trying to crack a crustacean with weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-steves/by-day-venice-is-a-city-of-museums-and-churches-packed-with-great-art/) [Rick Steves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-steves/) > [“Venice appeared to me as in a recurring dream, a place once visited and now fixed in memory like images on a photographer’s plates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-inbinder/venice-appeared-to-me-as-in-a-recurring-dream-a-place-once-visited/) [Gary Inbinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-inbinder/) > [To go out in a gondola at night is to reconstruct in one's imagination the true Venice, the Venice of the past alive with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-guggenheim/to-go-out-in-a-gondola-at-night-is-to-reconstruct-in-one-s/) [Peggy Guggenheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-guggenheim/) > [ The gondola of London \[a hansom\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-gondola-of-london-a-hansom/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [ \[On Venice:\] A wondrous city of fairest carving, reflected in gleaming waters swirled to new patterning by every passing gondola. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/on-venice-a-wondrous-city-of-fairest-carving-reflected-in-gleaming/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [As to Don Juan, confess that it is the sublime of that there sort of writing; it may be bawdy, but is it not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/as-to-don-juan-confess-that-it-is-the-sublime-of-that-there-sort-of/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [Afloat.We move: Delicious! Ah, What else is like the gondola?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/afloat-we-move-delicious-ah-what-else-is-like-the-gondola/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [“It really does look like musical sheets, frayed at the edges, constantly played, coming to you in tidal scores, in bars of canals with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/it-really-does-look-like-musical-sheets-frayed-at-the-edges/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [ Does anyone know where these gondolas of Paris come from? \[Fr., Ne sait on pas ou viennent ces gondoles Parisiennes?\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/does-anyone-know-where-these-gondolas-of-paris-come-from-fr-ne-sait/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Sailin' 'round the world in a dirty gondola Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/sailin-round-the-world-in-a-dirty-gondola-oh-to-be-back-in-the-land/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) [Browse all 13 Gondolas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gondolas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“like corks. 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