---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m sure we were all feeling blessed on…"
description: "\"“I’m sure we were all feeling blessed on this ferryboat among the humps of very green--in the sunlight almost coolly burning, like phosphorus--islands,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/denis-johnson-2135_love_i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on_872229.png"
---

#  I’m sure we were all feeling blessed on this ferryboat…

![“I’m sure we were all feeling blessed on this ferryboat among the humps of very green--in the sunlight almost coolly burning, like phosphorus--islands, and the water of inlets winking in the sincere light of day, under a sky as blue and brainless as the love of God, despite the smell, the slight…” quote by Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/denis-johnson-2135_love_i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on_872229.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/denis-johnson-2135_love_i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on_872229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/denis-johnson-2135_love_i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on_872229.png)

> ““I’m sure we were all feeling blessed on this ferryboat among the humps of very green--in the sunlight almost coolly burning, like phosphorus--islands, and the water of inlets winking in the sincere light of day, under a sky as blue and brainless as the love of God, despite the smell, the slight, dreamy suffocation, of some kind of petroleum-based compound used to seal the deck’s seams.””

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator describes a vivid, almost surreal scene on a ferry, mixing natural beauty with artificial smells, reflecting on a complex blend of awe and discomfort.

**In simple terms:** A beautiful yet unsettling ferry scene.

Key Takeaway

Notice both wonder and unease in surroundings.

Themes

nature beauty discomfort spirituality

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

descriptive poetic

When to use this quote

- travel
- maritime
- environmental observation
- artistic description

Key Concepts

surrealism sensory detail contradiction

Questions to Reflect On

- How does the contrast between beauty and scent affect perception?
- What does the sky symbolize?

A Different Perspective

The poetic language may obscure practical meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blessed Ferryboat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessed-ferryboat-963974/) [Feeling Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-blessed/) [Ferryboat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferryboat-963976/) [Ferryboat Humps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferryboat-humps-963975/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-of-god/) [Sunlight Coolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunlight-coolly-963977/)

## Related quotes

> [Prayers go up, blessings pour down!! God always makes a way for better things to happen, feeling blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayers-go-up-blessings-pour-down-god-always-makes-a-way-for-better/)

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

> [“Always feeling that you are 'Blessed' is a state of mind!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/educationist-rana-vikram-singh/always-feeling-that-you-are-blessed-is-a-state-of-mind/)

[Educationist Rana Vikram Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/educationist-rana-vikram-singh/)

> [I'm not so much surprised by the success of 'Ugly Betty' as I am feeling so blessed by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-ortiz/i-m-not-so-much-surprised-by-the-success-of-ugly-betty-as-i-am/)

[Ana Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-ortiz/)

> [Wake up feeling blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wake-up-feeling-blessed/)

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

> [Always remember you can't be stressed and thankful at the same time. If you are feeling blessed you can't be stressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-remember-you-can-t-be-stressed-and-thankful-at-the-same-time/)

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

> [Feeling good. Feeling great. Feeling blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/feeling-good-feeling-great-feeling-blessed/)

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

> [God works in the most weirdest but amazing ways. Feeling blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-works-in-the-most-weirdest-but-amazing-ways-feeling-blessed/)

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

> [Deja vu is God's way of telling you that you are exactly where he needs you to be. It surprises me that despite all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sashauni-aaeliyae/deja-vu-is-god-s-way-of-telling-you-that-you-are-exactly-where-he/)

[Sashauni Aaeliyae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sashauni-aaeliyae/)

> [I'm very appreciative, I'm feeling very blessed and I like to live in the moment so any person I meet, I start to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-guzman/i-m-very-appreciative-i-m-feeling-very-blessed-and-i-like-to-live-in/)

[Ryan Guzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-guzman/)

> [I wake up every morning feeling blessed and thankful to do what I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wake-up-every-morning-feeling-blessed-and-thankful-to-do-what-i-love/)

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

> [Inspite of all that's happened, I still try and wake up every morning, and go to bed every night feeling blessed just to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-ambrosino/inspite-of-all-that-s-happened-i-still-try-and-wake-up-every-morning/)

[Brooke Ambrosino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-ambrosino/)

> [Waking up feeling blessed. The great thing is...life is full of second chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/waking-up-feeling-blessed-the-great-thing-is-life-is-full-of-second/)

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

> [If I choose to bless another person, I will always end up feeling more blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/if-i-choose-to-bless-another-person-i-will-always-end-up-feeling-more/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [This deep sense of feeling that, 'I am' blessed can help you overcome any obstacle in life. It gives you courage and confidence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/this-deep-sense-of-feeling-that-i-am-blessed-can-help-you-overcome/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Feeling blessed. Lots of things to look forward to towards the end of the year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/feeling-blessed-lots-of-things-to-look-forward-to-towards-the-end-of/)

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

## More by Denis Johnson

> [“You’ve never felt good. Your suffering protects you. Pain is the ransom you have gladly paid not to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/you-ve-never-felt-good-your-suffering-protects-you-pain-is-the-ransom/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“He had laid his head back until his scalp had contacted his spine, that far back, and opened his throat, and a sound rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-had-laid-his-head-back-until-his-scalp-had-contacted-his-spine/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“Everything is arranged," John Robertson told me. Thank God." I forgot to mention that we appear to have one small problem," he said. Okay..."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/everything-is-arranged-john-robertson-told-me-thank-god-i-forgot-to/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [Before this moment I'd lived as a mind. Body, heart, soul, intellect, so we care ourselves into parts. But the whole of us, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/before-this-moment-i-d-lived-as-a-mind-body-heart-soul-intellect-so/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [He got right down in the dark between heartbeats, and rested there. And then he saw that another one wasn't going to come. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-got-right-down-in-the-dark-between-heartbeats-and-rested-there-and/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [I’d been staying at the Holiday Inn with my girlfriend, honestly the most beautiful woman I’d even known, for three days under a phony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-d-been-staying-at-the-holiday-inn-with-my-girlfriend-honestly-the/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“All of this while I left lifted by a strange new medium, a strange element--I now tell you that I was newly buoyant in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/all-of-this-while-i-left-lifted-by-a-strange-new-medium-a-strange/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“He didn’t know what country he was in, but he was at home in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-didn-t-know-what-country-he-was-in-but-he-was-at-home-in-the/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“There's a dizzying thrill in a philosophy that can only be tested by suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/there-s-a-dizzying-thrill-in-a-philosophy-that-can-only-be-tested-by/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [I really enjoy writing novels. It's like the ocean. You can just build a boat and take off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-really-enjoy-writing-novels-it-s-like-the-ocean-you-can-just-build/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“Who said it? – probably Confucius – “I can’t beat a sculpture from a stone with a sledgehammer; I can’t free the soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/who-said-it-probably-confucius-i-can-t-beat-a-sculpture-from-a-stone/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“A bus came. I climbed aboard and sat on the plastic seat while the things of our city turned in the windows like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/a-bus-came-i-climbed-aboard-and-sat-on-the-plastic-seat-while-the/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [I knew every raindrop by its name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-knew-every-raindrop-by-its-name/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“To find the people who've became truly sane, seek among those who've managed to do without sanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/to-find-the-people-who-ve-became-truly-sane-seek-among-those-who-ve/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“eventually these encounters forced him to acknowledge the reality of fate, and the truth inherent in things of the imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/eventually-these-encounters-forced-him-to-acknowledge-the-reality-of/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

[Explore all 183 Denis Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

## More Love quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [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/)

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/)

[Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/)

> [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/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/)

[Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

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

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [“To be loved by a man, truly loved, made a woman feel as if she could burst. Of course, Lia was strong and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/to-be-loved-by-a-man-truly-loved-made-a-woman-feel-as-if-she-could/)

[Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/)

> [So when you take those tears, don't look to see I'm alright. …\*Seal - Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/so-when-you-take-those-tears-don-t-look-to-see-i-m-alright-seal-violet/)

[Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/)

> [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/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/)

[George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/)

[Browse all 233,035 Love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I’m sure we were all feeling blessed on this ferryboat among the humps of very green--in the sunlight almost coolly burning, like phosphorus--islands, and the water of inlets winking in the sincere light of day, under a sky as blue and brainless as the love of God, despite the smell, the slight, dreamy suffocation, of some kind of petroleum-based compound used to seal the deck’s seams.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Denis Johnson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on-this-ferryboat-among-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on-this-ferryboat-among-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/denis-johnson-2135_love_i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on_872229.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/denis-johnson-2135_love_i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on_872229.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/denis-johnson-2135_love_i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on_872229.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I’m sure we were all feeling blessed on this ferryboat among the humps of very green--in the sunlight almost…” — Denis Johnson",
                "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": "Denis Johnson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I’m sure we were all feeling...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on-this-ferryboat-among-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-m-sure-we-were-all-feeling-blessed-on-this-ferryboat-among-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
