--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: we might as well be afloat as earthbound…" description: "\"“we might as well be afloat as earthbound, the heave and fall beneath me the rise of planking, and the sound of the pines the wind in our sails.”\" — Di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/diana-gabaldon-185_sailing_we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound_2214865.jpg" --- # we might as well be afloat as earthbound, the heave and… ![“we might as well be afloat as earthbound, the heave and fall beneath me the rise of planking, and the sound of the pines the wind in our sails.” quote by Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/diana-gabaldon-185_sailing_we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound_2214865.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/diana-gabaldon-185_sailing_we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound_2214865.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/diana-gabaldon-185_sailing_we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound_2214865.jpg) > ““we might as well be afloat as earthbound, the heave and fall beneath me the rise of planking, and the sound of the pines the wind in our sails.”” [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes a yearning for freedom and adventure, using nautical imagery to convey movement and renewal. **In simple terms:** Longing for freedom and adventure. Key Takeaway Embrace change and exploration. Themes freedom adventure nature renewal Mood adventurous hopeful Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - travel planning - career change - creative projects - spiritual retreats Key Concepts metaphor of sailing personal growth exploratory spirit Questions to Reflect On - What does the sea symbolize for you? - How can you balance adventure with grounding? A Different Perspective Idealizing constant motion can neglect the value of stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afloat Earthbound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afloat-earthbound-4918925/) [Earthbound Heave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthbound-heave-4918927/) [Heave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heave-1291360/) [Heave Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heave-fall-4918926/) [Rise Planking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-planking-4918928/) [Sailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailing/) ## Related quotes > [“And then, inside me, the axis of time gave one great heave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/and-then-inside-me-the-axis-of-time-gave-one-great-heave/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“CAN OFFER YOU A TOW OR WOULD YOU PREFER US TO HEAVE TO AND WIND UP YOUR ELASTIC BANDS AGAIN SIGNED CLINT CHIEF OFFICER…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-callison/can-offer-you-a-tow-or-would-you-prefer-us-to-heave-to-and-wind-up/) [Brian Callison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-callison/) > [It's amazing what storms your face can hide, what terrible wrecks can writhe and heave beneath, without one ripple on the surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-valentine/it-s-amazing-what-storms-your-face-can-hide-what-terrible-wrecks-can/) [Jenny Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-valentine/) > [To break the pentameter, that was the first heave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/to-break-the-pentameter-that-was-the-first-heave/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [When we get the inspiration from Heave to do something. We do it now. We don't procrastinate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-r-walker/when-we-get-the-inspiration-from-heave-to-do-something-we-do-it-now/) [William R. Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-r-walker/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [I thought I would try my hand at sailing. It was too small and kept sinking, so I decided to try a boat instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/i-thought-i-would-try-my-hand-at-sailing-it-was-too-small-and-kept/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [And he misses her Like a wind starved sail He sits knowing what direction to go But the current keeps pulling him Down river.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/and-he-misses-her-like-a-wind-starved-sail-he-sits-knowing-what/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [We wanted a musical number that would capture the exhilaration of being out on a boat as they were and sailing with the stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-musker/we-wanted-a-musical-number-that-would-capture-the-exhilaration-of/) [John Musker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-musker/) > [It is quite right what they say: the three most beautiful sights in the world are a ship in full sail, a galloping horse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/it-is-quite-right-what-they-say-the-three-most-beautiful-sights-in/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [“Go small, go simple, go now”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-pardey/go-small-go-simple-go-now/) [Larry Pardey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-pardey/) > [“I loved to steer the ship, and in a short time became an expert helmsman. What glorious weather one experiences within the limits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-whidden/i-loved-to-steer-the-ship-and-in-a-short-time-became-an-expert/) [John D. Whidden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-whidden/) > [“Sometimes driven aground by the photon storms, by the swirling of the galaxies, clockwise and counterclockwise, ticking with light down the dark sea-corridors lined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/sometimes-driven-aground-by-the-photon-storms-by-the-swirling-of-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [It was just the sort of yatch you'd expect a rock promoter to have. Mirrored ceilings, marble, Jacuzzis and leopard-skin everything, it made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/it-was-just-the-sort-of-yatch-you-d-expect-a-rock-promoter-to-have/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) ## More by Diana Gabaldon > [Alright, all right," I said. "What if I tell you a story, instead?" Highlanders loved stories, and Jamie was no exception. "Oh, aye, "…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/alright-all-right-i-said-what-if-i-tell-you-a-story-instead/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [There were moments, of course. Those small spaces in time, too soon gone, when everything seems to stand still, and existence is balanced on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/there-were-moments-of-course-those-small-spaces-in-time-too-soon-gone/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [If it was a sin for you to choose me . . . then I would go to the Devil himself and bless him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/if-it-was-a-sin-for-you-to-choose-me-then-i-would-go-to-the-devil/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [When I turned 35, I thought, 'Mozart was dead at 36, so I set the bar: I'm going to start writing a book on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/when-i-turned-35-i-thought-mozart-was-dead-at-36-so-i-set-the-bar-i-m/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I stagger out of bed, take the dogs outside, and then I'll get a Diet Coke and a couple of dog biscuits and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-stagger-out-of-bed-take-the-dogs-outside-and-then-i-ll-get-a-diet/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“It was…hard. I didna call out, or let them see I was scairt, but I couldna keep my feet. Halfway through it, I fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/it-was-hard-i-didna-call-out-or-let-them-see-i-was-scairt-but-i/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I have all the time and space in the world when I write a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-have-all-the-time-and-space-in-the-world-when-i-write-a-book/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I discovered that, given the indescribable nature of what I write, the only way to sell it is to give people free samples.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-discovered-that-given-the-indescribable-nature-of-what-i-write-the/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“We are bound,you and I, and nothing on this earth shall part me from you."One large hand rose to stroke my hair. "D'ye mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/we-are-bound-you-and-i-and-nothing-on-this-earth-shall-part-me-from/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I think characters are going to be, if not a reflection of the author, at least some refraction of some part of their personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-think-characters-are-going-to-be-if-not-a-reflection-of-the-author/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [My husband asked me once why I read so many mysteries, and part of it is just intellectual, part of it is the joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/my-husband-asked-me-once-why-i-read-so-many-mysteries-and-part-of-it/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“My Da says you’re never drunk, so long as ye can hold on to the floor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/my-da-says-you-re-never-drunk-so-long-as-ye-can-hold-on-to-the-floor/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [When you're an artist, you can't write with the intent of affecting anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/when-you-re-an-artist-you-can-t-write-with-the-intent-of-affecting/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“But a man is not forgotten, as long as there are two people left under the sky. One, to tell the story; the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/but-a-man-is-not-forgotten-as-long-as-there-are-two-people-left-under/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“I didn’t answer, occupied in dissolving the penicillin tablets in the vial of sterile water. I selected a glass barrel, fitted a needle, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-didn-t-answer-occupied-in-dissolving-the-penicillin-tablets-in-the/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) [Explore all 952 Diana Gabaldon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) ## More Sailing quotes > [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [It was just the sort of yatch you'd expect a rock promoter to have. Mirrored ceilings, marble, Jacuzzis and leopard-skin everything, it made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/it-was-just-the-sort-of-yatch-you-d-expect-a-rock-promoter-to-have/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [“Sometimes driven aground by the photon storms, by the swirling of the galaxies, clockwise and counterclockwise, ticking with light down the dark sea-corridors lined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/sometimes-driven-aground-by-the-photon-storms-by-the-swirling-of-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“I loved to steer the ship, and in a short time became an expert helmsman. What glorious weather one experiences within the limits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-whidden/i-loved-to-steer-the-ship-and-in-a-short-time-became-an-expert/) [John D. Whidden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-whidden/) > [“Go small, go simple, go now”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-pardey/go-small-go-simple-go-now/) [Larry Pardey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-pardey/) > [It is quite right what they say: the three most beautiful sights in the world are a ship in full sail, a galloping horse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/it-is-quite-right-what-they-say-the-three-most-beautiful-sights-in/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [We wanted a musical number that would capture the exhilaration of being out on a boat as they were and sailing with the stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-musker/we-wanted-a-musical-number-that-would-capture-the-exhilaration-of/) [John Musker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-musker/) > [And he misses her Like a wind starved sail He sits knowing what direction to go But the current keeps pulling him Down river.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/and-he-misses-her-like-a-wind-starved-sail-he-sits-knowing-what/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I thought I would try my hand at sailing. It was too small and kept sinking, so I decided to try a boat instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-jolly/i-thought-i-would-try-my-hand-at-sailing-it-was-too-small-and-kept/) [Arthur M. Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-jolly/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [Up anchor! Up anchor! Set sail and away! The ventures of dreamland Are thine for a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-weir-mitchell/up-anchor-up-anchor-set-sail-and-away-the-ventures-of-dreamland-are/) [Silas Weir Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-weir-mitchell/) > [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) > [O friend, never strike sail to a fear! Come into port greatly, or sail with God the seas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/o-friend-never-strike-sail-to-a-fear-come-into-port-greatly-or-sail/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I am driven out of fatherlands and motherlands. Thus I now love only my children's land, yet undiscovered, in the farthest sea; for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-am-driven-out-of-fatherlands-and-motherlands-thus-i-now-love-only/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Every flyer who ventures across oceans to distant lands is a potential explorer; in his or her breast burns the same fire that urged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-batten/every-flyer-who-ventures-across-oceans-to-distant-lands-is-a/) [Jean Batten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-batten/) [Browse all 783 Sailing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“we might as well be afloat as earthbound, the heave and fall beneath me the rise of planking, and the sound of the pines the wind in our sails.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diana Gabaldon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound-the-heave-and-fall-beneath/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Sailing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound-the-heave-and-fall-beneath/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/diana-gabaldon-185_sailing_we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound_2214865.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/diana-gabaldon-185_sailing_we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound_2214865.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1c/diana-gabaldon-185_sailing_we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound_2214865.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“we might as well be afloat as earthbound, the heave and fall beneath me the rise of planking, and the sound…” — Diana Gabaldon", "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": "Diana Gabaldon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“we might as well be afloat...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound-the-heave-and-fall-beneath/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/we-might-as-well-be-afloat-as-earthbound-the-heave-and-fall-beneath/#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 } } ] } ```