---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ah, yes, the sea is still and deep, All…"
description: "\"Ah, yes, the sea is still and deep, All things within its bosom sleep! A single step, and all is o'er, A plunge, a bubble, and no more.\" — Henry Wadswo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_all-things_ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-thi_3070667.jpg"
---

#  Ah, yes, the sea is still and deep, All things within its…

![“Ah, yes, the sea is still and deep, All things within its bosom sleep! A single step, and all is o'er, A plunge, a bubble, and no more.” quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_all-things_ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-thi_3070667.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_all-things_ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-thi_3070667.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_all-things_ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-thi_3070667.jpg)

> “Ah, yes, the sea is still and deep, All things within its bosom sleep! A single step, and all is o'er, A plunge, a bubble, and no more.”

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

## About This Quote

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

The sea is calm and deep, holding hidden life; a single step can plunge one into its depths.

**In simple terms:** The sea hides mysteries; a step can lead to immersion.

Key Takeaway

Respect nature’s depth before acting.

Themes

nature depth risk

Mood

contemplative poetic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- diving
- exploration
- meditation

Key Concepts

philosophy metaphor

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the sea symbolize for you?
- When is a step too sudden?

A Different Perspective

Unseen dangers may arise.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/)

## Related quotes

> [Love is like a blue sea deep enough to hold everything in it yet so quiet to allow ships to flow on top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farai-humbasha/love-is-like-a-blue-sea-deep-enough-to-hold-everything-in-it-yet-so/)

Farai Humbasha

> [I never dreamed the sea so deep, The earth so dark; so long my sleep, I have become another child. I wake to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/i-never-dreamed-the-sea-so-deep-the-earth-so-dark-so-long-my-sleep-i/)

[Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/)

> [Deep is the sea, and deep is hell, but pride mineth deeper; it is coiled as a poisonous worm about the foundations of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/deep-is-the-sea-and-deep-is-hell-but-pride-mineth-deeper-it-is-coiled/)

[Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/)

> [In the sea of words, the in print is foam, surf bubbles riding the top. And it's a dark sea, and deep, where divers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/in-the-sea-of-words-the-in-print-is-foam-surf-bubbles-riding-the-top/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [The moon is high. The sea is deep. They rock and rock and rock to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-boynton/the-moon-is-high-the-sea-is-deep-they-rock-and-rock-and-rock-to-sleep/)

[Sandra Boynton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-boynton/)

> [The swallow is come! The swallow is come! O, fair are the seasons, and light Are the days that she brings, With her dusky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-swallow-is-come-the-swallow-is-come-o-fair-are-the-seasons-and/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Sail forth into the sea of life, O gentle, loving, trusting wife, And safe from all adversity Upon the bosom of that sea Thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/sail-forth-into-the-sea-of-life-o-gentle-loving-trusting-wife-and/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, Stand like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/this-is-the-forest-primeval-the-murmuring-pines-and-the-hemlocks/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Love is the root of creation; God's essence; worlds without number Lie in his bosom like children; he made them for this purpose only.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/love-is-the-root-of-creation-god-s-essence-worlds-without-number-lie/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [All nature ... is a respiration Of the Spirit of God, who, in breathing hereafter Will inhale it into his bosom again, So that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/all-nature-is-a-respiration-of-the-spirit-of-god-who-in-breathing/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Out of the bosom of the Air, Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken, Over the woodlands brown and bare, Over the harvest-fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/out-of-the-bosom-of-the-air-out-of-the-cloud-folds-of-her-garments/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [The longest journey begins with a single step.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/the-longest-journey-begins-with-a-single-step/)

[Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/)

> [“Do More. Be More. You were made for more! Take all the chances and leaps. Every single step of the journey is a maze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinonye-j-chidolue/do-more-be-more-you-were-made-for-more-take-all-the-chances-and-leaps/)

[Chinonye J. Chidolue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinonye-j-chidolue/)

> [“and I again turned through the magazine's first few pages, past the Guess Jeans ads and Eternity by Calvin Klein ads and pitches for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-dara/and-i-again-turned-through-the-magazine-s-first-few-pages-past-the/)

[Evan Dara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-dara/)

> [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

## More by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

> [The spring came suddenly, bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, with a laugh and a shout and hands full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-spring-came-suddenly-bursting-upon-the-world-as-a-child-bursts/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [In old age our bodies are worn-out instruments, on which the soul tries in vain to play the melodies of youth. But because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/in-old-age-our-bodies-are-worn-out-instruments-on-which-the-soul/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [“ Endymion The rising moon has hid the stars; Her level rays, like golden bars, Lie on the landscape green, With shadows brown between.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/endymion-the-rising-moon-has-hid-the-stars-her-level-rays-like-golden/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [There's nothing fair nor beautiful, but takes Something from thee, that makes it beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/there-s-nothing-fair-nor-beautiful-but-takes-something-from-thee-that/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Fame comes only when deserved, and then is as inevitable as destiny, for it is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/fame-comes-only-when-deserved-and-then-is-as-inevitable-as-destiny/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Nature paints not; In oils, but frescoes the great dome of heaven; With sunsets, and the lovely forms of clouds; And flying vapors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/nature-paints-not-in-oils-but-frescoes-the-great-dome-of-heaven-with/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [“  Thus dwelt together in love these simple Acadian farmers,—   Dwelt in the love of God and of man. Alike were they free from   Fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-dwelt-together-in-love-these-simple-acadian-farmers-dwelt-in-the/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [The trees are white with dust, that o'er their sleep Wave their broad curtains in the south-wind's breath, While underneath such leafy tents they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-trees-are-white-with-dust-that-o-er-their-sleep-wave-their-broad/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/heights-by-great-men-reached-and-kept-were-not-obtained-by-sudden/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [All things come round to him who will but wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/all-things-come-round-to-him-who-will-but-wait/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Ah, how skillful grows the hand That obeyeth Love's command! It is the heart, and not the brain, That to the highest doth attain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/ah-how-skillful-grows-the-hand-that-obeyeth-love-s-command-it-is-the/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Thus departed Hiawatha, Hiawatha the Beloved, In the glory of the sunset, In the purple mists of evening, To the regions of the home-wind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/thus-departed-hiawatha-hiawatha-the-beloved-in-the-glory-of-the/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Books are sepulchres of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/books-are-sepulchres-of-thought/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Morality without religion is only a kind of dead reckoning - an endeavor to find our place on a cloudy sea by measuring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/morality-without-religion-is-only-a-kind-of-dead-reckoning-an/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

> [Buried was the bloody hatchet; Buried was the dreadful war-club; Buried were all warlike weapons, And the war-cry was forgotten. Then was peace among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/buried-was-the-bloody-hatchet-buried-was-the-dreadful-war-club-buried/)

[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

[Explore all 755 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/)

## More All things quotes

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/)

[Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/)

> [Dear God, I trust that no matter what happens in my life, it is for my highest good. And no matter what happens in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/dear-god-i-trust-that-no-matter-what-happens-in-my-life-it-is-for-my/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

> [Moderation, honey, in all things but love and chocolate. That's my motto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bretton/moderation-honey-in-all-things-but-love-and-chocolate-that-s-my-motto/)

[Barbara Bretton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bretton/)

> [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/)

James Nayler

> [What greater weakness can there be than not to know what is the source of one's being, of one's life, of one's senses, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/what-greater-weakness-can-there-be-than-not-to-know-what-is-the/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/)

[Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/)

> [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/)

[Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/)

> [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/)

[Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/)

> [Standing as a witness in all things means being kind in all things, being the first to say hello, being the first to smile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-d-nadauld/standing-as-a-witness-in-all-things-means-being-kind-in-all-things/)

[Margaret D. Nadauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-d-nadauld/)

> [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The U.S. Army has recently removed the cross from the insignia worn by chaplains. In its place is a sun with its rays, symbolizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murray/the-u-s-army-has-recently-removed-the-cross-from-the-insignia-worn-by/)

[Chris Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murray/)

> [...God does not possess a private knowledge of Himself and a separate knowledge of all the creatures in common. The universal Cause, by knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-dionysius/god-does-not-possess-a-private-knowledge-of-himself-and-a-separate/)

[Pope Dionysius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-dionysius/)

Browse all 2,486 All things quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Ah, yes, the sea is still and deep, All things within its bosom sleep! A single step, and all is o'er, A plunge, a bubble, and no more.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-things-within-its-bosom-sleep-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "All things"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-things-within-its-bosom-sleep-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_all-things_ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-thi_3070667.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_all-things_ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-thi_3070667.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/henry-wadsworth-longfellow-284_all-things_ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-thi_3070667.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Ah, yes, the sea is still and deep, All things within its bosom sleep! A single step, and all is o'er, A…” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow",
                "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": "Henry Wadsworth Longfellow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Ah, yes, the sea is still...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-things-within-its-bosom-sleep-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/ah-yes-the-sea-is-still-and-deep-all-things-within-its-bosom-sleep-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
