--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being on a ship is something like being…" description: "\"Being on a ship is something like being pregnant. You can sit there and do absolutely nothing but stare at the water and have the nicest sense that you..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/jean-kerr-9802_absolutely-nothing_being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being_320984.png" --- # Being on a ship is something like being pregnant. You can… ![“Being on a ship is something like being pregnant. You can sit there and do absolutely nothing but stare at the water and have the nicest sense that you are accomplishing something.” quote by Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/jean-kerr-9802_absolutely-nothing_being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being_320984.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/jean-kerr-9802_absolutely-nothing_being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being_320984.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/jean-kerr-9802_absolutely-nothing_being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being_320984.png) > “Being on a ship is something like being pregnant. You can sit there and do absolutely nothing but stare at the water and have the nicest sense that you are accomplishing something.” [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being on a ship mirrors pregnancy: both involve passive observation and a sense of accomplishment without active effort. **In simple terms:** Ship life feels like pregnancy. Key Takeaway Recognize passive periods as part of growth. Themes patience observation growth illusion Mood contemplative calm Type metaphorical reflective When to use this quote - creative blocks - career pauses - personal development Key Concepts metaphor stagnation self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does passive observation aid creativity? - When is it time to move from observation to action? A Different Perspective Passive waiting can become stagnation if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplishing something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishing-something/) [Being pregnant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-pregnant/) [Pregnant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pregnant/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Ship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ship/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [Making an album can be like being pregnant: you want to pop that thing out and show everybody!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/making-an-album-can-be-like-being-pregnant-you-want-to-pop-that-thing/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [I really like being pregnant. Not that there aren't things I don't love, but when I think about what my body is doing -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/i-really-like-being-pregnant-not-that-there-aren-t-things-i-don-t/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Success is like being pregnant, everybody congratulates you, but nobody knows how many times your were f\*\*\*\*\* before you got there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-is-like-being-pregnant-everybody-congratulates-you-but-nobody/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't particularly like being pregnant. I like the baby at the end. Pregnancy is a very distant thing for me. I can't seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beth-whitehead/i-don-t-particularly-like-being-pregnant-i-like-the-baby-at-the-end/) [Mary Beth Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beth-whitehead/) > [I don't really do very well when I'm sent somewhere. A lot of magazines want to send you somewhere to do something. They want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-don-t-really-do-very-well-when-i-m-sent-somewhere-a-lot-of/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Rush, that most exciting perversion of life, the necessity of accomplishing something in less time than should be truly allowed for its doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/rush-that-most-exciting-perversion-of-life-the-necessity-of/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [There's a difference between standing up and telling people what you're planning to do and standing up and going and accomplishing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stanley/there-s-a-difference-between-standing-up-and-telling-people-what-you/) [Paul Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stanley/) > [Life is short, and potential studies infinite. We have a much better chance of accomplishing something significant when we follow our passionate interests and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/life-is-short-and-potential-studies-infinite-we-have-a-much-better/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Leadership is accomplishing something through other people that wouldn't have happened if you weren't there. . . Leadership is being able to mobilize ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-tichy/leadership-is-accomplishing-something-through-other-people-that/) [Noel Tichy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-tichy/) > [I think my favorite thing is the mystery of life - it makes you feel that much better about accomplishing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lang/i-think-my-favorite-thing-is-the-mystery-of-life-it-makes-you-feel/) [Jonny Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lang/) > [I did 50 takes on Robert Shaw assembling the Greener Gun on 'Jaws.' The shark wasn't working, so I just kept shooting to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-did-50-takes-on-robert-shaw-assembling-the-greener-gun-on-jaws-the/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [When you use an excuse for not accomplishing something or not completing a project, you are actually giving power to someone or something outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/when-you-use-an-excuse-for-not-accomplishing-something-or-not/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [I didn't originally intend on writing a book. I started writing during the day to feel like I was accomplishing something creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dratch/i-didn-t-originally-intend-on-writing-a-book-i-started-writing-during/) [Rachel Dratch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-dratch/) > [The only test of possession is use. The talent that is buried is not owned. The napkin and the hole in the ground are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maltbie-davenport-babcock/the-only-test-of-possession-is-use-the-talent-that-is-buried-is-not/) [Maltbie Davenport Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maltbie-davenport-babcock/) > [Even though I'm resting I'm accomplishing something by sewing that shirt that I've been meaning to sew for weeks. And it's relaxing. It's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/even-though-i-m-resting-i-m-accomplishing-something-by-sewing-that/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) ## More by Jean Kerr > [It has been explained to me that toys are packaged in shards, to be assembled by the middle-aged and butter-fingered, because this makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/it-has-been-explained-to-me-that-toys-are-packaged-in-shards-to-be/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in the morning feeling just plain terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/the-average-healthy-well-adjusted-adult-gets-up-at-seven-thirty-in/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Being divorced is like being hit by a Mack truck. If you live through it, you start looking very carefully to the right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/being-divorced-is-like-being-hit-by-a-mack-truck-if-you-live-through/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [To me having a party is something like having a baby. The fact that you got through the last one alive is not somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/to-me-having-a-party-is-something-like-having-a-baby-the-fact-that/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [I make mistakes; I'll be the second to admit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/i-make-mistakes-i-ll-be-the-second-to-admit-it/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Man is the only animal that learns by being hypocritical. He pretends to be polite and then, eventually, he becomes polite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/man-is-the-only-animal-that-learns-by-being-hypocritical-he-pretends/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if some manufacturer would make a toy as tough, as staunch, as hard to crack open as the carton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/oh-wouldn-t-it-be-wonderful-if-some-manufacturer-would-make-a-toy-as/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [“Oftentimes, in the evening after they have finished spreading the fertiliser, the writer and his wife sit on the fence - with a wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/oftentimes-in-the-evening-after-they-have-finished-spreading-the/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Dearer to me than the evening star A Packard car A Hershey bar Or a bride in her rich adorning Dearer than any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/dearer-to-me-than-the-evening-star-a-packard-car-a-hershey-bar-or-a/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Don't be silly. I'm a mature, intelligent woman. Of course I'm afraid of my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/don-t-be-silly-i-m-a-mature-intelligent-woman-of-course-i-m-afraid-of/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Even though a number of people have tried, no one has ever found a way to drink for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/even-though-a-number-of-people-have-tried-no-one-has-ever-found-a-way/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [People only call you 'my dear' when they are irritated with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/people-only-call-you-my-dear-when-they-are-irritated-with-you/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > ['Lunch Hour' is suitable for a teenager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/lunch-hour-is-suitable-for-a-teenager/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Children are different - mentally, physically, spiritually, quantitatively, qualitatively; and furthermore, they're all a little bit nuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/children-are-different-mentally-physically-spiritually-quantitatively/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [Confronted by an absolutely infuriating review, it is sometimes helpful for the victim to do a little personal research on the critic. Is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/confronted-by-an-absolutely-infuriating-review-it-is-sometimes/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) [Explore all 69 Jean Kerr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) ## More Absolutely nothing quotes > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“Amateur psychiatric prognosis can be fascinating when there is absolutely nothing else to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-condon/amateur-psychiatric-prognosis-can-be-fascinating-when-there-is/) [Richard Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-condon/) > [I am unusual for a Frenchman - I have absolutely nothing against the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/i-am-unusual-for-a-frenchman-i-have-absolutely-nothing-against-the/) [Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/) > [I know quickly whether a guy is boyfriend material. If I can have a good time doing absolutely nothing with him, then that's boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-hannigan/i-know-quickly-whether-a-guy-is-boyfriend-material-if-i-can-have-a/) [Alyson Hannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-hannigan/) > [I cannot conceive of music that expresses absolutely nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-bartok/i-cannot-conceive-of-music-that-expresses-absolutely-nothing/) [Bela Bartok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-bartok/) > [Well, I've got nothing to hide. Absolutely nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/well-i-ve-got-nothing-to-hide-absolutely-nothing/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-caddy/expect-the-most-wonderful-things-to-happen-not-in-the-future-but/) [Eileen Caddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-caddy/) > [There is no reason not to love. There is no reason not to be joyous. There is no reason not to celebrate because all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-reason-not-to-love-there-is-no-reason-not-to-be-joyous/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Here is something no real celebrity will ever tell you: film acting is not very fun. Doing the same thing over and over again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/here-is-something-no-real-celebrity-will-ever-tell-you-film-acting-is/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [Listen to everyone, read everything; believe absolutely nothing unless you can prove it in your own right!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-william-cooper/listen-to-everyone-read-everything-believe-absolutely-nothing-unless/) [Milton William Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-william-cooper/) > [What a delightful thing is the conversation of specialists! One understands absolutely nothing and it's charming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/what-a-delightful-thing-is-the-conversation-of-specialists-one/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I go to practice every day. I really don't have a training camp. In the boxing world, and that's where that came from, almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-go-to-practice-every-day-i-really-don-t-have-a-training-camp-in-the/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [There is absolutely nothing that you desire that you cannot achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-is-absolutely-nothing-that-you-desire-that-you-cannot-achieve/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [What did Republicans get for 16 days of a government shutdown with people being hurt? We have absolutely nothing to show for it, other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/what-did-republicans-get-for-16-days-of-a-government-shutdown-with/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [Speak kind words to mankind and the unkind will attack you. Speak common sense using all your senses, and you will attacked by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/speak-kind-words-to-mankind-and-the-unkind-will-attack-you-speak/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) Browse all 268 Absolutely nothing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being on a ship is something like being pregnant. You can sit there and do absolutely nothing but stare at the water and have the nicest sense that you are accomplishing something.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean Kerr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being-pregnant-you-can-sit-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absolutely nothing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being-pregnant-you-can-sit-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/jean-kerr-9802_absolutely-nothing_being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being_320984.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/jean-kerr-9802_absolutely-nothing_being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being_320984.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/jean-kerr-9802_absolutely-nothing_being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being_320984.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being on a ship is something like being pregnant. You can sit there and do absolutely nothing but stare at…” — Jean Kerr", "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": "Jean Kerr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being on a ship is something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being-pregnant-you-can-sit-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/being-on-a-ship-is-something-like-being-pregnant-you-can-sit-there/#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 } } ] } ```