---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: …you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a…"
description: "\"“…you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings … serendipitously.” ---T..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/john-barth-5311_finding-yourself_you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-c_2997351.jpg"
---

#  …you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You…

![“…you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings … serendipitously.” ---The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor” quote by John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/john-barth-5311_finding-yourself_you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-c_2997351.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/john-barth-5311_finding-yourself_you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-c_2997351.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/john-barth-5311_finding-yourself_you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-c_2997351.jpg)

> ““…you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings … serendipitously.” ---The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor””

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

## About This Quote

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

Serendipity arises from unplanned journeys, not strict plotting.

**In simple terms:** Unexpected discoveries need open‑ended travel.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty to find hidden opportunities.

Themes

adventure serendipity faith

Mood

inspired curious

Type

philosophical creative

When to use this quote

- travel
- creative projects
- personal growth

Key Concepts

uncertainty exploration

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance planning with openness?
- When have you benefited from a serendipitous moment?

A Different Perspective

Too much aimlessness can be unproductive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Finding yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-yourself/) [Inspriational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspriational/) [Reach Serendib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reach-serendib-4740858/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Serendipitously Voyage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serendipitously-voyage-4740859/) [Somebody Sailor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somebody-sailor-4740860/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Voyage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voyage/) [Voyage Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voyage-somebody-4740857/)

## Related quotes

> [You don't reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-course-for-it-you-have-to-set/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [“Because of the very nature of the world as it is today, our children receive in school a heavy load of scientific and analytic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/because-of-the-very-nature-of-the-world-as-it-is-today-our-children/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“With mindfulness there is more to unlearn than there is to learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-h-brooks/with-mindfulness-there-is-more-to-unlearn-than-there-is-to-learn/)

[Michael H. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-h-brooks/)

> [“This snowy morning That black crow I hate so much. . . But he's so beautiful!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/this-snowy-morning-that-black-crow-i-hate-so-much-but-he-s-so/)

[Matsuo Bashō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [“With my last breath...may I thank my almighty creator for giving me his breath of life. May my life try to bring praise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/with-my-last-breath-may-i-thank-my-almighty-creator-for-giving-me-his/)

[Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/)

> [“Music isn't from what is written on the paper, it is what we make the notes on the paper to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/music-isn-t-from-what-is-written-on-the-paper-it-is-what-we-make-the/)

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

> [“It is better to travel on the rough right road than smooth wrong way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-better-to-travel-on-the-rough-right-road-than-smooth-wrong-way/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“Most of the people want to be a leader of winners, but I want to be a leader of losers because losers are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gk-dutta/most-of-the-people-want-to-be-a-leader-of-winners-but-i-want-to-be-a/)

[GK Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gk-dutta/)

> [“Jealousy and anger are two common nature of human being. As I feel there is nothing that can stop us from feeling so. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gk-dutta/jealousy-and-anger-are-two-common-nature-of-human-being-as-i-feel/)

[GK Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gk-dutta/)

> [“What we see, what we say, and what we think is what we get.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-livon/what-we-see-what-we-say-and-what-we-think-is-what-we-get/)

[Jodi Livon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-livon/)

> [Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-s-a-bitch-you-ve-got-to-go-out-and-kick-ass/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“During life's crisis...try to worry less and smile more. Keep your head up because It will get better...it always does!✌”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/during-life-s-crisis-try-to-worry-less-and-smile-more-keep-your-head/)

[Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/)

> [“It's not easy, but it's simple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-thomas/it-s-not-easy-but-it-s-simple/)

[Eric Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-thomas/)

> [“If you can't get something to work. Make a face and try again LOL I works!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-penland/if-you-can-t-get-something-to-work-make-a-face-and-try-again-lol-i/)

[Amanda Penland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-penland/)

> [“Always wash you feet last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-wash-you-feet-last/)

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

## More by John Barth

> [Tis e'er the wont of simple folk to prize the deed and o'erlook the motive, and of learned folk to discount the deed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/tis-e-er-the-wont-of-simple-folk-to-prize-the-deed-and-o-erlook-the/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [“So, I begin each day with a gesture of cynicism, and close it with a gesture of faith; or, if you prefer, begin it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/so-i-begin-each-day-with-a-gesture-of-cynicism-and-close-it-with-a/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [I admire writers who can make complicated things simple, but my own talent has been to make simple things complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/i-admire-writers-who-can-make-complicated-things-simple-but-my-own/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [“That clever folk care less for what ye think than why ye think it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/that-clever-folk-care-less-for-what-ye-think-than-why-ye-think-it/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [Printed prose is historically a most peculiar, almost an aberrant way of telling stories, and by far the most inherently anesthetic: It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/printed-prose-is-historically-a-most-peculiar-almost-an-aberrant-way/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [“There's a great difficulty in making choices if you have any imagination at all. Faced with such a multitude of desireable choices, no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/there-s-a-great-difficulty-in-making-choices-if-you-have-any/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [Self knowledge is always bad news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/self-knowledge-is-always-bad-news/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [The first obligation of the writer is to be interesting. To be interesting; not to change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/the-first-obligation-of-the-writer-is-to-be-interesting-to-be/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [Yet everyone begins in the same place; how is it that most go along without difficulty but a few lose their way?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/yet-everyone-begins-in-the-same-place-how-is-it-that-most-go-along/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [A curious thing about written literature: It is about four thousand years old, but we have no way of knowing whether four thousand years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/a-curious-thing-about-written-literature-it-is-about-four-thousand/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [Nothing is loathsomer than the self-loathing of a self one loathes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/nothing-is-loathsomer-than-the-self-loathing-of-a-self-one-loathes/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [He wishes he had never entered the funhouse. But he has. Then he wishes he were dead. But he's not. Therefore he will construct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/he-wishes-he-had-never-entered-the-funhouse-but-he-has-then-he-wishes/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [“Am I boring you? I don't really care, I suppose, but I'll be more comfortable if I knew all this interested you. No doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/am-i-boring-you-i-don-t-really-care-i-suppose-but-i-ll-be-more/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [Though life's tuition is always ruinous, inexorably we learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/though-life-s-tuition-is-always-ruinous-inexorably-we-learn/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

> [“The difference here 'twixt simple and witty folk, if the truth be known, is that your plain man cares much for what stand ye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/the-difference-here-twixt-simple-and-witty-folk-if-the-truth-be-known/)

[John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

[Explore all 97 John Barth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/)

## More Finding yourself quotes

> [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/)

[Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/)

> [I work with a lot of music programs and there's a steep learning curve to a lot of them. You can really find yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe/i-work-with-a-lot-of-music-programs-and-there-s-a-steep-learning/)

[Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe/)

> [I was going to say 'my friend Stuart', but I suppose he's not a friend any more. I seem to have lost a number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/i-was-going-to-say-my-friend-stuart-but-i-suppose-he-s-not-a-friend/)

[Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/)

> [To be the best you can be, is to know the person in the mirror better than you think you know everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lopez/to-be-the-best-you-can-be-is-to-know-the-person-in-the-mirror-better/)

[Wendy Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-lopez/)

> [Sometimes, the most important thing you'll need to know, is how to be your own best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-you-ll-need-to-know-is-how-to-be/)

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

> [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/)

> [“The act of consciousness is central; otherwise we are overrun by the complexes. The hero in each of us is required to answer the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hollis/the-act-of-consciousness-is-central-otherwise-we-are-overrun-by-the/)

[James Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hollis/)

> [What you discover on your own is always more exciting than what someone else discovers for you - it's like the marriage between romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-rafferty/what-you-discover-on-your-own-is-always-more-exciting-than-what/)

[Terrence Rafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-rafferty/)

> [I am to the point where I don't know if I'm getting better, or I'm just used to the pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori-morton/i-am-to-the-point-where-i-don-t-know-if-i-m-getting-better-or-i-m/)

[Cori Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori-morton/)

> [I noticed that once you realize someone's watching you it's pretty hard not to find yourself watching them back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/i-noticed-that-once-you-realize-someone-s-watching-you-it-s-pretty/)

[Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/)

> [If you find yourself in a relationship or even a friendship with someone who's conflicted with their gender identity, just be kind. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-d-thompson/if-you-find-yourself-in-a-relationship-or-even-a-friendship-with/)

[Linda D. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-d-thompson/)

> [Theres an awkward silence when Eric clears his throat and speaks up. So Jade, tell us about yourself. Its slightly strange but I'm glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/theres-an-awkward-silence-when-eric-clears-his-throat-and-speaks-up/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [If I am being alone does not mean I am a loner rather I am healing me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nidhi-saini/if-i-am-being-alone-does-not-mean-i-am-a-loner-rather-i-am-healing-me/)

[Nidhi Saini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nidhi-saini/)

> [There is strength inside of you that you have yet to discover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-santiago/there-is-strength-inside-of-you-that-you-have-yet-to-discover/)

[Cynthia Santiago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-santiago/)

[Browse all 1,252 Finding yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-yourself/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“…you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings … serendipitously.” ---The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Barth"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-course-for-it-you-have-to-set-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Finding yourself"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-course-for-it-you-have-to-set-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/john-barth-5311_finding-yourself_you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-c_2997351.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/john-barth-5311_finding-yourself_you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-c_2997351.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/john-barth-5311_finding-yourself_you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-c_2997351.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“…you don’t reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and…” — John Barth",
                "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": "John Barth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“…you don’t reach Serendib by plotting...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-course-for-it-you-have-to-set-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/you-don-t-reach-serendib-by-plotting-a-course-for-it-you-have-to-set-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
