---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Grateful to be a little boat, full of…"
description: "\"Grateful to be a little boat, full of water, still floating.\" — John Green"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/john-green-12_boat_grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-wat_1561539.jpg"
---

#  Grateful to be a little boat, full of water, still floating.

![“Grateful to be a little boat, full of water, still floating.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/john-green-12_boat_grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-wat_1561539.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/john-green-12_boat_grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-wat_1561539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/john-green-12_boat_grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-wat_1561539.jpg)

> “Grateful to be a little boat, full of water, still floating.”

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## About This Quote

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

Gratitude for being alive, even in small, fragile ways, keeps one afloat.

**In simple terms:** Being grateful helps us stay afloat despite hardships.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate gratitude daily.

Themes

gratitude resilience life appreciation

Mood

hopeful reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal journaling
- therapy sessions
- recovering from illness
- daily challenges

Key Concepts

existentialism mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- What small thing are you grateful for today?
- How does gratitude change your outlook?

A Different Perspective

Gratitude can feel forced during deep sorrow.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Hipster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hipster/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/)

## Related quotes

> [Examining this water...I found floating therein divers earthy particles, and some green streaks, spirally wound serpent-wise...and I judge that some of these little creatures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonie-van-leeuwenhoek/examining-this-water-i-found-floating-therein-divers-earthy-particles/)

[Antonie van Leeuwenhoek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonie-van-leeuwenhoek/)

> [God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it. It stays afloat for years and years, And sinks within a minute.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-who-travels-in-it-it-stays/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [A little (or more) boat burning would do many enterprises a world of good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/a-little-or-more-boat-burning-would-do-many-enterprises-a-world-of/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [From a little boat, to a big boat, to a helicopter, to an airplane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-johnson/from-a-little-boat-to-a-big-boat-to-a-helicopter-to-an-airplane/)

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

> [I'm trying to think, like, 'Wow, I know one day, my kids are not going to live with me. They're gonna be like, 'Oh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaria-baldwin/i-m-trying-to-think-like-wow-i-know-one-day-my-kids-are-not-going-to/)

[Hilaria Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaria-baldwin/)

> [I feel extremely lucky, extremely grateful, and a little bittersweet, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-feel-extremely-lucky-extremely-grateful-and-a-little-bittersweet-too/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [My life has crept so long on a broken wing Through cells of madness, haunts of horror and fear, That I come to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/my-life-has-crept-so-long-on-a-broken-wing-through-cells-of-madness/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [I'm so grateful for every little thing GOD has make me achieve ,if it wasn't for him ,I would be still learning how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brighton-simpsons/i-m-so-grateful-for-every-little-thing-god-has-make-me-achieve-if-it/)

[Brighton Simpsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brighton-simpsons/)

> [I'M GRATEFUL...THAT MY LITTLE BROTHER HAS A FRIEND LIKE YOU. -ITACHI UCHIHA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-grateful-that-my-little-brother-has-a-friend-like-you-itachi/)

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

> [In my films, I try to give people as little information as possible, which is still much more than what they get in real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/in-my-films-i-try-to-give-people-as-little-information-as-possible/)

[Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/)

> [“She came to a little wrecked pleasure-steamer, which had become embedded in the mud several summers ago and which no one had bothered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-comyns/she-came-to-a-little-wrecked-pleasure-steamer-which-had-become/)

[Barbara Comyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-comyns/)

> [“Be loving to him. Because he’s only a little boat looking for a harbor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/be-loving-to-him-because-he-s-only-a-little-boat-looking-for-a-harbor/)

[Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/)

> [We also own a little boat and I'm like a kid with it. I take off early in the morning, fishing rod in tow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-como/we-also-own-a-little-boat-and-i-m-like-a-kid-with-it-i-take-off-early/)

[Perry Como](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-como/)

> [A little child paddles a little boat, Drifting about, and picking white lotuses. He does not know how to hide his tracks, And duckweed's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bai-juyi/a-little-child-paddles-a-little-boat-drifting-about-and-picking-white/)

[Bai Juyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bai-juyi/)

> [“these are my enticements, and they are sufficent to conquer all fear and danger or death... with the induction of the joy of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/these-are-my-enticements-and-they-are-sufficent-to-conquer-all-fear/)

[Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/)

## More by John Green

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## More Boat quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/)

[John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/)

> [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/)

> [It's a hindrance in trying to get a serious acting role. The minute a producer has a script and my name comes up, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbi-benton/it-s-a-hindrance-in-trying-to-get-a-serious-acting-role-the-minute-a/)

[Barbi Benton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbi-benton/)

> [Something I like to do a lot is just sit by water when there’s a current and just stare into the water. I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/something-i-like-to-do-a-lot-is-just-sit-by-water-when-there-s-a/)

[Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/)

> [The trouble is, you can't properly present something you don't believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcguane/the-trouble-is-you-can-t-properly-present-something-you-don-t-believe/)

[Thomas McGuane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcguane/)

> [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/)

[Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/)

> [A film is a boat which is always on the point of sinking-it always tends to break up as you go along and drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/a-film-is-a-boat-which-is-always-on-the-point-of-sinking-it-always/)

[Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/)

> [I took one guitar lesson, and they wanted me to play 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' or 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore,' and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-took-one-guitar-lesson-and-they-wanted-me-to-play-mary-had-a-little/)

[Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/)

> [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-doyle/i-was-35-years-old-and-in-a-position-to-take-a-shot-at-whatever-i/)

[Jerry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-doyle/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I once went down the Amazon and our boat got charged by Columbian policemen with guns and we all had to get on motorbikes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-skelton/i-once-went-down-the-amazon-and-our-boat-got-charged-by-columbian/)

[Helen Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-skelton/)

> [Most of the world is covered by water. A fisherman's job is simple: Pick out the best parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-waterman/most-of-the-world-is-covered-by-water-a-fisherman-s-job-is-simple/)

Charles W. Waterman

Browse all 1,788 Boat quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Grateful to be a little boat, full of water, still floating.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Green"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-water-still-floating/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Boat"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-water-still-floating/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/john-green-12_boat_grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-wat_1561539.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/john-green-12_boat_grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-wat_1561539.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/john-green-12_boat_grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-wat_1561539.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Grateful to be a little boat, full of water, still floating.” — John Green",
                "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 Green",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Grateful to be a little boat,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-water-still-floating/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-water-still-floating/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
