--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She’s still taking on water.” A desert…" description: "\"“She’s still taking on water.” A desert blessing, an ocean curse.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/john-green-12_water_she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-ble_2547620.jpg" --- # She’s still taking on water.” A desert blessing, an ocean… ![“She’s still taking on water.” A desert blessing, an ocean curse.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/john-green-12_water_she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-ble_2547620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/john-green-12_water_she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-ble_2547620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/john-green-12_water_she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-ble_2547620.jpg) > ““She’s still taking on water.” A desert blessing, an ocean curse.”” [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. A paradoxical image of a person both receiving nourishment and being cursed, suggesting mixed blessings. **In simple terms:** Life can be both a blessing and a curse. Key Takeaway Accept duality. Themes paradox nature blessing Mood thoughtful melancholic contemplative Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - relationships - health crises - environmental change Key Concepts dualism resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance gratitude with caution? - What blessings feel like curses? A Different Perspective Focus on the positive may ignore hidden harms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blessing Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing-ocean-1490449/) [Desert Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert-blessing-1490450/) [Ocean Curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-curse-1490448/) [Taking Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-water-1490451/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Water Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water-desert-950515/) ## Related quotes > [A desert blessing, an ocean curse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-desert-blessing-an-ocean-curse/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [All I know if you keep on taking water from the well...it will all dry up and you have up having nothing for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-marley/all-i-know-if-you-keep-on-taking-water-from-the-well-it-will-all-dry/) [Julian Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-marley/) > [“The team is showing its appreciation to the host families by taking them to a water park on Sunday. I know Mac is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/the-team-is-showing-its-appreciation-to-the-host-families-by-taking/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [My dad was a youth football coach who coached J.J. and Derek, so I grew up taking water to guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-watt/my-dad-was-a-youth-football-coach-who-coached-j-j-and-derek-so-i-grew/) [T. J. Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-watt/) > [“And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. For me, it was like a spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-i-knew-that-i-could-not-bear-the-thought-of-never-hearing-that/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [“Water, water, water... There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount...unless you try to establish a city where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/water-water-water-there-is-no-shortage-of-water-in-the-desert-but/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Never thank anybody for anything, except a drink of water in the desert - and then make it brief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-fowler/never-thank-anybody-for-anything-except-a-drink-of-water-in-the/) [Gene Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-fowler/) > [If you find breads and water in the desert, you are bound to find God somewhere too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-you-find-breads-and-water-in-the-desert-you-are-bound-to-find-god/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Time is nothing but just a well without water in the desert when you are thirsty and hope that it must be somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/time-is-nothing-but-just-a-well-without-water-in-the-desert-when-you/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [“Water in the Desert”: “No desolation is so total that it cannot contain somewhere, concealed and singing, a drop of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrette/water-in-the-desert-no-desolation-is-so-total-that-it-cannot-contain/) [Elizabeth Barrette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrette/) > [“His eyes looked at my body as if it were a drink of water on a desert dune.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/his-eyes-looked-at-my-body-as-if-it-were-a-drink-of-water-on-a-desert/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [Life could not change the sun or water the desert, so it changed itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/life-could-not-change-the-sun-or-water-the-desert-so-it-changed-itself/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Without water the desert is nothing but a grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-cable/without-water-the-desert-is-nothing-but-a-grave/) [Mildred Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-cable/) > [“Have you ever been - well, i mean, have you ever - really wanted someone ? Wanted them like water in the desert -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/have-you-ever-been-well-i-mean-have-you-ever-really-wanted-someone/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [A quotation in the right place at the right time is like water in a desert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-quotation-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time-is-like-water-in-a/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) ## 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 Water quotes > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Water is life, and clean water means health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/water-is-life-and-clean-water-means-health/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [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 love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [Possessions can possess you. Even a lawn can possess you. It makes you buy a garden hose. Which makes you water. Which cuts into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-bean/possessions-can-possess-you-even-a-lawn-can-possess-you-it-makes-you/) [Orson Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-bean/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/) [Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [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/) > [No verse can give pleasure for long, nor last, that is written by drinkers of water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/no-verse-can-give-pleasure-for-long-nor-last-that-is-written-by/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Kissing her is like drinking salted water, he thinks. His thirst only increases.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/kissing-her-is-like-drinking-salted-water-he-thinks-his-thirst-only/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) [Browse all 11,281 Water quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She’s still taking on water.” A desert blessing, an ocean curse.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-blessing-an-ocean-curse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Water" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-blessing-an-ocean-curse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/john-green-12_water_she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-ble_2547620.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/john-green-12_water_she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-ble_2547620.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/john-green-12_water_she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-ble_2547620.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“She’s still taking on water.” A desert blessing, an ocean curse.” — 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": "“She’s still taking on water.” A...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-blessing-an-ocean-curse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-s-still-taking-on-water-a-desert-blessing-an-ocean-curse/#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 } } ] } ```