--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In life as in water, when we curl up or…" description: "\"In life as in water, when we curl up or flail we sink. When we spread and go still, we are carried by the largest sea of all: the sea of grace that flo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/mark-nepo-1670_curls_in-life-as-in-water-when-we-curl-up-or-f_2851821.jpg" --- # In life as in water, when we curl up or flail we sink… ![“In life as in water, when we curl up or flail we sink. When we spread and go still, we are carried by the largest sea of all: the sea of grace that flows steadily beneath the turmoil of events. And just as fish can't see the ocean they live in, we can't quite see the spirit that sustains us.” quote by Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/mark-nepo-1670_curls_in-life-as-in-water-when-we-curl-up-or-f_2851821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/mark-nepo-1670_curls_in-life-as-in-water-when-we-curl-up-or-f_2851821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/mark-nepo-1670_curls_in-life-as-in-water-when-we-curl-up-or-f_2851821.jpg) > “In life as in water, when we curl up or flail we sink. When we spread and go still, we are carried by the largest sea of all: the sea of grace that flows steadily beneath the turmoil of events. And just as fish can't see the ocean they live in, we can't quite see the spirit that sustains us.” [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We sink when we resist, but flow when we surrender to grace, unseen yet sustaining. **In simple terms:** Resisting causes sinking; surrendering to grace carries us. Key Takeaway Embrace grace, let go of resistance. Themes spirituality resilience flow grace Mood calm reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - meditation - stress management - creative work Key Concepts Stoicism mindfulness interconnectedness Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize the 'sea of grace' in daily turmoil? - What does surrender look like for you? A Different Perspective Grace is abstract; some may see surrender as passivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Turmoil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turmoil/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [I find joy and peace in the presence of God and the Holy Spirit sustains that worship, renewing my mind and restoring my heart...His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-story/i-find-joy-and-peace-in-the-presence-of-god-and-the-holy-spirit/) [Laura Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-story/) > [Grace flows most refreshingly through the faucet of brokenness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/grace-flows-most-refreshingly-through-the-faucet-of-brokenness/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [Grace flows through wounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-west/grace-flows-through-wounds/) [Christopher West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-west/) > [“The Spirit of God draws or leads the sinner from one phase to another, gradually, in proportion as one is found having a disposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-oden/the-spirit-of-god-draws-or-leads-the-sinner-from-one-phase-to-another/) [Thomas C. Oden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-oden/) > [But grace has only one direction that it can take. Grace always flows down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-whyte/but-grace-has-only-one-direction-that-it-can-take-grace-always-flows/) [Alexander Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-whyte/) > [Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-for-our-departure-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I like big books and I cannot lie. You other readers can’t deny That when a kid walks in with The Name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-c-hines/i-like-big-books-and-i-cannot-lie-you-other-readers-can-t-deny-that/) [Jim C. Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-c-hines/) > [I don't have the time to curl up on my couch with a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-don-t-have-the-time-to-curl-up-on-my-couch-with-a-good-book/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [If you like comedy, go home and curl up with Leviticus. The writers of The Onion are handed Leviticus on their first day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/if-you-like-comedy-go-home-and-curl-up-with-leviticus-the-writers-of/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [The thing about spending a lifetime under a long, bushy cloud of curls is that people naturally began associating me with my hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-welteroth/the-thing-about-spending-a-lifetime-under-a-long-bushy-cloud-of-curls/) [Elaine Welteroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-welteroth/) > [If anything, global response to the Rising only confirmed something that many Australians had quietly believed for quite some time: If forced to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/if-anything-global-response-to-the-rising-only-confirmed-something/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [“Is your hair as soft as all those curls look?" "No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/is-your-hair-as-soft-as-all-those-curls-look-no/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [ I've always liked walking; that's one of my favorite things to do, and I try to walk every day. \[In Washington, D.C.\] I can't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bush/i-ve-always-liked-walking-that-s-one-of-my-favorite-things-to-do-and/) [Laura Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bush/) > [You curl your hair and paint your face. Not I: I am curled by the wind, painted by the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-de-burgos/you-curl-your-hair-and-paint-your-face-not-i-i-am-curled-by-the-wind/) [Julia de Burgos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-de-burgos/) > [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) ## More by Mark Nepo > [“Often we find it easier to think our way around things rather than to feel our way through them:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/often-we-find-it-easier-to-think-our-way-around-things-rather-than-to/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Each soul on earth is complete unto itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/each-soul-on-earth-is-complete-unto-itself/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [“a living symbol that can call into my moment of sadness a deeper sense of plenitude and generosity that is always there, but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/a-living-symbol-that-can-call-into-my-moment-of-sadness-a-deeper/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [“COMING OUT While there is much to do we are not here to do.   Under the want to problem-solve is the need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/coming-out-while-there-is-much-to-do-we-are-not-here-to-do-under-the/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [The greatest thing we can do to be closer to our own lives and to the freshness of living is to open up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/the-greatest-thing-we-can-do-to-be-closer-to-our-own-lives-and-to-the/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [For though we stubbornly cling, believing in our moment of hunger that there is no other possibility of love, we only have to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/for-though-we-stubbornly-cling-believing-in-our-moment-of-hunger-that/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Perhaps the hardest thing I've learned, and still struggle with, is that I don't have to be finished in order to be whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/perhaps-the-hardest-thing-i-ve-learned-and-still-struggle-with-is/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [A successful creative expression is one in which the person who has expressed it was transformed for having encountered it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/a-successful-creative-expression-is-one-in-which-the-person-who-has/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [No amount of thinking can stop thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/no-amount-of-thinking-can-stop-thinking/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [“Yet beneath all the talk of tragedy and grace, I have come to believe that we are destined to be opened by the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/yet-beneath-all-the-talk-of-tragedy-and-grace-i-have-come-to-believe/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [The glassblower knows: while in the heat of beginning, any shape is possible. Once hardened, the only way to change is to break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/the-glassblower-knows-while-in-the-heat-of-beginning-any-shape-is/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [We work so hard to get somewhere, to realize a dream, to arrive at some destination, that we often forget that though some satisfaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/we-work-so-hard-to-get-somewhere-to-realize-a-dream-to-arrive-at-some/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Our job is not to expose the mystery but to participate in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/our-job-is-not-to-expose-the-mystery-but-to-participate-in-it/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Pursue the obstacle It will set you free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/pursue-the-obstacle-it-will-set-you-free/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) [Explore all 217 Mark Nepo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) ## More Curls quotes > [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [You curl your hair and paint your face. Not I: I am curled by the wind, painted by the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-de-burgos/you-curl-your-hair-and-paint-your-face-not-i-i-am-curled-by-the-wind/) [Julia de Burgos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-de-burgos/) > [ I've always liked walking; that's one of my favorite things to do, and I try to walk every day. \[In Washington, D.C.\] I can't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bush/i-ve-always-liked-walking-that-s-one-of-my-favorite-things-to-do-and/) [Laura Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bush/) > [“Is your hair as soft as all those curls look?" "No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/is-your-hair-as-soft-as-all-those-curls-look-no/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [If anything, global response to the Rising only confirmed something that many Australians had quietly believed for quite some time: If forced to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/if-anything-global-response-to-the-rising-only-confirmed-something/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The thing about spending a lifetime under a long, bushy cloud of curls is that people naturally began associating me with my hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-welteroth/the-thing-about-spending-a-lifetime-under-a-long-bushy-cloud-of-curls/) [Elaine Welteroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-welteroth/) > [If you like comedy, go home and curl up with Leviticus. The writers of The Onion are handed Leviticus on their first day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/if-you-like-comedy-go-home-and-curl-up-with-leviticus-the-writers-of/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [I don't have the time to curl up on my couch with a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-don-t-have-the-time-to-curl-up-on-my-couch-with-a-good-book/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [I like big books and I cannot lie. You other readers can’t deny That when a kid walks in with The Name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-c-hines/i-like-big-books-and-i-cannot-lie-you-other-readers-can-t-deny-that/) [Jim C. Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-c-hines/) > [Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nature-seemed-to-have-adorned-herself-for-our-departure-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“If there’s one genetic trait that automatically disqualifies a man from being able to rock, it’s curly hair. Nobody cool has curly hair; people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/if-there-s-one-genetic-trait-that-automatically-disqualifies-a-man/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [Don't think the purpose of meditation is to go deep into consciousness, wrap a blanket around yourself, and say, 'How cozy! I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eknath-easwaran/don-t-think-the-purpose-of-meditation-is-to-go-deep-into/) [Eknath Easwaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eknath-easwaran/) > [Let us have "sweet girl graduates" by all means. They will be none the less sweet for a little wisdom; and the "golden hair"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/let-us-have-sweet-girl-graduates-by-all-means-they-will-be-none-the/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [I'm so alive. As I stand facing the beauty of the never-ending Pacific Ocean, a late afternoon breeze blows down from the hills behind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-pelzer/i-m-so-alive-as-i-stand-facing-the-beauty-of-the-never-ending-pacific/) [Dave Pelzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-pelzer/) > [“Her hair falls loose in a cascade of black curls, caught in a crown of magenta bougainvillea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/her-hair-falls-loose-in-a-cascade-of-black-curls-caught-in-a-crown-of/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) Browse all 270 Curls quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In life as in water, when we curl up or flail we sink. When we spread and go still, we are carried by the largest sea of all: the sea of grace that flows steadily beneath the turmoil of events. 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