--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A wanderer is man from his birth. He was…" description: "\"A wanderer is man from his birth. He was born in a ship On the breast of the river of Time.\" — Matthew Arnold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/matthew-arnold-1235_birth_a-wanderer-is-man-from-his-birth-he-was_2048250.jpg" --- # A wanderer is man from his birth. He was born in a ship On… ![“A wanderer is man from his birth. He was born in a ship On the breast of the river of Time.” quote by Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/matthew-arnold-1235_birth_a-wanderer-is-man-from-his-birth-he-was_2048250.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/matthew-arnold-1235_birth_a-wanderer-is-man-from-his-birth-he-was_2048250.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/matthew-arnold-1235_birth_a-wanderer-is-man-from-his-birth-he-was_2048250.jpg) > “A wanderer is man from his birth. He was born in a ship On the breast of the river of Time.” [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that humans are inherently travelers, born into the flow of time and existence. **In simple terms:** Humans are natural travelers in time. Key Takeaway Embrace life's journey. Themes identity travel time existence Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - personal growth - historical reflection - creative writing - mindfulness Key Concepts philosophy poetry Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing yourself as a traveler affect your choices? - What comforts do you seek in a transient world? A Different Perspective It may overlook the desire for stability and rootedness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wanderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanderer/) [Wanderers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanderers/) ## Related quotes > [“Ô, the wine of a woman from heaven is sent, more perfect than all that a man can invent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/the-wine-of-a-woman-from-heaven-is-sent-more-perfect-than-all-that-a/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [Vast is the power of cities to reclaim the wanderer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/vast-is-the-power-of-cities-to-reclaim-the-wanderer/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [Perhaps some deep-rooted atavism urges the wanderer back to lands which his ancestors left in the dim beginnings of history. Sometimes a man hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perhaps-some-deep-rooted-atavism-urges-the-wanderer-back-to-lands/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [The truant Fancy was a wanderer ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/the-truant-fancy-was-a-wanderer-ever/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [A good wanderer leaves no trace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/a-good-wanderer-leaves-no-trace/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [I never became primarily a musician! I've always been a wanderer and I'm always bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlemagne-palestine/i-never-became-primarily-a-musician-i-ve-always-been-a-wanderer-and-i/) [Charlemagne Palestine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlemagne-palestine/) > [An exile, ill in heart and frame,-- A wanderer, weary of the way;-- A stranger, without love's sweet claim On any heart, go where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/an-exile-ill-in-heart-and-frame-a-wanderer-weary-of-the-way-a/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [I am that merry wanderer of the night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-am-that-merry-wanderer-of-the-night/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I have been a wanderer among distant fields. I have sailed down mighty rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/i-have-been-a-wanderer-among-distant-fields-i-have-sailed-down-mighty/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [My father died shortly after I was twenty-one; and being left well off, and having a taste for travel and adventure, I resigned, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/my-father-died-shortly-after-i-was-twenty-one-and-being-left-well-off/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more; wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking. By walking one makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-machado/wanderer-your-footsteps-are-the-road-and-nothing-more-wanderer-there/) [Antonio Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-machado/) > [“Surely there were others like me, born without an inkling of direction. The wanderers, the amblers, the dabblers, united by our purposeless mantra-I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-selfors/surely-there-were-others-like-me-born-without-an-inkling-of-direction/) [Suzanne Selfors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-selfors/) > [And, just for good measure, here are a handful of runners up: For now the seventh summer carries you, A wanderer, across the lands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/and-just-for-good-measure-here-are-a-handful-of-runners-up-for-now/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [That is the charm of a map. It represents the other side of the horizon where everything is possible. It has the magic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosita-forbes/that-is-the-charm-of-a-map-it-represents-the-other-side-of-the/) [Rosita Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosita-forbes/) > [“I was forced to wander, having no one, forced by my nature to keep wandering because wandering was the only thing that I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/i-was-forced-to-wander-having-no-one-forced-by-my-nature-to-keep/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) ## More by Matthew Arnold > [Culture looks beyond machinery, culture hates hatred; culture has one great passion, the passion for sweetness and light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-looks-beyond-machinery-culture-hates-hatred-culture-has-one/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [We must hold fast to the austere but true doctrine as to what really governs politics and saves or destroys states. Having in mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/we-must-hold-fast-to-the-austere-but-true-doctrine-as-to-what-really/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“Culture is the endeavour to know the best and to make this knowledge prevail for the good of all humankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-is-the-endeavour-to-know-the-best-and-to-make-this-knowledge/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [The difference between genuine poetry and the poetry of Dryden, Pope, and all their school, is briefly this: their poetry is conceived and composed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-difference-between-genuine-poetry-and-the-poetry-of-dryden-pope/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-the-acquainting-ourselves-with-the-best-that-has-been-known/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Strew on her roses, roses, And never a spray of yew! In quiet she reposes; Ah, would that I did too!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/strew-on-her-roses-roses-and-never-a-spray-of-yew-in-quiet-she/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Nature, with equal mind, Sees all her sons at play, Sees man control the wind, The wind sweep man away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/nature-with-equal-mind-sees-all-her-sons-at-play-sees-man-control-the/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Six years-six little years-six drops of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/six-years-six-little-years-six-drops-of-time/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Let the long contention cease! / Geese are swans, and swans are geese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/let-the-long-contention-cease-geese-are-swans-and-swans-are-geese/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [It is almost impossible to exaggerate the proneness of the human mind to take miracles as evidence, and to seek for miracles as evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/it-is-almost-impossible-to-exaggerate-the-proneness-of-the-human-mind/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Religion is ethics heightened, enkindled, lit up by feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/religion-is-ethics-heightened-enkindled-lit-up-by-feeling/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Genius is mainly an affair of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/genius-is-mainly-an-affair-of-energy/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Culture is both an intellectual phenomenon and a moral one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-is-both-an-intellectual-phenomenon-and-a-moral-one/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [English civilization the humanizing, the bringing into one harmonious and truly humane life, of the whole body of English society that is what interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/english-civilization-the-humanizing-the-bringing-into-one-harmonious/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“Wandering between two worlds, one dead The other powerless to be born, With nowhere yet to rest my head Like these, on earth I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/wandering-between-two-worlds-one-dead-the-other-powerless-to-be-born/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) [Explore all 267 Matthew Arnold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) ## More Birth quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. 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In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) Adam Imad > [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/) Roxanne Shante > [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/) [Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/) > [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/) [Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) [Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A wanderer is man from his birth. 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