--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God bless this tiny little boat, And me…" description: "\"God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it. It stays afloat for years and years, And sinks within a minute. And so the soul in which we ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/michael-leunig-2274_bless_god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-w_176386.jpg" --- # God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it… ![“God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it. It stays afloat for years and years, And sinks within a minute. And so the soul in which we sail, Unknown by years of thinking, Is deeply felt and understood, The minute that it’s sinking.” quote by Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/michael-leunig-2274_bless_god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-w_176386.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/michael-leunig-2274_bless_god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-w_176386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/michael-leunig-2274_bless_god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-w_176386.jpg) > “God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it. It stays afloat for years and years, And sinks within a minute. And so the soul in which we sail, Unknown by years of thinking, Is deeply felt and understood, The minute that it’s sinking.” [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tiny boat’s fleeting stability mirrors how brief moments of safety can abruptly end, prompting deep reflection on life's fragility. **In simple terms:** Life’s safety can be brief and fragile. Key Takeaway Appreciate each moment. Themes impermanence fragility reflection life spirituality Mood melancholic contemplative Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - travel - personal crisis - spiritual contemplation Key Concepts philosophy existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does the sinking symbolize for you? - How do you prepare for sudden change? A Different Perspective Focus on the boat may ignore broader context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [“Because he’s only a little boat looking for a harbor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/because-he-s-only-a-little-boat-looking-for-a-harbor/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [My father was a sailor and our summer vacations were always on a sailboat. I had a little boat before I had a moped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernesto-bertarelli/my-father-was-a-sailor-and-our-summer-vacations-were-always-on-a/) [Ernesto Bertarelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernesto-bertarelli/) > [“My little boat is made of ebony; My flute stops are pure gold. Water loosens stains from silk; Wine loosens sadness from the heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-po/my-little-boat-is-made-of-ebony-my-flute-stops-are-pure-gold-water/) [Li Po](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-po/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [Grateful to be a little boat, full of water, still floating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/grateful-to-be-a-little-boat-full-of-water-still-floating/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [When I see a lot of young faces in the audience, it's just sort of sinking in how important that is. Because you're old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/when-i-see-a-lot-of-young-faces-in-the-audience-it-s-just-sort-of/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [The sun, a red wheel, was sinking slowly in the west. Besides being spectacularly beautiful, the early-summer sunset was exceedingly soft and gentle: black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/the-sun-a-red-wheel-was-sinking-slowly-in-the-west-besides-being/) [Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) ## More by Michael Leunig > [In my journey as a cartoonist, I seem to have accidentally stumbled into all sorts of traps, damnations and blacklists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-my-journey-as-a-cartoonist-i-seem-to-have-accidentally-stumbled/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Have I got the right to experiment with my child's life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/have-i-got-the-right-to-experiment-with-my-child-s-life/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [There are only two feelings, Love and fear: There are only two languages, Love and fear: There are only two activities, Love and fear:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/there-are-only-two-feelings-love-and-fear-there-are-only-two/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [If European symbols and traditions have grown tired, perfunctory and oppressively banal in Australia, or been drained of spirit and meaning by the dreary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/if-european-symbols-and-traditions-have-grown-tired-perfunctory-and/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Socialised humanity represses nature and degrades human nature; it takes life and waters it down - probably to control it - diluting existence with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/socialised-humanity-represses-nature-and-degrades-human-nature-it/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I became a cartoonist because I'd sort of failed at everything else, really. I mean, it was by default.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-became-a-cartoonist-because-i-d-sort-of-failed-at-everything-else/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I never really understood who the Magi were as a child. What is a Magi? Not a word I would use, but a magpie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-never-really-understood-who-the-magi-were-as-a-child-what-is-a-magi/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [There can be many reasons to travel, but wandering into the world for no particular reason is a sublime madness, which in all its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/there-can-be-many-reasons-to-travel-but-wandering-into-the-world-for/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I'm totally deaf in my right ear, yeah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-m-totally-deaf-in-my-right-ear-yeah/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Emotional stability has not been America's gift to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/emotional-stability-has-not-been-america-s-gift-to-the-world/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Life seems sadly mishandled by humans, as if it's all too much for them - they spend so much time and energy hurting each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/life-seems-sadly-mishandled-by-humans-as-if-it-s-all-too-much-for/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [If you know anything about ducks, you know a baby duck will imprint itself on you. It misses its mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/if-you-know-anything-about-ducks-you-know-a-baby-duck-will-imprint/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [I think melancholy is part of the natural condition, you know. Anyway, I think it's the artist's function to have their melancholy and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/i-think-melancholy-is-part-of-the-natural-condition-you-know-anyway-i/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [At last, after completing year 12, I failed the great final examination, repeated the following year and failed again even more dismally than before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/at-last-after-completing-year-12-i-failed-the-great-final-examination/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Avoiding maturity is, for many men, not just a cute hobby, but a life's work - often handsomely rewarded in the infantile popular culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/avoiding-maturity-is-for-many-men-not-just-a-cute-hobby-but-a-life-s/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) [Explore all 175 Michael Leunig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) ## More Bless quotes > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Let death bless me with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-death-bless-me-with-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Choosing a job or business is the same thing. I'm not the best one to advise someone how to make billions of dollars; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-roy/choosing-a-job-or-business-is-the-same-thing-i-m-not-the-best-one-to/) [Rachel Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-roy/) > [The word of the Lord is this: "Just bless those that persecute you and ask for Justice, for the battle does not belong to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-loren/the-word-of-the-lord-is-this-just-bless-those-that-persecute-you-and/) Julia Loren > [If it was a sin for you to choose me . . . then I would go to the Devil himself and bless him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/if-it-was-a-sin-for-you-to-choose-me-then-i-would-go-to-the-devil/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [May god bless u](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoinette/may-god-bless-u/) [Antoinette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoinette/) > [SCIENCE! thou fair effusive ray From the great source of mental Day, Free, generous, and refin'd! Descend with all thy treasures fraught, Illumine each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-akenside/science-thou-fair-effusive-ray-from-the-great-source-of-mental-day/) [Mark Akenside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-akenside/) > [When we lack integrity, we use power to control. When we lead with integrity, we use power to bless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-mcmanus/when-we-lack-integrity-we-use-power-to-control-when-we-lead-with/) [Erwin McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-mcmanus/) > [“Be quick to bless but lazy to curse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bamikole/be-quick-to-bless-but-lazy-to-curse/) [Paul Bamikole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bamikole/) > [The pious farmer, who ne'er misses pray'rs, With patience suffers unexpected rain; He blesses Heav'n for what its bounty spares, And sees, resign'd, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/the-pious-farmer-who-ne-er-misses-pray-rs-with-patience-suffers/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [May God bless you and your family today and always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-god-bless-you-and-your-family-today-and-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I bless the gods for not letting my education in rhetoric, poetry, and other literary studies come easily to me, and thereby sparing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/i-bless-the-gods-for-not-letting-my-education-in-rhetoric-poetry-and/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“ I'm here to bless not to impress”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/i-m-here-to-bless-not-to-impress/) [Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/) > [How many people you bless is how you measure success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/how-many-people-you-bless-is-how-you-measure-success/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) Browse all 1,218 Bless quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it. It stays afloat for years and years, And sinks within a minute. And so the soul in which we sail, Unknown by years of thinking, Is deeply felt and understood, The minute that it’s sinking.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Leunig" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-who-travels-in-it-it-stays/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bless" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-who-travels-in-it-it-stays/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/michael-leunig-2274_bless_god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-w_176386.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/michael-leunig-2274_bless_god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-w_176386.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/michael-leunig-2274_bless_god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-w_176386.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“God bless this tiny little boat, And me who travels in it. It stays afloat for years and years, And sinks…” — Michael Leunig", "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": "Michael Leunig", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "God bless this tiny little boat,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-who-travels-in-it-it-stays/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/god-bless-this-tiny-little-boat-and-me-who-travels-in-it-it-stays/#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 } } ] } ```