---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: \"Ocean\" is more about ... powerlessness…"
description: "\"\"Ocean\" is more about ... powerlessness and hopelessness. When we're very small we can't actually do anything - we have no say in what happens, we have..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/neil-gaiman-29_happens_ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-ho_441990.jpg"
---

#  "Ocean" is more about ... powerlessness and hopelessness…

![“&quot;Ocean&quot; is more about ... powerlessness and hopelessness. When we're very small we can't actually do anything - we have no say in what happens, we have no money or resources, we sometimes have no idea what's going on.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/neil-gaiman-29_happens_ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-ho_441990.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/neil-gaiman-29_happens_ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-ho_441990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/neil-gaiman-29_happens_ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-ho_441990.jpg)

> “"Ocean" is more about ... powerlessness and hopelessness. When we're very small we can't actually do anything - we have no say in what happens, we have no money or resources, we sometimes have no idea what's going on.”

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## About This Quote

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

It reflects the feeling of being powerless when faced with vast, uncontrollable forces, highlighting human vulnerability and existential dread.

**In simple terms:** Feeling tiny against larger forces creates hopelessness.

Key Takeaway

Recognize limits, seek agency where possible.

Themes

powerlessness existential dread human vulnerability societal inequality

Mood

somber reflective

Type

philosophical literary motivational

When to use this quote

- personal crises
- political oppression
- environmental disasters
- economic hardship

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you respond when you feel powerless?
- What small actions can restore a sense of control?

A Different Perspective

Hope can emerge through collective action or personal resilience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hopelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopelessness/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Powerlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/)

## Related quotes

> [Whatever we can do to just give people a sense of hope in the face of what seems like hopelessness. That's a small thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/whatever-we-can-do-to-just-give-people-a-sense-of-hope-in-the-face-of/)

[Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/)

> [“Powerlessness is an excruciating pain; it is torture insurmountable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/powerlessness-is-an-excruciating-pain-it-is-torture-insurmountable/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [“We have come here together so that you might know, through virtue of your own pain, your own hopelessness, your own fear, your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-delucy/we-have-come-here-together-so-that-you-might-know-through-virtue-of/)

[Jennifer DeLucy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-delucy/)

> [“The threatening tone, harsh aggression, made her submissive (Across Time And Space)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mala-naidoo/the-threatening-tone-harsh-aggression-made-her-submissive-across-time/)

[Mala Naidoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mala-naidoo/)

> [“Anxiety = Uncertainty x Powerlessness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-conley/anxiety-uncertainty-x-powerlessness/)

[Chip Conley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-conley/)

> [May all your expectations be frustrated, may all your plans be thwarted, may all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/may-all-your-expectations-be-frustrated-may-all-your-plans-be/)

[Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/)

> [“Power is fortified not just by what it destroys, but also by what it creates. Not just by what it takes, but also by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/power-is-fortified-not-just-by-what-it-destroys-but-also-by-what-it/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or her into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-because-it-asks-of-us-that-we/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [“When external sources of power are sought in personal relationships to overcome inner feelings of powerlessness, power comes not from a place of strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rosen/when-external-sources-of-power-are-sought-in-personal-relationships/)

[Mark Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rosen/)

> [God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don't need to apply spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/god-not-only-loves-me-as-i-am-but-also-knows-me-as-i-am-because-of/)

[Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/)

> [“A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used. Powerlessness and silence go together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-voice-is-a-human-gift-it-should-be-cherished-and-used-powerlessness/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [I could not stop something I knew was wrong and terrible. I had an awful sense of powerlessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-sakharov/i-could-not-stop-something-i-knew-was-wrong-and-terrible-i-had-an/)

[Andrei Sakharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-sakharov/)

> [It does not take a great supernatural heroine or magical hero to save the world.We all save it every day, and we all destroy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/it-does-not-take-a-great-supernatural-heroine-or-magical-hero-to-save/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [“And in taking on the subject of themselves-making themselves vulnerable to the unseen reader-they have exchanged powerlessness for for the power that comes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/and-in-taking-on-the-subject-of-themselves-making-themselves/)

[Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/)

> [“Here is a man who by all conventions should have been a denizen of the lower depths of society: ignored, illiterate, disfigured, limping, penniless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sugich/here-is-a-man-who-by-all-conventions-should-have-been-a-denizen-of/)

Michael Sugich

## More by Neil Gaiman

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/)

[neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

[Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## More Happens quotes

> [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/)

[Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/)

> [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/)

[Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/)

> [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/)

[Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/)

> [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/)

[Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/)

> [The amazing thing is that we live our lives with the hope that things will go right, that things will happen. And all along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/the-amazing-thing-is-that-we-live-our-lives-with-the-hope-that-things/)

[Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/)

> [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/)

[Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/)

[Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/)

> [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/)

[Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/)

Browse all 13,486 Happens quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "\"Ocean\" is more about ... powerlessness and hopelessness. When we're very small we can't actually do anything - we have no say in what happens, we have no money or resources, we sometimes have no idea what's going on.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil Gaiman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-hopelessness-when-we-re-very/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Happens"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-hopelessness-when-we-re-very/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/neil-gaiman-29_happens_ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-ho_441990.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/neil-gaiman-29_happens_ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-ho_441990.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ea/neil-gaiman-29_happens_ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-ho_441990.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“\"Ocean\" is more about ... powerlessness and hopelessness. When we're very small we can't actually do…” — Neil Gaiman",
                "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": "Neil Gaiman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "\"Ocean\" is more about ... powerlessness...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-hopelessness-when-we-re-very/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/ocean-is-more-about-powerlessness-and-hopelessness-when-we-re-very/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
