--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my experience, whatever happens clings…" description: "\"In my experience, whatever happens clings to us like barnacles on the hull of a ship, slowing us slightly, both uglifying and giving us texture. You ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/nick-flynn-8678_barnacles_in-my-experience-whatever-happens-clings_1506252.png" --- # In my experience, whatever happens clings to us like… ![“In my experience, whatever happens clings to us like barnacles on the hull of a ship, slowing us slightly, both uglifying and giving us texture. You can scrape all you want, you can, if you have money, hire someone else to scrape, but the barnacles will come back or at least leave a blemish on the…” quote by Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/nick-flynn-8678_barnacles_in-my-experience-whatever-happens-clings_1506252.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/nick-flynn-8678_barnacles_in-my-experience-whatever-happens-clings_1506252.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/nick-flynn-8678_barnacles_in-my-experience-whatever-happens-clings_1506252.png) > “In my experience, whatever happens clings to us like barnacles on the hull of a ship, slowing us slightly, both uglifying and giving us texture. You can scrape all you want, you can, if you have money, hire someone else to scrape, but the barnacles will come back or at least leave a blemish on the steel.” [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Past experiences cling to us, leaving lasting marks that affect our progress and perception. **In simple terms:** Past events leave lasting marks. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and heal past influences. Themes memory growth resilience Mood reflective melancholic Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - career - creative projects - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology trauma personal development Questions to Reflect On - How do past experiences shape your current decisions? - What steps can you take to transform lingering pain into strength? A Different Perspective Ignoring past trauma can hinder future growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barnacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barnacles/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Scrape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrape/) ## Related quotes > [“There are small bits of useless knowledge which stick to one's brain like barnacles to a boat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greeene/there-are-small-bits-of-useless-knowledge-which-stick-to-one-s-brain/) Graham Greeene > [“I forget myself sometimes, but then I look up, as I am looking up now, and I see in my mind's eye a sheild,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/i-forget-myself-sometimes-but-then-i-look-up-as-i-am-looking-up-now/) [Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/) > [It's terrible the way words get attached to you like barnacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/it-s-terrible-the-way-words-get-attached-to-you-like-barnacles/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [Which, of course, isn't the point of writing - but it would be nice if, along with the creative satisfaction of writing and seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-brown/which-of-course-isn-t-the-point-of-writing-but-it-would-be-nice-if/) [Eric Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-brown/) > [I'll play until they have to scrape me off the stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-young/i-ll-play-until-they-have-to-scrape-me-off-the-stage/) [James Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-young/) > [Buying an apartment in New York was beyond my wildest dreams. I had to scrape together every cent to buy it. And I'm so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searles/buying-an-apartment-in-new-york-was-beyond-my-wildest-dreams-i-had-to/) [John Searles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searles/) > [I think the worst thing that could have happened to me would have been having a hit at 20. I don't know what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-mackintosh/i-think-the-worst-thing-that-could-have-happened-to-me-would-have/) [Cameron Mackintosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-mackintosh/) > [If you take the approach that you want to scrape every last nickel off the table, that'll work one or two times, but after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hicks/if-you-take-the-approach-that-you-want-to-scrape-every-last-nickel/) [Tom Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hicks/) > [Hee that comes of a hen must scrape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/hee-that-comes-of-a-hen-must-scrape/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [So now I'm left with cigarettes, and I'm trying to scrape that off my shoe and then I'll be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/so-now-i-m-left-with-cigarettes-and-i-m-trying-to-scrape-that-off-my/) [Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/) > [I try to cover myself, to have another movie under way before the last one comes out. I've been able to just scrape by,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-katt/i-try-to-cover-myself-to-have-another-movie-under-way-before-the-last/) [William Katt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-katt/) > [I will scrape and dig into every word as far as I can get, right down to the essence of the word, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chairil-anwar/i-will-scrape-and-dig-into-every-word-as-far-as-i-can-get-right-down/) [Chairil Anwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chairil-anwar/) > [So now, thirty years, forty years later, I mean, I could find a whole orchestra of a thousand to put these things together in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunther-schuller/so-now-thirty-years-forty-years-later-i-mean-i-could-find-a-whole/) [Gunther Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunther-schuller/) > [Any character can find an audience and work if you have passion for that character. You might have to just scrape off the dirt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/any-character-can-find-an-audience-and-work-if-you-have-passion-for/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [I think I had the smallest handle around. When I got my bats, I even trimmed them down. I used to scrape them. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-musial/i-think-i-had-the-smallest-handle-around-when-i-got-my-bats-i-even/) [Stan Musial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-musial/) ## More by Nick Flynn > [There are many ways to drown, only the most obvious wave their arms as they're going under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/there-are-many-ways-to-drown-only-the-most-obvious-wave-their-arms-as/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [In life you get one take, and it's perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/in-life-you-get-one-take-and-it-s-perfect/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [We got him to talk to a psych doctor once, the doctor asked if he heard things other people don't. Sure, Paul answered, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/we-got-him-to-talk-to-a-psych-doctor-once-the-doctor-asked-if-he/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [Writers, especially poets, are particularly prone to madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/writers-especially-poets-are-particularly-prone-to-madness/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [“When I was really drunk, I started that stupid business with the bullet in my guts again. I was the only guy at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/when-i-was-really-drunk-i-started-that-stupid-business-with-the/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [Memoir is actually the most egoless genre, even though it might seem ostensibly so much ego-driven. In order for it to succeed, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/memoir-is-actually-the-most-egoless-genre-even-though-it-might-seem/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [“He claims not to be drinking, but I don’t think he knows what this means.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/he-claims-not-to-be-drinking-but-i-don-t-think-he-knows-what-this/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [By the time I make my way to the border of Mauritania, to the edge of the Sahara, I see no end to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/by-the-time-i-make-my-way-to-the-border-of-mauritania-to-the-edge-of/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [“(2002) In Rome, month upon month, I struggled with how to structure the book about my father (He already had the water, he just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/2002-in-rome-month-upon-month-i-struggled-with-how-to-structure-the/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [In life you get one take, and it's perfect. It's strange, afterwards you might think I shouldn't have reacted that way, but that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/in-life-you-get-one-take-and-it-s-perfect-it-s-strange-afterwards-you/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [For years before I became a father, I would try to spend as much time as I could with my friends who were parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/for-years-before-i-became-a-father-i-would-try-to-spend-as-much-time/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [“The boat has become supreme isolation, chosen isolation, holding myself apart from the world, which I only dimly understand anyway. I can sit on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/the-boat-has-become-supreme-isolation-chosen-isolation-holding-myself/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [Sometimes I'd see my father, walking past my building on his way to another nowhere. I could have given him a key, offered a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/sometimes-i-d-see-my-father-walking-past-my-building-on-his-way-to/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [Everything we do, I'd imagine, influences everything we will do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/everything-we-do-i-d-imagine-influences-everything-we-will-do/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [There is a physics to the world, which non-fiction has a contract to stand in awe of, otherwise it becomes completely self-centered and ego-driven,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/there-is-a-physics-to-the-world-which-non-fiction-has-a-contract-to/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) [Explore all 79 Nick Flynn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) ## More Barnacles quotes > [“I have ceased to think even of barnacles!' -Charles Darwin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-heiligman/i-have-ceased-to-think-even-of-barnacles-charles-darwin/) [Deborah Heiligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-heiligman/) > [Yet the evil still increased, and, like the parasite of barnacles on a ship, if it did not destroy the structure, it obstructed its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-banting/yet-the-evil-still-increased-and-like-the-parasite-of-barnacles-on-a/) [William Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-banting/) > [Her fingers moved among barnacles and mussels, blue-black, sharp-edged. Neon red starfish were limp Dalis on the rocks, surrounded by bouquets of stinging anemones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/her-fingers-moved-among-barnacles-and-mussels-blue-black-sharp-edged/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [Barnacles on the container ship of consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/barnacles-on-the-container-ship-of-consciousness/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The average vice-president is a form of executive fungus that attaches itself to a desk. On a boat this growth would be called a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/the-average-vice-president-is-a-form-of-executive-fungus-that/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [Long marriages have ended in ruin over tiny and insignificant grievances that were never properly aired and instead grew into a brittle barnacle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/long-marriages-have-ended-in-ruin-over-tiny-and-insignificant/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [But if we know that the people of God are first a fellowship of sinners, we are freed to hear the unconditional call of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/but-if-we-know-that-the-people-of-god-are-first-a-fellowship-of/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [To those who have no personal experience of this revolutionary aspect of Christian truth, but who see only the outer crust of dead, human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-those-who-have-no-personal-experience-of-this-revolutionary-aspect/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I tell people I'm big in the music business like a barnacle is big in shipping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-gilbert/i-tell-people-i-m-big-in-the-music-business-like-a-barnacle-is-big-in/) Vance Gilbert > [Maybe a story will cheer you up... Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The End.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-star/maybe-a-story-will-cheer-you-up-once-there-was-an-ugly-barnacle-he/) [Patrick Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-star/) > [“Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herg/billions-of-bilious-blue-blistering-barnacles/) [Hergé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herg/) > [Professors of literature collect books the way a ship collects barnacles, without seeming effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/professors-of-literature-collect-books-the-way-a-ship-collects/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love." She looked at me with those blue eyes. "Isn't it astonishing how confused and complicated such a small,simple word is? It attracts so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/love-she-looked-at-me-with-those-blue-eyes-isn-t-it-astonishing-how/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [I know not how it is, but during a voyage I collect books as a ship does barnacles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/i-know-not-how-it-is-but-during-a-voyage-i-collect-books-as-a-ship/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Really, Alexia, what could have possessed you to attach yourself to the side of the ship in such a juvenile fashion? It is positively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/really-alexia-what-could-have-possessed-you-to-attach-yourself-to-the/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) [Browse all 29 Barnacles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barnacles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In my experience, whatever happens clings to us like barnacles on the hull of a ship, slowing us slightly, both uglifying and giving us texture. 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