--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are like sailors who on the open sea…" description: "\"We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom. Where a beam is taken away a ne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/otto-neurath-44925_able_we-are-like-sailors-who-on-the-open-sea_2135326.jpg" --- # We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct… ![“We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom. Where a beam is taken away a new one must at once be put there, and for this the rest of the ship is used as support. In this way, by using the old beams and driftwood the ship…” quote by Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/otto-neurath-44925_able_we-are-like-sailors-who-on-the-open-sea_2135326.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/otto-neurath-44925_able_we-are-like-sailors-who-on-the-open-sea_2135326.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/otto-neurath-44925_able_we-are-like-sailors-who-on-the-open-sea_2135326.jpg) > “We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom. Where a beam is taken away a new one must at once be put there, and for this the rest of the ship is used as support. In this way, by using the old beams and driftwood the ship can be shaped entirely anew, but only by gradual reconstruction.” [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life requires continual adaptation, rebuilding using existing resources rather than starting anew. **In simple terms:** We must rebuild using what we have. Key Takeaway Embrace incremental change using existing strengths. Themes adaptation resilience construction Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career transitions - organizational change - personal growth - education reform Key Concepts systems theory incrementalism resourcefulness Questions to Reflect On - What old structures can you repurpose? - How do you balance continuity with innovation? A Different Perspective Complete overhaul is often impossible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Beam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beam/) [Beams Driftwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beams-driftwood-4421111/) [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Driftwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driftwood/) [Old Beams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-beams-4421114/) [Reconstruct Ship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconstruct-ship-4421110/) [Reconstruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconstruction/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) [Sailor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailor/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sea Reconstruct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-reconstruct-4421112/) [Ship Shaped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ship-shaped-4421113/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“We are like sailors who must rebuild their ship on the open sea, never able to dismantle it in dry-dock and to reconstruct it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/we-are-like-sailors-who-must-rebuild-their-ship-on-the-open-sea-never/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) > [“We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/we-are-like-sailors-who-on-the-open-sea-must-reconstruct-their-ship/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) > [Poems reach up like spindrift and the edge of driftwood along the beach, wanting! They derive from a slow and powerful root that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/poems-reach-up-like-spindrift-and-the-edge-of-driftwood-along-the/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [We are shoulder to shoulder due to the size of the cab, and if Gratton is made of flour and potatoes, Sean is made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/we-are-shoulder-to-shoulder-due-to-the-size-of-the-cab-and-if-gratton/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Do not think I do not realise what I am doing. I am making a composition using the following elements: the winter beach; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/do-not-think-i-do-not-realise-what-i-am-doing-i-am-making-a/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [“This beach I voyage on leads me through the earth's immortal consistencies. Each form I encounter obeys the principles of perfection and trial, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hay/this-beach-i-voyage-on-leads-me-through-the-earth-s-immortal/) [John Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hay/) > [I think one of the first things to go as people's lives start to go down is their dreams. Dreams should be the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-costner/i-think-one-of-the-first-things-to-go-as-people-s-lives-start-to-go/) [Kevin Costner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-costner/) > [I could see no reason why used tram tickets, bits of driftwood, buttons and old junk from attics and rubbish heaps should not serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-schwitters/i-could-see-no-reason-why-used-tram-tickets-bits-of-driftwood-buttons/) [Kurt Schwitters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-schwitters/) > [The river itself portrays humanity precisely, with its tortuous windings, its accumulation of driftwood, its unsuspected depths, and its crystalline shallows, singing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/the-river-itself-portrays-humanity-precisely-with-its-tortuous/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [Like driftwood spares which meet and pass Upon the boundless ocean-plain, So on the sea of life, alas! Man nears man, meets, and leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/like-driftwood-spares-which-meet-and-pass-upon-the-boundless-ocean/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Sometimes when I think of life, I feel like a piece of driftwood washed up on shore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/sometimes-when-i-think-of-life-i-feel-like-a-piece-of-driftwood/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Choicelessness brings you to the whole. Choice is always of the part, necessarily so. And then one person goes from one choice to another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/choicelessness-brings-you-to-the-whole-choice-is-always-of-the-part/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [We often love to think now of the life of men on beaches,--at least in midsummer, when the weather is serene; their sunny lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-often-love-to-think-now-of-the-life-of-men-on-beaches-at-least-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Most inspirational writers were born as driftwood and will say they have been beaten against every shoreline during their life. We understand storms. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/most-inspirational-writers-were-born-as-driftwood-and-will-say-they/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Nice creepy reptile,” Frank said, very aware of the driftwood in his coat pocket. “Nice poisonous, fire-breathing reptile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/nice-creepy-reptile-frank-said-very-aware-of-the-driftwood-in-his/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) ## More by Otto Neurath > [Words divide, pictures unite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/words-divide-pictures-unite/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) > [“We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/we-are-like-sailors-who-on-the-open-sea-must-reconstruct-their-ship/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) > [To remember simplified pictures is better than to forget accurate figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/to-remember-simplified-pictures-is-better-than-to-forget-accurate/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) > [He who knows what best to omit is the best teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/he-who-knows-what-best-to-omit-is-the-best-teacher/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) > [“We are like sailors who must rebuild their ship on the open sea, never able to dismantle it in dry-dock and to reconstruct it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/we-are-like-sailors-who-must-rebuild-their-ship-on-the-open-sea-never/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) > [Modern man receives a large part of his knowledge and general education by way of pictorial impressions, illustrations, photographs, films. Daily newspapers bring more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/modern-man-receives-a-large-part-of-his-knowledge-and-general/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) > [We are like sailors who have to rebuild their ship on the open sea, without ever being able to dismantle it in dry-dock and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-neurath/we-are-like-sailors-who-have-to-rebuild-their-ship-on-the-open-sea/) [Otto Neurath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) [Explore all 8 Otto Neurath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-neurath/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom. Where a beam is taken away a new one must at once be put there, and for this the rest of the ship is used as support. 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