--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They made him [Stephen] a little canvas…" description: "\"“They made him [Stephen] a little canvas boat, and it was thought that if he were obliged to wear two sea-elephant's bladders, blown up and attached to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/patrick-o-brian-2283_boat-thought_they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-bo_3098310.png" --- # They made him \[Stephen\] a little canvas boat, and it was… ![“They made him [Stephen] a little canvas boat, and it was thought that if he were obliged to wear two sea-elephant's bladders, blown up and attached to his person, he could not come to harm in such a placid sea; but after an unfortunate experience in which he became involved in his umbrella and it…” quote by Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/patrick-o-brian-2283_boat-thought_they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-bo_3098310.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/patrick-o-brian-2283_boat-thought_they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-bo_3098310.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/patrick-o-brian-2283_boat-thought_they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-bo_3098310.png) > ““They made him \[Stephen\] a little canvas boat, and it was thought that if he were obliged to wear two sea-elephant's bladders, blown up and attached to his person, he could not come to harm in such a placid sea; but after an unfortunate experience in which he became involved in his umbrella and it was found that the bladders buoyed up his meagre hams alone, so that only the presence of Babbington's Newfoundland preserved him, he was forbidden to go unaccompanied.”” [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes a convoluted safety plan that ultimately fails, highlighting reliance on absurd measures over common sense. **In simple terms:** Absurd safety measures fail without common sense. Key Takeaway Rely on practical solutions. Themes satire risk absurdity Mood wry critical Type literary humorous When to use this quote - maritime travel - risk management - team coordination Key Concepts logic human error Questions to Reflect On - Why trust bizarre solutions? - What simple safeguards could replace them? A Different Perspective Overcomplication can create new hazards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bladders Buoyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bladders-buoyed-5358413/) [Boat Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boat-thought-1765677/) [Elephant Bladders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephant-bladders-5358412/) [Sea Unfortunate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-unfortunate-5358415/) [Umbrella Bladders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/umbrella-bladders-5358414/) ## Related quotes > [“You want to know what I thought of in that boat? I thought, I have to stay alive. Tatiasha will never forgive me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/you-want-to-know-what-i-thought-of-in-that-boat-i-thought-i-have-to/) [Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/) > [I have my own boat, but when I first thought about taking a cruise, I thought, 'You're going to trap me on a boat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-have-my-own-boat-but-when-i-first-thought-about-taking-a-cruise-i/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) ## More by Patrick O'Brian > [“Christ's blood in heaven, you ignorant, incompetent whey-faced nestlecock, do you think I am a hired spy, an informer? That I have a master,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/christ-s-blood-in-heaven-you-ignorant-incompetent-whey-faced/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“To tell the truth, sir, I believe I had rather sit in the shelter for a while. The cabbage seems to have turned my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/to-tell-the-truth-sir-i-believe-i-had-rather-sit-in-the-shelter-for-a/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“Never mind the disappointment. Salt water will wash it away. You will be amazed how unimportant it will seem in a week’s time –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/never-mind-the-disappointment-salt-water-will-wash-it-away-you-will/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“The weather had freshened almost to coldness, for the wind was coming more easterly, from the chilly currents between Tristan and the Cape; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/the-weather-had-freshened-almost-to-coldness-for-the-wind-was-coming/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“Of course I do know it is the French who are so wicked; but there are all these people who keep coming and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/of-course-i-do-know-it-is-the-french-who-are-so-wicked-but-there-are/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [My wife and I have spent most of our lives in France, and we are both pretty well bilingual, my wife more purely than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/my-wife-and-i-have-spent-most-of-our-lives-in-france-and-we-are-both/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“This short watch that is about to come, or rather these two short watches--why are they called dog watches? Where, heu, heu, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/this-short-watch-that-is-about-to-come-or-rather-these-two-short/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [The function of the novel is the exploration of the human condition. Really, that's what it's all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/the-function-of-the-novel-is-the-exploration-of-the-human-condition/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [It is a great while since I felt the grind of bone under my saw,' he added, smiling with anticipation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/it-is-a-great-while-since-i-felt-the-grind-of-bone-under-my-saw-he/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [Other people's marriages are a perpetual source of amazement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/other-people-s-marriages-are-a-perpetual-source-of-amazement/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“But I will tell you another misery that is not to be denied. In the common, natural course of events physicians, surgeons and apothecaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/but-i-will-tell-you-another-misery-that-is-not-to-be-denied-in-the/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“Yet,'said Maturin, pursuing his own thought, 'there is a quality in dogs, I must confess, rarely to be seen elsewhere and that is affection:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/yet-said-maturin-pursuing-his-own-thought-there-is-a-quality-in-dogs/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“Physically he was tired and his body relaxed throughout its entire length; his mind was in much the same state, floating free, detached, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/physically-he-was-tired-and-his-body-relaxed-throughout-its-entire/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“It was quite unlike their friendly discourse of some days before, and presently Stephen grew sadly bored: lies or half-lies, he reflected, had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/it-was-quite-unlike-their-friendly-discourse-of-some-days-before-and/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“it would be the Devil to pay and no pitch hot”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/it-would-be-the-devil-to-pay-and-no-pitch-hot/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) [Explore all 167 Patrick O'Brian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) ## More Boat Thought quotes > [“You want to know what I thought of in that boat? I thought, I have to stay alive. Tatiasha will never forgive me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/you-want-to-know-what-i-thought-of-in-that-boat-i-thought-i-have-to/) [Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/) > [I have my own boat, but when I first thought about taking a cruise, I thought, 'You're going to trap me on a boat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-have-my-own-boat-but-when-i-first-thought-about-taking-a-cruise-i/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) [Browse all 3 Boat Thought quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boat-thought-1765677/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They made him [Stephen] a little canvas boat, and it was thought that if he were obliged to wear two sea-elephant's bladders, blown up and attached to his person, he could not come to harm in such a placid sea; but after an unfortunate experience in which he became involved in his umbrella and it was found that the bladders buoyed up his meagre hams alone, so that only the presence of Babbington's Newfoundland preserved him, he was forbidden to go unaccompanied.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patrick O'Brian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-boat-and-it-was-thought-that-if/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boat Thought" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-boat-and-it-was-thought-that-if/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/patrick-o-brian-2283_boat-thought_they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-bo_3098310.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/patrick-o-brian-2283_boat-thought_they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-bo_3098310.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/patrick-o-brian-2283_boat-thought_they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-bo_3098310.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They made him [Stephen] a little canvas boat, and it was thought that if he were obliged to wear two…” — Patrick O'Brian", "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": "Patrick O'Brian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They made him [Stephen] a little...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-boat-and-it-was-thought-that-if/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/they-made-him-stephen-a-little-canvas-boat-and-it-was-thought-that-if/#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 } } ] } ```