--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a shipwreck, it is every drowning man…" description: "\"“In a shipwreck, it is every drowning man for himself.”\" — Philippa Gregory" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/philippa-gregory-674_drowning_in-a-shipwreck-it-is-every-drowning-man_1970497.png" --- # In a shipwreck, it is every drowning man for himself. ![“In a shipwreck, it is every drowning man for himself.” quote by Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/philippa-gregory-674_drowning_in-a-shipwreck-it-is-every-drowning-man_1970497.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/philippa-gregory-674_drowning_in-a-shipwreck-it-is-every-drowning-man_1970497.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/philippa-gregory-674_drowning_in-a-shipwreck-it-is-every-drowning-man_1970497.png) > ““In a shipwreck, it is every drowning man for himself.”” [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In desperate crises, people act selfishly to survive. **In simple terms:** Selfishness in survival situations. Key Takeaway Expect self‑interest in emergencies. Themes survival selfishness crisis Mood tense realistic Type cautionary observational When to use this quote - natural disasters - financial collapse - personal emergencies Key Concepts human nature self‑preservation Questions to Reflect On - How would you act in a life‑threatening crisis? - Can community bonds override self‑interest? A Different Perspective Self‑interest may be mitigated by altruism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning/) [Drowning Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning-man-255415/) [Shipwreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shipwreck/) [Shipwreck Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shipwreck-drowning-3305321/) ## Related quotes > [“Shame isn't a quiet grey cloud, shame is a drowning man who claws his way on top of you, scratching and tearing your skin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/shame-isn-t-a-quiet-grey-cloud-shame-is-a-drowning-man-who-claws-his/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“You must cry out if you want help. It is no use whatsoever to suffer in silence. 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Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [I can't tell if a straw ever saved a drowning man, but I know that a mere glance is enough to make dspair pause.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-can-t-tell-if-a-straw-ever-saved-a-drowning-man-but-i-know-that-a/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [He kissed me desperately, like a drowning man and I was his oxygen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/he-kissed-me-desperately-like-a-drowning-man-and-i-was-his-oxygen/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I never had a lot of drive, but because I had family responsibilities, I had a lot of tenacity - the tenacity of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-van-dyke/i-never-had-a-lot-of-drive-but-because-i-had-family-responsibilities/) [Dick Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-van-dyke/) > [“If I have unjustly wrested a plank from a drowning man, I must restore it to him though I drown myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-i-have-unjustly-wrested-a-plank-from-a-drowning-man-i-must-restore/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Sometimes I'd see my father, walking past my building on his way to another nowhere. 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Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitl-n-r-kiernan/) > [Religion is as helpful as throwing a drowning man both ends of a rope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/religion-is-as-helpful-as-throwing-a-drowning-man-both-ends-of-a-rope/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A drowning man will clutch at a straw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-more/a-drowning-man-will-clutch-at-a-straw/) [Thomas More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-more/) > [No drowning man can know which drop of water his last breath did stop;...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-drowning-man-can-know-which-drop-of-water-his-last-breath-did-stop/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Philippa Gregory > [“Mother, before God," I say, my voice shaking with tears, "I swear that I have to believe that there is more for me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/mother-before-god-i-say-my-voice-shaking-with-tears-i-swear-that-i/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“Say yes,’ he whispers. ‘Marry me.’ I hesitate. 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Even if you are a broken heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-are-my-heart-even-if-you-are-a-broken-heart/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I have overturned the order. Nothing will ever be the same for any woman in this country again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-have-overturned-the-order-nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-for-any/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I will make my own future, not predict it. I don’t need a charm to tell me what I hope will happen. I throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-will-make-my-own-future-not-predict-it-i-don-t-need-a-charm-to-tell/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) [Explore all 408 Philippa Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## More Drowning quotes > [Our world is drowning in a sea of self-centeredness. 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You are a drowning woman, and the only way out is down the aisle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-know-that-look-blake-you-are-a-drowning-woman-and-the-only-way-out/) [Laurell K. 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