--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They may the better fish in the water…" description: "\"They may the better fish in the water when it is troubled.\" — Richard Grafton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/richard-grafton-272627_fish_they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-wh_2325296.jpg" --- # They may the better fish in the water when it is troubled. ![“They may the better fish in the water when it is troubled.” quote by Richard Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/richard-grafton-272627_fish_they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-wh_2325296.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/richard-grafton-272627_fish_they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-wh_2325296.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/richard-grafton-272627_fish_they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-wh_2325296.jpg) > “They may the better fish in the water when it is troubled.” [Richard Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grafton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In troubled times, the strongest thrive, while the weak suffer. **In simple terms:** Strong thrive in trouble. Key Takeaway Strength emerges in adversity. Themes strength adversity survival nature competition Mood determined serious Type quote philosophical When to use this quote - business crises - personal challenges - environmental stress Key Concepts ecology philosophy resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you support the vulnerable during crises? - What defines “better” in adversity? A Different Perspective Strength may overlook compassion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-fish-1071997/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Fish Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish-water-770512/) [Troubled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/troubled/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Water Troubled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water-troubled-5573447/) ## Related quotes > [I was under the stars, like a fish is under water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/i-was-under-the-stars-like-a-fish-is-under-water/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [If you go to London now, not everything is beautiful, but it's amazingly better than it was. And the Thames is certainly a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/if-you-go-to-london-now-not-everything-is-beautiful-but-it-s/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [To understand what the outside of an aquarium looks like, it's better not to be a fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-malraux/to-understand-what-the-outside-of-an-aquarium-looks-like-it-s-better/) [Andre Malraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-malraux/) > [Knowledge keeps no better than fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/knowledge-keeps-no-better-than-fish/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Knowledge does not keep any better than fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/knowledge-does-not-keep-any-better-than-fish/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [“I fish better than any fish alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-fish-better-than-any-fish-alive/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I am, out of the ladies' company, like a fish out of the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-shadwell/i-am-out-of-the-ladies-company-like-a-fish-out-of-the-water/) [Thomas Shadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-shadwell/) > [Being a fish out of water is tough, but that's how you evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumail-nanjiani/being-a-fish-out-of-water-is-tough-but-that-s-how-you-evolve/) [Kumail Nanjiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumail-nanjiani/) > [The fish in the water that is thirsty needs serious professional counseling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/the-fish-in-the-water-that-is-thirsty-needs-serious-professional/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [I take to acting like a fish to water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sowcar-janaki/i-take-to-acting-like-a-fish-to-water/) [Sowcar Janaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sowcar-janaki/) > [“The fish in the water is racked by thirst: I hear about it and burst out laughing. What you are looking for is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/the-fish-in-the-water-is-racked-by-thirst-i-hear-about-it-and-burst/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. You don't grasp the fact that what is most alive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/i-laugh-when-i-hear-that-the-fish-in-the-water-is-thirsty-you-don-t-2/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [Without you I'm a fish without water, haha I dnt have anyone where it's like tht but eh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-you-i-m-a-fish-without-water-haha-i-dnt-have-anyone-where-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The one thing that a fish can never find is water; and the one thing that man can never find is God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-one-thing-that-a-fish-can-never-find-is-water-and-the-one-thing/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Fish in the water represent pure potential. If the water is not clear, we do not know if they exist at all. To get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/fish-in-the-water-represent-pure-potential-if-the-water-is-not-clear/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) ## More Fish quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [I love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [My kids all do love to hunt and fish. When they get together, I think that's what they get together more for than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/my-kids-all-do-love-to-hunt-and-fish-when-they-get-together-i-think/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [“If this were a fairy tale, this would be the part where the fishboy appears and Diana shoots him through the heart. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/if-this-were-a-fairy-tale-this-would-be-the-part-where-the-fishboy/) [Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/) > [I do not believe in eating fish hot. People always insist on hot fish, but that leaves it dried out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/i-do-not-believe-in-eating-fish-hot-people-always-insist-on-hot-fish/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I don't eat meat - chicken, fish, none of that. I eat a lot of vegetable sandwiches, like lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-don-t-eat-meat-chicken-fish-none-of-that-i-eat-a-lot-of-vegetable/) [Gza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gza/) > [“Fish are unable, of course, to speak for themselves about how we treat them. They have ways of communicating with each other and, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-morell/fish-are-unable-of-course-to-speak-for-themselves-about-how-we-treat/) [Virginia Morell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-morell/) > [Undoubtedly, church fish fries and picnics help build social cohesion. It was at my dad's medium-size evangelical church - my first real exposure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/undoubtedly-church-fish-fries-and-picnics-help-build-social-cohesion/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [“Similarly, take the time to get into shape so you can get to that great spot and be able to fish it all day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-deeter/similarly-take-the-time-to-get-into-shape-so-you-can-get-to-that/) [Kirk Deeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-deeter/) > [“It's a familiar, if not exactly inspiring, message: in the face of slim pickings, lower your standards. It also makes clear the converse: with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-christian-tom-griffiths/it-s-a-familiar-if-not-exactly-inspiring-message-in-the-face-of-slim/) [Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-christian-tom-griffiths/) > [The kind of fishing that I do is pretty much bass, trout or freshwater fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-steyn/the-kind-of-fishing-that-i-do-is-pretty-much-bass-trout-or-freshwater/) [Dale Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-steyn/) [Browse all 2,977 Fish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They may the better fish in the water when it is troubled.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Grafton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grafton/they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-when-it-is-troubled/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grafton/they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-when-it-is-troubled/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/richard-grafton-272627_fish_they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-wh_2325296.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/richard-grafton-272627_fish_they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-wh_2325296.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e68/richard-grafton-272627_fish_they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-wh_2325296.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They may the better fish in the water when it is troubled.” — Richard Grafton", "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": "Richard Grafton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grafton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "They may the better fish in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grafton/they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-when-it-is-troubled/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grafton/they-may-the-better-fish-in-the-water-when-it-is-troubled/#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 } } ] } ```