--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A ship is worse than a gaol. There is, in…" description: "\"A ship is worse than a gaol. There is, in a gaol, better air, better company, better conveniency of every kind; and a ship has the additional disadvant..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/samuel-johnson-50_air_a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in_1891713.png" --- # A ship is worse than a gaol. There is, in a gaol, better… ![“A ship is worse than a gaol. There is, in a gaol, better air, better company, better conveniency of every kind; and a ship has the additional disadvantage of of being in danger.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/samuel-johnson-50_air_a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in_1891713.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/samuel-johnson-50_air_a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in_1891713.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/samuel-johnson-50_air_a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in_1891713.png) > “A ship is worse than a gaol. There is, in a gaol, better air, better company, better conveniency of every kind; and a ship has the additional disadvantage of of being in danger.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ships are worse than prisons; they expose you to danger and lack comfort. **In simple terms:** Ships are more dangerous than prisons. Key Takeaway Choose safety over adventure when risk outweighs benefit. Themes danger comfort choice Mood reflective cautionary Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - travel decisions - career moves - risk assessment - military service Key Concepts maritime history philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What risks are worth taking? - When is confinement preferable? A Different Perspective Prisons also have severe hardships; the comparison may be hyperbolic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Disadvantages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disadvantages/) [Gaol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaol-1502193/) [Gaol Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaol-better-2736797/) [Gaol Gaol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaol-gaol-2736800/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Ship Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ship-worse-2736799/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) [Worse Gaol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-gaol-2736798/) ## Related quotes > [“You have brought your own ideas with you into the gaol,’ Miss Haxby said, after a moment. ‘But our ways at Millbank—as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/you-have-brought-your-own-ideas-with-you-into-the-gaol-miss-haxby/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“regret that the court did not come to a different conclusion,” he said a bit stuffily. “Three months in gaol and 150,000 kronor damages.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stieg-larsson/regret-that-the-court-did-not-come-to-a-different-conclusion-he-said/) [Stieg Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stieg-larsson/) > [In writing a little tragedy, 'The Gaol Gate,' I made the scenario in three lines, 'He is an informer; he is dead; he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gregory/in-writing-a-little-tragedy-the-gaol-gate-i-made-the-scenario-in/) [Lady Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gregory/) > [When I was a child and came with my elders to Galway for their salmon fishing in the river that rushes past the gaol,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gregory/when-i-was-a-child-and-came-with-my-elders-to-galway-for-their-salmon/) [Lady Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gregory/) > [“She knew where they were going. She had visited Kilmainham Gaol before, wrapped in its brooding walls lest the ghosts it housed should break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/she-knew-where-they-were-going-she-had-visited-kilmainham-gaol-before/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“There was a prisoner, I said, in the first cell of the second passage. A fair-haired girl, quite young, quite handsome. What did Miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/there-was-a-prisoner-i-said-in-the-first-cell-of-the-second-passage-a/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“We know not whether laws be right Or whether laws be wrong All we know who lie in gaol Is that the walls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/we-know-not-whether-laws-be-right-or-whether-laws-be-wrong-all-we/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Now, before you begin to worry, the section of the gaol that I’m standing in is completely secure. No problems here. I’m not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/now-before-you-begin-to-worry-the-section-of-the-gaol-that-i-m/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [“Don't you believe it. I'll tell you what life is. It's gaol, it's not knowing where to get some money. Worms and cataract, cancer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/don-t-you-believe-it-i-ll-tell-you-what-life-is-it-s-gaol-it-s-not/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [It is unpleasing to represent our affairs to our own disadvantage; yet it is necessary to shew the evils which we desire to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-unpleasing-to-represent-our-affairs-to-our-own-disadvantage-yet/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [A man should be careful never to tell tales of himself to his own disadvantage. People may be amused at the time, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-man-should-be-careful-never-to-tell-tales-of-himself-to-his-own/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Every man is prompted by the love of himself to imagine that he possesses some qualities, superior, either in kind or degree, to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/every-man-is-prompted-by-the-love-of-himself-to-imagine-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/one-of-the-disadvantages-of-wine-is-that-it-makes-a-man-mistake-words/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [We are lagging far behind comparable countries in overcoming the disadvantages Indigenous people face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-fraser/we-are-lagging-far-behind-comparable-countries-in-overcoming-the/) [Malcolm Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-fraser/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A ship is worse than a gaol. There is, in a gaol, better air, better company, better conveniency of every kind; and a ship has the additional disadvantage of of being in danger.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in-a-gaol-better-air-better/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in-a-gaol-better-air-better/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/samuel-johnson-50_air_a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in_1891713.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/samuel-johnson-50_air_a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in_1891713.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/samuel-johnson-50_air_a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in_1891713.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A ship is worse than a gaol. There is, in a gaol, better air, better company, better conveniency of every…” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A ship is worse than a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in-a-gaol-better-air-better/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-ship-is-worse-than-a-gaol-there-is-in-a-gaol-better-air-better/#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 } } ] } ```