--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I am going to be drowned—if I am going…" description: "\"“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I al..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/stephen-crane-4187_contemplating_if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-goin_1692620.jpg" --- # If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if… ![“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?” quote by Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/stephen-crane-4187_contemplating_if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-goin_1692620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/stephen-crane-4187_contemplating_if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-goin_1692620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/stephen-crane-4187_contemplating_if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-goin_1692620.jpg) > ““If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?”” [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator questions why fate allowed him to witness beauty while facing death, invoking chaotic gods. **In simple terms:** Questioning fate amid looming death. Key Takeaway Contemplate life’s paradoxes. Themes existentialism fate nature Mood melancholic thoughtful Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - adventure travel - creative writing - philosophical debates - artistic inspiration Key Concepts literature mythology Questions to Reflect On - What does “contemplating sand and trees” symbolize? - How do you find meaning when confronting mortality? A Different Perspective May be overly fatalistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contemplate Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplate-sand-1070362/) [Contemplating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplating/) [Drowned Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowned-going-1070364/) [Drowned Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowned-seven-1070361/) [Going Drowned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-drowned-1070363/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Mad Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad-gods-1070360/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) ## Related quotes > [A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he will be going out on a day when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-millington-synge/a-man-who-is-not-afraid-of-the-sea-will-soon-be-drowned-for-he-will/) [John Millington Synge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-millington-synge/) > [Men are mad and gods are madder, she told the grass, and the grass murmured its agreement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/men-are-mad-and-gods-are-madder-she-told-the-grass-and-the-grass/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [“Men are mad and gods are madder,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/men-are-mad-and-gods-are-madder/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty.We need to execute people like John…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/when-contemplating-college-liberals-you-really-regret-once-again-that/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [It always grieves me to contemplate the initiation of children into the ways of life when they are scarcely more than infants. It checks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/it-always-grieves-me-to-contemplate-the-initiation-of-children-into/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The two hardest things to contemplate in life ... are failure and age; those are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-two-hardest-things-to-contemplate-in-life-are-failure-and-age/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Contemplating the bowl, it is possible to see the interdependent elements which give rise to the bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/contemplating-the-bowl-it-is-possible-to-see-the-interdependent/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [As we contemplate with reverence and awe how our Savior embraces us, comforts us, and heals us, let us commit to become His hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/as-we-contemplate-with-reverence-and-awe-how-our-savior-embraces-us/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [If we are to define science, ... it does not consist so much in knowing, nor even in "organized knowledge," as it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/if-we-are-to-define-science-it-does-not-consist-so-much-in-knowing/) [Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/) > [He that contemplates hath a day without night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/he-that-contemplates-hath-a-day-without-night/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-is-very-pleasant-to-scratch-an-itching-ring-worm-but-the-sensation/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [I have actually seen people contemplate their navels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heilpern/i-have-actually-seen-people-contemplate-their-navels/) [John Heilpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heilpern/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Stephen Crane > [Doubtless there are other roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/doubtless-there-are-other-roads/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“She thinks my name is Freddie, you know, but of course it ain't. I always tell these people some name like that, because if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/she-thinks-my-name-is-freddie-you-know-but-of-course-it-ain-t-i/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [Every sin is a result of collaboration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/every-sin-is-a-result-of-collaboration/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“He turned now with a lover's thirst to images of tranquil skies, fresh meadows, cool brooks— an existence of soft and eternal peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/he-turned-now-with-a-lover-s-thirst-to-images-of-tranquil-skies-fresh/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“XXIV I saw a man pursuing the horizon; Round and round they sped. I was disturbed at this; I accosted the man. 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One looked up, grinning, And said, "Comrade!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/i-stood-upon-a-high-place-and-saw-below-many-devils-running-leaping/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [A serious prophet upon predicting a flood should be the first man to climb a tree. This would demonstrate that he was indeed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/a-serious-prophet-upon-predicting-a-flood-should-be-the-first-man-to/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“A single rifle flashed in a thicket before the regiment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/a-single-rifle-flashed-in-a-thicket-before-the-regiment/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [XXVIII "Truth," said a traveller, "Is a rock, a mighty fortress; "Often have I been to it, "Even to its highest tower, "From whence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/xxviii-truth-said-a-traveller-is-a-rock-a-mighty-fortress-often-have/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“The lieutenant, returning from a tour after a bandage, produced from a hidden receptacle of his mind new and portentous oaths suited to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/the-lieutenant-returning-from-a-tour-after-a-bandage-produced-from-a/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“Many a man ought to have a bath-tub larger than the boat which here rode upon the sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/many-a-man-ought-to-have-a-bath-tub-larger-than-the-boat-which-here/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“Why—why—” stammered the youth struggling with his balking tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/why-why-stammered-the-youth-struggling-with-his-balking-tongue/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“Eventually, his courage expended itself upon these objections. The debates drained him of his fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/eventually-his-courage-expended-itself-upon-these-objections-the/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) [Explore all 115 Stephen Crane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) ## More Contemplating quotes > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I have actually seen people contemplate their navels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heilpern/i-have-actually-seen-people-contemplate-their-navels/) [John Heilpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heilpern/) > [It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-is-very-pleasant-to-scratch-an-itching-ring-worm-but-the-sensation/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) > [He that contemplates hath a day without night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/he-that-contemplates-hath-a-day-without-night/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [If we are to define science, ... it does not consist so much in knowing, nor even in "organized knowledge," as it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/if-we-are-to-define-science-it-does-not-consist-so-much-in-knowing/) [Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/) > [As we contemplate with reverence and awe how our Savior embraces us, comforts us, and heals us, let us commit to become His hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/as-we-contemplate-with-reverence-and-awe-how-our-savior-embraces-us/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [Contemplating the bowl, it is possible to see the interdependent elements which give rise to the bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/contemplating-the-bowl-it-is-possible-to-see-the-interdependent/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The two hardest things to contemplate in life ... are failure and age; those are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-two-hardest-things-to-contemplate-in-life-are-failure-and-age/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It always grieves me to contemplate the initiation of children into the ways of life when they are scarcely more than infants. It checks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/it-always-grieves-me-to-contemplate-the-initiation-of-children-into/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty.We need to execute people like John…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/when-contemplating-college-liberals-you-really-regret-once-again-that/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“That which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/that-which-sings-and-contemplates-in-you-is-still-dwelling-within-the/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [contemplating the misfortunes of others does not lighten one's own trouble but instead adds to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-g-eberhart/contemplating-the-misfortunes-of-others-does-not-lighten-one-s-own/) [Mignon G. Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-g-eberhart/) > [Linda McCartney sausages were my favorite. Theyre much better than eating real sausages and you dont have to contemplate half way through exactly whats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/linda-mccartney-sausages-were-my-favorite-theyre-much-better-than/) [Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/) [Browse all 762 Contemplating quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplating/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Crane" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-going/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contemplating" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-going/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/stephen-crane-4187_contemplating_if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-goin_1692620.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/stephen-crane-4187_contemplating_if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-goin_1692620.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/stephen-crane-4187_contemplating_if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-goin_1692620.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the…” — Stephen Crane", "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": "Stephen Crane", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If I am going to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-going/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-going-to-be-drowned-if-i-am-going/#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 } } ] } ```