--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: O shoe, leather ship that sails our…" description: "\"“O shoe, leather ship that sails our cement rivers and woven seas, steering by the star of fashion, circumnavigating hostile reefs of tar and bubble gu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/tom-robbins-169_bubble-gum_o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cemen_746075.jpg" --- # O shoe, leather ship that sails our cement rivers and… ![“O shoe, leather ship that sails our cement rivers and woven seas, steering by the star of fashion, circumnavigating hostile reefs of tar and bubble gum; one hour, a tanker ferrying champagne to a playboy’s sip; the next, a raft in the slime; bon voyage, bright barge! May you dock in calm closets…” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/tom-robbins-169_bubble-gum_o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cemen_746075.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/tom-robbins-169_bubble-gum_o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cemen_746075.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/tom-robbins-169_bubble-gum_o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cemen_746075.jpg) > ““O shoe, leather ship that sails our cement rivers and woven seas, steering by the star of fashion, circumnavigating hostile reefs of tar and bubble gum; one hour, a tanker ferrying champagne to a playboy’s sip; the next, a raft in the slime; bon voyage, bright barge! May you dock in calm closets, safe from the rape of shoe trees.”” [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A whimsical metaphor describing shoes as vessels navigating life's chaotic fashion and consumer culture, wishing them safety from neglect. **In simple terms:** Shoes are likened to ships sailing through messy trends, hoping for protection. Key Takeaway Treat your shoes with care to avoid damage. Themes fashion consumerism metaphor care culture Mood playful critical Type literary satirical When to use this quote - shopping trips - wardrobe organization - travel packing - gift giving Key Concepts symbolism materialism urban decay Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect your belongings from wear? - What does fashion represent in your life? A Different Perspective The imagery may be too abstract for practical advice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bubble gum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bubble-gum/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Leather Ship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leather-ship-5814598/) [Ship Sails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ship-sails-1164443/) [Shoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoe/) [Shoe Leather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoe-leather-351137/) [Shoe Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoe-trees-5814599/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [“The Conch Shell´s tint was that of a vagina blowing bubble gum.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-conch-shell-s-tint-was-that-of-a-vagina-blowing-bubble-gum/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [There's probably no subject with quite so many conflictin' opinions about it as there are about food, and 'tis better to swap bubble gum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-s-probably-no-subject-with-quite-so-many-conflictin-opinions/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Later the Administration wanted me to actually sell all remaining surplus by running the War Assets Corporation. I said I couldn't do it without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-symington/later-the-administration-wanted-me-to-actually-sell-all-remaining/) [Stuart Symington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-symington/) > [When you have worn out yourshoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber ofyour body. I measure your health by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-you-have-worn-out-yourshoes-the-strength-of-the-shoe-leather-has/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Walking is easiest, you don't need a lot of apparatus. Just shoe leather and good feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dudley-white/walking-is-easiest-you-don-t-need-a-lot-of-apparatus-just-shoe/) [Paul Dudley White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dudley-white/) > [I am the most incurably lazy devil that ever stood in shoe leather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/i-am-the-most-incurably-lazy-devil-that-ever-stood-in-shoe-leather/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“I'm not sure about whether I shall go. I am the most incurably lazy devil that ever stood in shoe leather -- that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-arthur-conan-doyle/i-m-not-sure-about-whether-i-shall-go-i-am-the-most-incurably-lazy/) [Sir Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“I want to be alone. (Sin) Well, how fine is that? Here it is our wedding day and you wish to spend it alone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinley-macgregor/i-want-to-be-alone-sin-well-how-fine-is-that-here-it-is-our-wedding/) [Kinley MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinley-macgregor/) > [The out-of-work actor wears out more than shoe leather. The very sensibilities that make him an artist are shattered by the disregard he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-out-of-work-actor-wears-out-more-than-shoe-leather-the-very/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Cause I’m gonna put my foot so far up their butts they’re going to burp shoe leather. (Nick)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/cause-i-m-gonna-put-my-foot-so-far-up-their-butts-they-re-going-to/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Whoever you are, motion and reflection are especially for you, The divine ship sails the divine sea for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/whoever-you-are-motion-and-reflection-are-especially-for-you-the/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [If my ship sails from sight, it doesn't mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/if-my-ship-sails-from-sight-it-doesn-t-mean-my-journey-ends-it-simply/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [And I will now rock the brown basin from side to side so that my ships may ride the waves. Some will founder. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/and-i-will-now-rock-the-brown-basin-from-side-to-side-so-that-my/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“A ship that sails without a compass will get lost at sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-ship-that-sails-without-a-compass-will-get-lost-at-sea/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Never a ship sails out of bay but carries my heart as a stowaway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roselle-mercier-montgomery/never-a-ship-sails-out-of-bay-but-carries-my-heart-as-a-stowaway/) [Roselle Mercier Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roselle-mercier-montgomery/) ## More by Tom Robbins > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-believe-in-everything-nothing-is-sacred-i-believe-in-nothing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the-2/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More Bubble gum quotes > [LOVE is like a BUBBLE GUM..!! when it sticks to your shoe, it's really hard to take away…!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rmdv/love-is-like-a-bubble-gum-when-it-sticks-to-your-shoe-it-s-really/) [Rmdv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rmdv/) > [When (the Reds) won, we loved it because we ran into the locker room and touched all the bats and gloves and got some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr-2/when-the-reds-won-we-loved-it-because-we-ran-into-the-locker-room-and/) [Ken Griffey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr-2/) > [“Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would not take the garbage out! She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans, Candy the yams and spice the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/sarah-cynthia-sylvia-stout-would-not-take-the-garbage-out-she-d-scour/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [“chewed time like a wad of bubble gum and stretched it across the darkness all the way to dawn, when the light at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/chewed-time-like-a-wad-of-bubble-gum-and-stretched-it-across-the/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [I was a teenager in the '80s, and I was always a bit dismissive of Houston, as I think a lot of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/i-was-a-teenager-in-the-80s-and-i-was-always-a-bit-dismissive-of/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [Getting through these camps, sometimes you're held together with paper clips and bubble gum and tape. You just kind of get in there and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-condit/getting-through-these-camps-sometimes-you-re-held-together-with-paper/) [Carlos Condit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-condit/) > [We could never be a couple hun, fuck love all I got for ho's is hard dick and bubble gum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-l/we-could-never-be-a-couple-hun-fuck-love-all-i-got-for-ho-s-is-hard/) [Big L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-l/) > [“I kicked the door open, staff held ready to fight, and shouted, "And I'm all outta bubble gum!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-kicked-the-door-open-staff-held-ready-to-fight-and-shouted-and-i-m/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [I don't know - a lot of people think it's a really negative thing to do bubble gum pop, but I love it. I,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-petras/i-don-t-know-a-lot-of-people-think-it-s-a-really-negative-thing-to-do/) [Kim Petras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-petras/) > [Beethoven can't really be great because his picture isn't on a bubble gum card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/beethoven-can-t-really-be-great-because-his-picture-isn-t-on-a-bubble/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [“The maestro says it's Mozart but it sounds like bubble gum”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-maestro-says-it-s-mozart-but-it-sounds-like-bubble-gum/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Your breath smell like ass ass ass ass ass ass ass ass, stop now chew some mothafuckin bubble gum!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ass/your-breath-smell-like-ass-ass-ass-ass-ass-ass-ass-ass-stop-now-chew/) [Ass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ass/) > [“If summer had a flavor, it was pink bubble gum.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jio/if-summer-had-a-flavor-it-was-pink-bubble-gum/) [Sarah Jio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jio/) > [“Some women like to treat a man like a piece of bubble gum. The poor sap thinks everything’s fine. And it is—until the taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton-robinson/some-women-like-to-treat-a-man-like-a-piece-of-bubble-gum-the-poor/) [Robert Burton Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton-robinson/) > [I came here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubble gum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-piper/i-came-here-to-chew-bubble-gum-and-kick-ass-and-i-m-all-out-of-bubble/) [Roddy Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-piper/) [Browse all 79 Bubble gum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bubble-gum/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“O shoe, leather ship that sails our cement rivers and woven seas, steering by the star of fashion, circumnavigating hostile reefs of tar and bubble gum; one hour, a tanker ferrying champagne to a playboy’s sip; the next, a raft in the slime; bon voyage, bright barge! May you dock in calm closets, safe from the rape of shoe trees.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Robbins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cement-rivers-and-woven-seas/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bubble gum" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cement-rivers-and-woven-seas/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/tom-robbins-169_bubble-gum_o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cemen_746075.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/tom-robbins-169_bubble-gum_o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cemen_746075.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dc/tom-robbins-169_bubble-gum_o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cemen_746075.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“O shoe, leather ship that sails our cement rivers and woven seas, steering by the star of fashion…” — Tom Robbins", "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": "Tom Robbins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“O shoe, leather ship that sails...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cement-rivers-and-woven-seas/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/o-shoe-leather-ship-that-sails-our-cement-rivers-and-woven-seas/#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 } } ] } ```