--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The explorer who will not come back or…" description: "\"The explorer who will not come back or send back his ships to tell his tale is not an explorer, only an adventurer; and his sons are born in exile.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/ursula-k-le-guin-138_adventurer_the-explorer-who-will-not-come-back-or-s_3211637.jpg" --- # The explorer who will not come back or send back his ships… ![“The explorer who will not come back or send back his ships to tell his tale is not an explorer, only an adventurer; and his sons are born in exile.” quote by Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/ursula-k-le-guin-138_adventurer_the-explorer-who-will-not-come-back-or-s_3211637.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/ursula-k-le-guin-138_adventurer_the-explorer-who-will-not-come-back-or-s_3211637.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/ursula-k-le-guin-138_adventurer_the-explorer-who-will-not-come-back-or-s_3211637.jpg) > “The explorer who will not come back or send back his ships to tell his tale is not an explorer, only an adventurer; and his sons are born in exile.” [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True exploration requires sharing discoveries; without communication, deeds remain personal adventure, not collective knowledge. **In simple terms:** Explorers must share their findings to be true explorers. Key Takeaway Share your journeys to inspire others. Themes exploration communication legacy identity exile Mood reflective inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - scientific research - cultural exchange - family storytelling - colonial narratives Key Concepts epistemology social responsibility heroism Questions to Reflect On - What story have you kept to yourself? - How does sharing change the meaning of your adventure? A Different Perspective Sharing can be risky, exposing vulnerability and potential criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventurer/) [Adventurer Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventurer-sons-6002664/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Exile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-exile-6002663/) [Exile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exile/) [Explorer Adventurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explorer-adventurer-2780829/) [Explorer Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explorer-come-6002665/) [Explorers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explorers/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [I am not, by nature, an explorer or an adventurer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/i-am-not-by-nature-an-explorer-or-an-adventurer/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [Peter Fleming was a famous English traveler, explorer and adventurer, whose non-fiction books were hugely successful. My father owned signed copies of all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/peter-fleming-was-a-famous-english-traveler-explorer-and-adventurer/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Every flyer who ventures across oceans to distant lands is a potential explorer; in his or her breast burns the same fire that urged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-batten/every-flyer-who-ventures-across-oceans-to-distant-lands-is-a-2/) [Jean Batten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-batten/) > [If children are not permitted-not taught-to be adventurers and explorers as children, what will become of the world...?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/if-children-are-not-permitted-not-taught-to-be-adventurers-and/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [All ultimately intermarried to produce a race of many strains, which may account for the paradox that a people famed for stolid, patient, practical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-bryant/all-ultimately-intermarried-to-produce-a-race-of-many-strains-which/) [Arthur Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-bryant/) > [Only now have I finally realized that my life has been an unending field trip. And I have tried hard not to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/only-now-have-i-finally-realized-that-my-life-has-been-an-unending/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [Art is a form of exploration, of sailing off into the unknown alone, heading for those unmarked places on the map. If children are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/art-is-a-form-of-exploration-of-sailing-off-into-the-unknown-alone/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Evelyn: Look, I... I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-allan-collins/evelyn-look-i-i-may-not-be-an-explorer-or-an-adventurer-or-a-treasure/) [Max Allan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-allan-collins/) > [Architects have to dream, we have to search for our Atlantises, to be explorers, adventurers, and yet to build responsibly and well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/architects-have-to-dream-we-have-to-search-for-our-atlantises-to-be/) [Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/) > [A man's interest in the world is only the overflow from his interest in himself. When you are a child your vessel is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-s-interest-in-the-world-is-only-the-overflow-from-his-interest/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Every flyer who ventures across oceans to distant lands is a potential explorer; in his or her breast burns the same fire that urged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-batten/every-flyer-who-ventures-across-oceans-to-distant-lands-is-a/) [Jean Batten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-batten/) > [The borderline between prose and poetry is one of those fog-shrouded literary minefields where the wary explorer gets blown to bits before ever seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-borderline-between-prose-and-poetry-is-one-of-those-fog-shrouded/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) ## More by Ursula K. Le Guin > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Translation is entirely mysterious. Increasingly I have felt that the art of writing is itself translating, or more like translating than it is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/translation-is-entirely-mysterious-increasingly-i-have-felt-that-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Aeneas' mother is a star?" "No; a goddess." I said cautiously, "Venus is the power that we invoke in spring, in the garden, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/aeneas-mother-is-a-star-no-a-goddess-i-said-cautiously-venus-is-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Meaning - this is perhaps the common note, the bane I am seeking. What is the Meaning of this book, this event in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/meaning-this-is-perhaps-the-common-note-the-bane-i-am-seeking-what-is/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [For fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it is true. Children know that. Adults know it too, and that is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/for-fantasy-is-true-of-course-it-isn-t-factual-but-it-is-true/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“. . . chronosophy does involve ethics. Because our sense of time involves our ability to separate cause and effect, means and end. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/chronosophy-does-involve-ethics-because-our-sense-of-time-involves/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“If both you and your plane are on time, the airport is merely a diffuse, short, miserable prelude to the intense, long, miserable plane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-both-you-and-your-plane-are-on-time-the-airport-is-merely-a/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The author is not impartial. Dystopia is not tragedy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-author-is-not-impartial-dystopia-is-not-tragedy/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Between thought and spoken word is a gap where intention can enter, the symbol be twisted aside, and the lie come to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/between-thought-and-spoken-word-is-a-gap-where-intention-can-enter/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I have no control over my writing. I have lots of good intentions, but no control. There's a story that wants to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-have-no-control-over-my-writing-i-have-lots-of-good-intentions-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I did a lot today. That is, I did something. The only thing I have ever done. I pressed a button. It took the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-did-a-lot-today-that-is-i-did-something-the-only-thing-i-have-ever/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [To me the female principle is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-me-the-female-principle-is-or-at-least-historically-has-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Hector had no virtue?” “Of course he did. He won all his battles, till the last one.” “We all do,” Aeneas remarked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/hector-had-no-virtue-of-course-he-did-he-won-all-his-battles-till-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I was willing to believe him that most modern writing was trash, on the evidence that so much old writing was trash; but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-was-willing-to-believe-him-that-most-modern-writing-was-trash-on/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Can women operate as women in a male institution without becoming imitation men?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/can-women-operate-as-women-in-a-male-institution-without-becoming/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) [Explore all 1,114 Ursula K. Le Guin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## More Adventurer quotes > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“I know I am planning to visit a "land" that is not entirely foreign, only foreign to me. As an adventurer, I am on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-barnicke-belleghem/i-know-i-am-planning-to-visit-a-land-that-is-not-entirely-foreign/) [Marilyn Barnicke Belleghem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-barnicke-belleghem/) > [Every flyer who ventures across oceans to distant lands is a potential explorer; in his or her breast burns the same fire that urged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-batten/every-flyer-who-ventures-across-oceans-to-distant-lands-is-a/) [Jean Batten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-batten/) > [Some gifted adventurer is always sailing round the world of art and science, to bring home costly merchandise from every port.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/some-gifted-adventurer-is-always-sailing-round-the-world-of-art-and/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [If we are going to make the change from community to communitas, and not just end up with an unsustainable adrenaline-junkie culture, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/if-we-are-going-to-make-the-change-from-community-to-communitas-and/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [A man's interest in the world is only the overflow from his interest in himself. When you are a child your vessel is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-s-interest-in-the-world-is-only-the-overflow-from-his-interest/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“The mind is a wild thing. An adventurer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-spencer/the-mind-is-a-wild-thing-an-adventurer/) [A. Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-spencer/) > [Oh, children, growing up to be Adventurers into sophistry, Forbear, forbear to be of those That read the rood to learn the rose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/oh-children-growing-up-to-be-adventurers-into-sophistry-forbear/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [Today we see the steady stream from the countryside to the city, deadly for the Volk. The cities swell ever larger, unnerving the Volk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-rosenberg/today-we-see-the-steady-stream-from-the-countryside-to-the-city/) [Alfred Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-rosenberg/) > [“One man can go where a group cannot, and manage on very little, particularly a rough adventurer such as he. More the point, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/one-man-can-go-where-a-group-cannot-and-manage-on-very-little/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [Adventurer: he that goes to meet whatever may come. Well, that is what we all do in the world one way or another...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/adventurer-he-that-goes-to-meet-whatever-may-come-well-that-is-what/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [“This is what it means to be an adventurer in our day: to give up creature comforts of the mind, to realize the possibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hib-chickena/this-is-what-it-means-to-be-an-adventurer-in-our-day-to-give-up/) [Hib Chickena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hib-chickena/) > [The division of the spoils between the victors will also provide employment for a powerful office, whose doorsteps the greedy adventurers and jealous concession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-division-of-the-spoils-between-the-victors-will-also-provide/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) [Browse all 184 Adventurer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventurer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The explorer who will not come back or send back his ships to tell his tale is not an explorer, only an adventurer; and his sons are born in exile.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ursula K. 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