---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Faith is knowing there is an ocean…"
description: "\"Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.\" — William Arthur Ward"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c33/william-arthur-ward-2681_brooks_faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-becau_2744590.png"
---

#  Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a…

![“Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.” quote by William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c33/william-arthur-ward-2681_brooks_faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-becau_2744590.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c33/william-arthur-ward-2681_brooks_faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-becau_2744590.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c33/william-arthur-ward-2681_brooks_faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-becau_2744590.png)

> “Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.”

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Uses a brook to illustrate belief in larger unseen truths.

**In simple terms:** Seeing small signs builds confidence in larger realities.

Key Takeaway

Seek evidence of greater truths.

Themes

faith perception metaphor

Mood

inspirational contemplative

Type

philosophical poetic

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- teaching
- writing

Key Concepts

spiritual insight philosophical reasoning

Questions to Reflect On

- How do small experiences shape belief?
- What defines unseen truths?

A Different Perspective

May be overly poetic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooks/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-knowing-906037/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Knowing Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-ocean-3053095/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Ocean Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-seen-321195/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Seen Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen-brook-3053096/)

## Related quotes

> [“If you had swum across the furthest ocean And seen the vastness of infinity Though dread of death might seize you, you'd still see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goethe/if-you-had-swum-across-the-furthest-ocean-and-seen-the-vastness-of/)

[Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goethe/)

> [We were going to the long field which today looked like an ocean, although I had never seen an ocean; the grass was moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/we-were-going-to-the-long-field-which-today-looked-like-an-ocean/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“I felt the full breadth and depth of the ocean around the sphere of the Earth, back billions of years to the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-andrew/i-felt-the-full-breadth-and-depth-of-the-ocean-around-the-sphere-of/)

[Sally Andrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-andrew/)

> [“It's hard for a man to know exactly when a woman doesn't trust him anymore. Maybe it's because a women goes on trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-b-jones/it-s-hard-for-a-man-to-know-exactly-when-a-woman-doesn-t-trust-him/)

[Louis B. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-b-jones/)

> [When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/when-you-come-to-the-end-of-all-the-light-you-know-and-it-s-time-to/)

[Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/)

> [When you reach the end of light in your life and you find yourself standing before a dark abyss, faith is knowing that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-reach-the-end-of-light-in-your-life-and-you-find-yourself/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Faith is knowing who God is and acting accordingly... God fights when we move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/faith-is-knowing-who-god-is-and-acting-accordingly-god-fights-when-we/)

[Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/)

> [Faith is knowing something that no-one else does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-pringle/faith-is-knowing-something-that-no-one-else-does/)

[Phil Pringle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-pringle/)

> [Prayer is asking for rain. Faith is carrying an umbrella. Faith is the inner sense of knowing that with divine order working on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/prayer-is-asking-for-rain-faith-is-carrying-an-umbrella-faith-is-the/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [“When you have come to the edge of all that you know and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-mcneill/when-you-have-come-to-the-edge-of-all-that-you-know-and-are-about-to/)

[Graham McNeill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-mcneill/)

> [Faith is not knowing what the future holds. It's knowing who holds the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/faith-is-not-knowing-what-the-future-holds-it-s-knowing-who-holds-the/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [The distance between faith and not knowing is prayer and patience for God's will and understanding!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-compton/the-distance-between-faith-and-not-knowing-is-prayer-and-patience-for/)

[Bobby Compton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-compton/)

> [Faith is knowing and thinking truths. Charity is willing and doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-swedenborg/faith-is-knowing-and-thinking-truths-charity-is-willing-and-doing-them/)

[Emanuel Swedenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-swedenborg/)

> [When you rise up in faith knowing that God is with you and for you, all doubt and fear has to leave your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-rise-up-in-faith-knowing-that-god-is-with-you-and-for-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Faith is a great thing, and really religious people would like us to believe that faith and knowing are the same thing, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/faith-is-a-great-thing-and-really-religious-people-would-like-us-to/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## More by William Arthur Ward

> [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [“If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/if-you-can-imagine-it-you-can-create-it-if-you-can-dream-it-you-can/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [A friend is one with whom you are comfortable, to whom you are loyal, through whom you are blessed, and for whom you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/a-friend-is-one-with-whom-you-are-comfortable-to-whom-you-are-loyal/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [We must be silent before we can listen. We must listen before we can learn. We must learn before we can prepare. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/we-must-be-silent-before-we-can-listen-we-must-listen-before-we-can/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [The greatest failure is the failure to try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/the-greatest-failure-is-the-failure-to-try/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [Too many of us hear without heeding, read without responding, confess without changing, profess without practicing, worship without witnessing, and seek without sharing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/too-many-of-us-hear-without-heeding-read-without-responding-confess/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [“‎"Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/do-more-than-belong-participate-do-more-than-care-help-do-more-than/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [There is one thing we can do better than anyone else: we can be ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/there-is-one-thing-we-can-do-better-than-anyone-else-we-can-be/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [Enthusiasm is the match that lights the candle of achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/enthusiasm-is-the-match-that-lights-the-candle-of-achievement/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [Today's patience can transform yesterday's discouragements into tomorrow's discoveries. Today's purposes can turn yesterday's defeats into tomorrow's determination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/today-s-patience-can-transform-yesterday-s-discouragements-into/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [A life lived without forgiveness is a prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/a-life-lived-without-forgiveness-is-a-prison/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [Every person has the power to make others happy. Some do it simply by entering a room others by leaving the room. Some individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/every-person-has-the-power-to-make-others-happy-some-do-it-simply-by/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [Prepare while others are daydreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/prepare-while-others-are-daydreaming/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [Every day is a good day to examine our prime-time priorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/every-day-is-a-good-day-to-examine-our-prime-time-priorities/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

> [Another fresh new year is here... Another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, to love and laugh and give!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/another-fresh-new-year-is-here-another-year-to-live-to-banish-worry/)

[William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

[Explore all 155 William Arthur Ward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/)

## More Brooks quotes

> [I was a full time student either at Stony Brook or NYU getting my masters degree. After I graduated with my masters I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-algieri/i-was-a-full-time-student-either-at-stony-brook-or-nyu-getting-my/)

[Chris Algieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-algieri/)

> [Oh for a seat in some poetic nook, Just hid with trees and sparkling with a brook!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/oh-for-a-seat-in-some-poetic-nook-just-hid-with-trees-and-sparkling/)

[Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/)

> [I'm a working-class former apprentice electrician; at the age of 14, if you'd told me I would one day be standing on a stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-m-a-working-class-former-apprentice-electrician-at-the-age-of-14-if/)

[John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/)

> [And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/and-this-our-life-exempt-from-public-haunt-finds-tongues-in-trees/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Narrative should flow as flows the brook down through the hills and the leafy woodlands...a brook that never goes straight for a minute, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/narrative-should-flow-as-flows-the-brook-down-through-the-hills-and/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I've played with the best drummers in rock, ranging from Josh Freese to Brooks Wackerman to even Dave Lombardo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trujillo/i-ve-played-with-the-best-drummers-in-rock-ranging-from-josh-freese/)

[Robert Trujillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trujillo/)

> [There are natures that go to the streams of life in great cities as the hart goes to the water brooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gilbert-hamerton/there-are-natures-that-go-to-the-streams-of-life-in-great-cities-as/)

[Philip Gilbert Hamerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gilbert-hamerton/)

> [I never stepped foot into a Brooks Brothers before 'Mad Men.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-staton/i-never-stepped-foot-into-a-brooks-brothers-before-mad-men/)

[Aaron Staton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-staton/)

> [The audience. They see the name Mel Brooks, they want something really funny. They don't want to be moved; they don't want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/the-audience-they-see-the-name-mel-brooks-they-want-something-really/)

[Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/)

> [Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/instead-of-a-river-god-often-gives-us-a-brook-which-may-be-running/)

[Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/)

> [“Take care of Katy, Dani. Keep her safe and love her forever. Make sure Brooks never takes her for granted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-foor/take-care-of-katy-dani-keep-her-safe-and-love-her-forever-make-sure/)

[Jennifer Foor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-foor/)

> [They wanted me to play third like Brooks so I did play like Brooks - Mel Brooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-van-slyke/they-wanted-me-to-play-third-like-brooks-so-i-did-play-like-brooks/)

[Andy Van Slyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-van-slyke/)

> [Many can brook the weather that love not the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/many-can-brook-the-weather-that-love-not-the-wind/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [ \[T\]he dignity of parliament it seems can brook no opposition to it's power. Strange that a set of men who have made sale of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/t-he-dignity-of-parliament-it-seems-can-brook-no-opposition-to-it-s/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Hark, I hear a robin calling! List, the wind is from the south! And the orchard-bloom is falling Sweet as kisses on the mouth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/hark-i-hear-a-robin-calling-list-the-wind-is-from-the-south-and-the/)

[Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/)

[Browse all 356 Brooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooks/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Arthur Ward"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-because-you-have-seen-a-brook/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brooks"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-because-you-have-seen-a-brook/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c33/william-arthur-ward-2681_brooks_faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-becau_2744590.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c33/william-arthur-ward-2681_brooks_faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-becau_2744590.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c33/william-arthur-ward-2681_brooks_faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-becau_2744590.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.” — William Arthur Ward",
                "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": "William Arthur Ward",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Faith is knowing there is an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-because-you-have-seen-a-brook/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/faith-is-knowing-there-is-an-ocean-because-you-have-seen-a-brook/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
