To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.
quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes

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Related quotes
I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.
quote by Marjorie Holmes

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To reach a port, we must sail - sail, not tie at anchor - sail, not drift.
quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Greatness is not in were we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind, and somtimes agaisnt it - but sail we must. And not drift, nor lie at anchor.
quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

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I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving -- we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -- but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.
quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

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I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving -- we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -- but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.
quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

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Song
If my voice dies on land,
take it down to the sea
and leave it on the shore.
Take it down to the sea
and make it captain
of a white man-of-war.
Honor it with
a sailor’s medal:
over its heart an anchor,
and on the anchor a star,
and on the star the wind,
and on the wind a sail!
poem by Rafael Alberti, translated by Mark Strand

Submitted by Dan Costinaş
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On Catching the Summer Breeze
A deep blue sky with light wisps of clouds,
A sail raised high up on the mast,
The rush of water along port side,
Skimming across the lake in your sailboat.
A sail raised high to catch the wind,
The breeze dies down, then becalmed.
Rustling of the sail begins,
The wind returns again.
Learn to duck, and not rock the boat.
Be careful, sometimes you fall in.
Listen and learn from those who know
For they fell in too, so long ago.
Over, and over, and over again,
Until you have mastered the art of the sail.
poem by Joe Wocoski

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Orinoco Flows
Verse 1:
Let me sail, let me sail, let the orinoco flow,
Let me reach, let me beach on the shores of tripoli.
Let me sail, let me sail, let me crash upon your shore,
Let me reach, let me beach far beyond the yellow sea.
Sail away, sail away, sail away. (x3)
Verse 2:
From bissau to palau - in the shade of avalon,
From fiji to tiree and the isles of ebony,
From peru to cebu hear the power of babylon,
From bali to cali - far beneath the coral sea.
Turning up, turning up, turning up, up I do. ohh. (x3)
Sail away, sail away, sail away. (x3)
Verse 3:
From the north to the south, ebudae into khartoum,
From the deep sea of clouds to the island of the moon,
Carry me on the waves to the land Ive never been,
Carry me on the waves to the lands Ive never seen.
We can sail, we can sail... with the orinoco flow
We can sail, we can sail...
Sail away, sail away, sail away.
We can steer, we can near with rob dickins at the wheel,
We can sigh, say goodbye ross and his dependencies
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away , sail away, sail away
We can reach, we can beach on the shores of tripoli.
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away , sail away, sail away
From bali to cali - far beneath the coral sea.
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away , sail away, sail away
From bissau to palau - in the shade of avalon,
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away , sail away, sail away
We can reach, we can beach far beyond the yellow sea.
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away , sail away, sail away
From peru to cebu hear the power of babylon,
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away , sail away, sail away
We can sail, we can sail
Sail away , sail away, sail away (x5)
Ahhah, aahha, ah.
song performed by by Enya

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sail The Rivers
Would you give me
One more chance
If I agree to your demands
Or will you turn the knife
Keep me in pain till
I cant take no more
Would you take the breath of my life
Or are you lookin for something
I never do right
I should be the one to let go
I could free your body and soul
So here we stand
Like actors in a play
On an empty stage
Not knowin what to say
I tried so hard to get through to you
cos dont you know I still need you
Oh, I need you
If I ask for one more night
Would you let me bathe in your light
Would you let me cover you up
And wrap myself around you
So you feel my love
Is this just the heat of the day
Or am I really feelin this way
I see your silent tears
Before the storm
I feel the breeze
From a love thats gone
Youve always walked
On the open sand
Youd risk it all so
Id reach out my hand
I tried so hard to hold on to you
cos dont you know I still need you
Sail the river and drift away
Find yourself on another day
Dont reach out
You have to hold me in bay
cos I will always follow you
Take a knife and cut me down
Spill my blood
Watch it fall to the ground
Theres no way to turn me around
cos I will always follow you
Be a part of you
If I was to offer my life
Id give it up just to
Bathe in your light
And you could have it
You could have it all
My heart, my body, my soul
Is this just the heat of the day
Or am I really feelin this way
I wipe away the tears
Before the storm
I feel the breeze
From a love thats gone
So here we stand
Nothing left to say
I give it all but you turn me away
I tried so hard to get through to you
Sail the river and drift away
Find yourself on another day
Sail the river and drift away
cos I will always follow you
I will always be a part of you
Sail the river and drift away
Sail the river and drift away
Sail the river ...
song performed by by Uriah Heep

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Isles Of Sleep.
The opiate isles upon time's sea
In the dream-dark
Rise with their harbours silently
Before each day-abandoned bark,
And the worn mariner anchors there
Till thought, new-waked in the dewy air,
Sings like a lark.
The silent isles with their dream-shores
On the waves float,
Whereto the faint-eyed mariner oars
Within the dusk his eerie boat;
All care put by, like one who knows
No tide there turns and no wind blows,
Near or remote!
From day to day upon time's main
We sail on so,
Sure every night some port to gain
In the dream-dark where no winds blow;
Until we too this sea have cross'd
E'en like the galleons that were tost
Here long ago.
Some seem each day to sail so far,
They reach that shore
So very soon where all things are
As they will be for evermore;
Some for so many a night and day
Have to drift on their lonely way
Ere all is o'er.
But all sails touch the land at last:
The slowest come
As in a mist out of the past —
The last dream-isle fades on the foam,
The last stars rise, the last stars set,
And there is but the last day yet
'Tween them and home.
poem by Robert Crawford

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Full Sail
Full sail full sail
Steady as you go
The wind will blow
Set sail at frisco bay
In a fog cold and gray
Clear sailing, day after day
Full sail full sail
Now the air is still
We lay adrift
Come upon a sea of trouble
Till the winds of change shift
My course is set
Theres no turning back
But theres no goin anywhere yet
Full sail full sail
Waiting for the wind to blow
The wind will blow
Does the silence of the sea
Sound warning of a storm ahead
Whispers of the breeze
Stir and disappear
To soft to hear
Whats in store for me
Adventure on the high seas
Put the childhood dream to the test
Find the measure of the man
Follow the sun heading west
Full sail
Steady as you go
Steady as you go
Full sail
Waiting for the wind to blow
The wind will blow
Hey full sail
Mmmm mmmmm
Hey full sail
song performed by by Beach Boys

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Bonny Port of Sydney
The lovely Port of Sydney
Lies laughing to the sky,
The bonny Port of Sydney,
Where the ships of nations lie.
You shall never see such beauty,
Though you sail the wide world o’er,
As the sunny Port of Sydney,
As we see it from the Shore.
The shades of night are falling
On many ports of call,
But the harbour lights of Sydney
Are the grandest of them all;
Such a city set in jewels
Has ne’er been seen before
As the harbour lights of Sydney
As we see them from the Shore.
I must sail for gloomy London,
Where there are no harbour lights,
Where no sun is seen in winter,
And there are no starry nights;
And the bonny port of Sydney—
I may never see it more,
But I’ll always dream about it
As we view it from North Shore.
poem by Henry Lawson

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Stagnant Sailor Hears The Old Ship's Whistle!
O This Wedlock!
How strong it's like concrete?
I dropped my anchor once
And thought it's a muddy bottom
No it's rocky?
And I cannot heave up the anchor
and sail again.
Wind is so wild and the Ocean's frozen!
If I get a chance soon I reach Portugal
The upper Railway station apartment in Lisbon
Deceased brother & myself we shared a delicious rotten
Tomato soup with a slice of brown bread,
The well learned cobbler Pedro Rodriguez
Who speaks little English like me
We discussed about the fine book of Eca De Queiroz's 'Sin of Father Amaro'
Jade eyed girl in Antwerp who said rain stopped
when I asked the umbrella
and in Cairo the Mummy in a Pyramid
gave me a lovable smile?
That middle aged Gypsy woman Varna in Yugoslavia
Who sat on a wooden bench crossed legs
read my palm and said; 'In your previous birth
you married to a beggarmaid and became rich
And you married her again now,
live together a happy life and don't sail further? '
I hear that ship's whistle fading away!
poem by Nimal Dunuhinga

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Drifting
drift like a leaf
carried by the flow of the river
drift like a feather
riding on the current of the wind
drift like a vagabond
on the alleys of the foreign land
drift like boat
without its rudder and engine
drift like a space craft
deep into the black hole of this universe
there is this feeling
of letting go and saying yes and not wanting to know.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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Sail Away
I could live inside a tepee
I could die in penthouse thirty-five
You could lose me on the freeway
But I would still make it back alive.
As long as we can sail away
As long as we can sail away
Therell be wind in the canyon
Moon on the rise
As long as we can sail away.
See the losers in the best bars
Meet the winners in the dives
Where the people are the real stars
All the rest of their lives.
As long as we can sail away
As long as we can sail away
Therell be wind in the canyon
Moon on the rise
As long as we can sail away.
Theres a road stretched out between us
Like a ribbon on the high plain
Down from phoenix through salinas
round the bend and back again.
As long as we can sail away
As long as we can sail away
Therell be wind in the canyon
Moon on the rise
As long as we can sail away
As long as we can sail away.
song performed by by Neil Young

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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God Asked Noah
Before the world was drenched in shame
Ere Satan reigned in man
The Father Son and Holy Flame
Wrote down salvation’s plan
Then God told man to build a boat
In faith to walk inside
But only eight were kept afloat
All unbelievers died
“I thank You Lord for saving me
For I was drowning too
From certain death You’ve set me free
And gave me life anew
Allow me in Your boat to sail
I’ve heard my Saviour’s call
In Christ I know I’ll never fail
Nor from Your grace will fall
I long to be a lifeboat Lord
Returning to the sea
Calling Your fish to climb on board
As Jesus did for me
With Christ I’ll sail to far off shores
In truth from port to port
We’ll free the catch from Satan’s claws
We’ll fish till all are caught
The wind is right the course is set
My Lord is at the helm
Let’s hoist the sail cast wide the net
Let’s fish throughout Your realm
Let’s cast our nets in every land
Let’s sail in one accord
Let’s teach the fish to understand
How safe is life on board.
poem by Michael P. Johnson

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Dreams written on a ribbon of pink
Dreams written on a ribbon of pink
I close my eyes and reach to the wind
Set sail balloon of mine, rise high
Take my ribbon of pink
Higher and higher, up, up, up
Follow the rainbow’s silver stride
Follow the fairy dust glow
Blow wind, blow
Carry my dreams
Sail, sail, sail
When you get there you’ll know
Where the snow is made of cotton
Where the grass is made of down
Where the trees dance for the man from the east
Where the springs sing of hope
Where all dreams are born
That is where my dreams belong
poem by Eldin Durant van der Walt

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`Oh, if that Rainbow up there!
Oh, if that rainbow up there,
Spanning the sky past the hill,
Slenderly, tenderly fair
Shining with colours that thrill,
Oh, if that rainbow up there,
Just for a moment could reach
Through the wet slope of the air
Here where I stand on the beach!
Here where the waves wash the strand,
Swing itself lovingly low,
Let me catch fast with one hand,
Climb its frail rigging and go.
Climb its frail rigging and go?
Where is its haven of rest?
Out in the gleam and the glow
Of the blood-red waves of the West?
Or where the isles of the dawn
Lie on an amethyst sea,
Does it drift, pale and forlorn,
Ghost of the glory I see?
Is there, ah, is there a land
Such as the Icelanders say,
Or past the West's ruddy strand
Or on the edge of the day,
Some undiscovered clime
Seen through a cloud's sudden rift,
Where all the rainbows of Time
Slowly and silently drift?
Some happy port of a sea
Never a world's sail has made,
Where till the earth shadows flee
Never a rainbow may fade.
Oh, if that rainbow up there,
Just for a moment would reach,
Through the wet slope of the air
Here where I stand on the beach.
Here where the waves wash the strand
Swing itself lovingly low,
Let me catch fast with one hand,
Climb its frail rigging and go!
poem by Ethel Turner

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If I Was Captain
One day, one dusk, and then a new dawn,
Set sail for vast new shores.
Watch the afternoon sunset, son
Hear the broadside cannons roar.
All the way to the horizon boys,
Make haste to make port by sundown.
Take heed, forewarned, of who we are son,
We'll pillage and sack this town.
Dance around in the setting sun,
Laugh all day, sing all night.
Rum is a sailor's best friend, son
Drink till the new day is in sight.
See the foam froth at the starboard end,
Make anchor in the evening light.
Climb skywards to yonder crow's nest, son,
Prepare to plunder and plight.
But though the life sounds tempting,
A deceiver I am to you.
Reality is a different story, son
It is a life I live untrue.
We swab the decks, we tire our bones,
We sweat till the day is done.
No rum, no laughter, no singing, son
Tis' a life lacking in fun.
Yet, my boy, if I was to be called the captain,
And swear allegiance to sand and sea,
No further look ye for adventure, son
I'd offer a life that is free.
And raise Old Roger upon the mast,
A flag most jolly to behold.
Sail at the wheel for seven yar, son
In search of woman, rum and gold.
So take thy advice for a life of ease,
And out with this old captain!
We shall run the scurvy dog through, son
And for us the ship shall remain.
And to reach a new day, a new dusk and a new dawn,
Under I me ‘arties we sail!
No nothing shall oppose, son
No never shall we fail!
poem by Stuart McKenzie

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Gently on the Stream of Time
Gently on the stream of time,
We are floating day by day,
In life's native boats sublime
We soon anchor in the bay.
We'll soon anchor in the haven,
Where the weary are at rest,
In that blissful port called Heaven,
Where are roaming now the blest.
CHORUS:
Be gentle, time be gentle with us,
While we are on life's troubled stream,
May life's foaming billows o'er us
Break away as day serene.
Gently on the stream of time,
We will swiftly glide along,
Till we reach the realm divine,
Then we'll join the heavenly throng,
Where our friends have gone before us
Waiting on the other shore.
In that home they sing in chorus,
"Welcome home the rich and poor."
Gently on the stream of time,
We shall shortly pass away,
We shall reach the heavenly clime
If God's commands we obey.
Gently on the stream of time
We are going one by one,
Listening to the evening chime
On life's journey going home.
poem by Julia A Moore

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