Have you ever underlined a particularly meaningful line in a book or shared a powerful quote to your social media? The words of others often resonate with us, eloquently stating something that we also feel or capturing a sentiment that can be difficult to express.

Women and men have written about various forms of travel — particularly by sea — for centuries. While many of the quotable sources on this list are no longer living, their words about cruising and travel live on to inspire and motivate us to get out there and explore.

From presidents and captains to songwriters and authors of speculative fiction, highly regarded people from all walks of life have commented on traveling, sailing, and the impact that a voyage can have on our life.

If you’re looking for another reason to book a cruise this year, mull over the following cruise quotes. They are handpicked to infuse a sense of wonder and adventure into your day.

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15 Cruise Quotes That Will Inspire You to Travel This Year

1. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch –we are going back from whence we came. — John F. Kennedy

The 35^th president of the United States was a sailing enthusiast, and these famous remarks were made in honor of the America’s Cup at a dinner at The Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island hosted by the Australian ambassador in 1962.

2. At night, when the sky is full of stars and the sea is still you get the wonderful sensation that you are floating in space. — Natalie Wood

An American actress known for her role as the little girl in “Miracle on 34^th Street,” and as Maria in “West Side Story,” Natalie Wood loved to sail, but didn’t know how to swim.

3. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

This quote, often misattributed to Mark Twain, has since been credited to the author best known for penning “Life’s Little Instruction Book.” His instruction here? Book the cruise.

4. You can find tranquility, you can find party, you can find new friends. I’m a cruise convert. — Guy Fieri

The host of TV’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” is a Food Network presenter and restauranteur. Fieri lends his name and reputation to a popular collection of restaurants aboard Carnival Cruise Line: Guy’s Burger Joint and Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que.

5. A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself. — Laura Gilpin

Anyone debating a river cruise should be charmed by this observation from Laura Gilpin, an award-winning poet and nurse who passed in 2007.

6. The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. — Jacques Cousteau

Long associated with the sea, the Cousteau family continues the legacy of their pioneering oceanographer father, who produced some of the world’s first underwater documentaries. The cruise line Paul Gauguin has a partnership with son Jean-Michel Cousteau, hosting occasional theme cruises in the South Pacific that also include a children’s education program.    

7. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. — Dalai Lama XIV

Attributed to the 14^th (and also current) Dalai Lama, this quote from the spiritual leader of Tibet imparts the wisdom that to travel is an education.

8. A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for. —John A. Shedd

John Augustus Shedd was born in 1859 and is best known for developing mnemonic devices as a memory technique. We should remember this famous quote, from his compendium “Salt From My Attic,” that encourages readers to take risks and branch out from home.

9. If there’s a heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it. — Jimmy Buffett

A man who typically needs very little introduction, Jimmy Buffett is a musician and businessman whose made millions selling a lifestyle of “island escapism” that many people can get behind. Buffett’s mindset applies so well to cruising. In fact, in 2022, Margaritaville at Sea launched aboard the former Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line.

10. To move, to breathe, to fly, to float. To roam the roads of lands remote, to travel is to live. — Hans Christian Andersen

Most famous for his fairytales, including “The Little Mermaid,” 19^th-century Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is not spinning fiction with his quote about how vital it is to travel (notice his use of “float”).

11. It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better. — Sir Francis Drake

Drake was an English explorer active in the 16^th century and made famous for his circumnavigation of the globe by ship. While his legacy is contentious, it lives on in modern-day maritime naming conventions; the Drake Passage must be passed to sail to Antarctica.

12. You haven’t lived until you’ve sailed. — Dave Sedaris

Award-winning author, humorist and radio personality Dave Sedaris wrote about his love for sail boats and small-ship cruising in an essay for the New Yorker in 2003.

13. It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey, that matters in the end. — Ursula K. Le Guin

Widely misattributed to Ernest Hemingway, this clever quote about finding joy in the journey (aka a cruise, anyone?) is actually from author Ursula K. Le Guin, known for her fantasy series aptly titled “Earthsea”. Le Guin was a prolific author who often does not receive the same credit as fellow genre writers such as Isaac Asimov or Philip K. Dick.

14. No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. — Helen Keller

Helen Keller is a historical figure who advocated for disability rights and persevered as a deaf and blind person. Even without the sight of foreign ports or the sound of the waves, Keller recognized how life-affirming and important it is to travel and experience something new.

15. The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. — attributed to St. Augustine

While the origin of this quote is not agreed upon, its sentiment has been shared and celebrated across generations. A cruise is an opportunity to read multiple new pages in the book of life.

Did we inspire you to book your next vacation with these cruise quotes? If so, check out these booking offers.

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