35+ Kayaking Quotes To Keep You Afloat In Life

Georgia Stone
Dec 12, 2023 By Georgia Stone
Originally Published on Jan 25, 2021
Edited by Monisha Kochhar
Beautiful young girl kayaking on lake together and smiling at sunset.

Kayaking is a holistic way to get in touch with nature, as well as yourself.

Kayaks have several functions outside of sports, such as harpooning. Kayaks can also be based on several materials, and the casual kayaker often prefers the common inflatable kayak.

There are many reasons one should go kayaking. The best thing of benefit from kayaking is on your physical health.

As a sustained low-impact cardiovascular exercise, regular kayaking can let your heart grow stronger, and push your adventure self out in the open. But that happens to be far from the only reason people go on kayaking adventures for.

Kayaking is not limited to people from historically coastal cultures. Instead, people from all over the world and different walks of life flock to kayaking trips for spiritual enrichment.

It is a thing of happiness along with the thrill of adventure. Paddling on boats (the main action of kayaking) is long thought to be a great alternative to yoga and meditation.

It can also amplify your happiness in the short-term or even long-term and can seem like you are going with the flow. It is fun too and one of the best ways to relax.

Kayaking can relieve stress and a kayaker can get in touch with their inner world through it. If you love kayaking, or want to get into it, here is a selection of kayaking quotes that will inspire you to paddle on.

Kayaking quotes can be a great read and help remind you about nature, rest, our rustic past, a peaceful place like home or a wet travel site, and a small trip can change your human experience as a whole. It can calm your city-stressed headspace too.

A kayaking quote can make your hair stand on end if you are an adventurer and want to experience nature first-hand.

Kayaking, in general, is a lot of fun and you can enjoy it better with funny kayaking quotes. Head out for a trip of happiness that we all need and let nature soothe you with kayaking and kayaking quotes.

If you like these inspirational quotes on kayaking, you could also check out [Train quotes] and [Yogi quotes].

Top Quotes About Kayaking That Will Keep You Paddling

Here are a few of the most adventurous quotes on kayaking, canoeing, or the general act of paddling thereof. Enjoy these best kayaking quotes, they might just be what you need.

1. “When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known.”

– Sigurd F. Olson.

2. “The storms come and go, the waves crash overhead, the big fish eat the little fish, and I keep on paddling.”

– George R. R. Martin.

3. “You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.”

– Mark Twain.

4. “A man of wisdom delights in water.”

– Confucius.

5. “The two best reasons to buy a kayak rather than just renting are sunsets and sunrises.”

– Thomas P. Jones.

6. “If there’s a place, Canoe there.”

– Brent Kelly.

7. “The first river you paddle runs through the rest of your life. It bubbles up in pools and eddies to remind you who you are.”

– Lynn Culbreath Noel.

8. "Everyone must believe in something. I believe I will go canoeing."

- Henry David Thoreau.

9. "The rivers flow not past but through us."

- John Muir.

10. “A river cuts through rock not because of its power but because of its persistence.”

– Jim Watkins.

11. “The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness, and of a freedom almost forgotten.

Sigurd F. Olson.

12. "Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."

- A.A. Milne.

13. "To some people, I may seem calm. But if you could peer beneath the surface, you would see that I'm like a duck--paddling, paddling, paddling."

- Scott Stossel.

14. "As one goes through life, one learns that if you don't paddle your own canoe, you don't move."

- Katharine Hepburn.

15. "Out of water, I am nothing."

- Duke Kahanamoku.

16. "Paddling a canoe is a source of enrichment and inner renewal."

- Pierre Trudeau, 'Conversation With Canadians', 1972.

17. "Unless you paddle for the wave, you'll never know if you could catch it. But once you do... Ride it as long as you can. Love as long as you can."

- Abigail Spencer.

18. "If life is like a canoe in a raging river then wisdom is the paddle to successfully navigate."

- Orrin Woodward.

19. "Voyage upon life's sea, To yourself be true, And, whatever your lot may be, Paddle your own canoe."

- Sarah Bolton.

20. "Writing, to me, is like kayaking a river. You are paddling down, and you come to a walled-off canyon, and you make a sharp turn, and you don't know what's around the corner. It could be a waterfall, it could be a big pool. The narrative current carries you. You're surprised, and you're thrilled, and sometimes you're terrified."

- Peter Heller.

21. "Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath."

- Michael Caine.

22. "If in doubt, paddle out."

- Nat Young.

23. "When your life feels like you're on a sailboat, with no wind to fill your sails, there are still choices. You can drop anchor and enjoy your surroundings.

Start your motor, if you have one. Grab an oar and start paddling, or wait for the wind to fill your sails once again. There are always other choices while crossing the ocean of life…"

- James A. Murphy, 'The Waves of Life', 2012.

24. "I've always thought you should concentrate on paddling your own canoe."

- John Dos Passos.

25. "Writing is always a restorative process. It's like paddling a kayak. When you're writing, you can't do anything else. You're in the space you're in. So, in that way, it's enormously centering and restorative."

- Tabitha King.

26. "There's no mastery to be had. You love the attempt. You don't master a story any more than you master a river. You feel lucky to canoe down it. "

- Garrison Keillor.

27. "A family, like a canoe, must be steered or paddled, or it won't take you where you want to go."

- William J. Doherty.

28. "Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi."

- Alan Alda.

Metaphorical Kayaking Quotes You Might Need In Life

Kayak sayings, such as 'keep calm and paddle on', tend to focus on the delights of traversing the river.

They resonate so well metaphorically because, in many ways, rivers parallel the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations of human life. Therefore the inspirational spirit of adventure is not only the desire to conquer difficult terrain, but it is also a way to emerge victorious in the fear of the uncertainty in human life.

In the same spirit, here are a few kayak quotes on rivers and adventures to inspire you.

29. "Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air..."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

30. “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

— William Shakespeare.

31. "You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it."

- Paulo Coelho.

32. "Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere."

- Emma Smith.

33. "If my ship sails from sight, it doesn't mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends."

- John Enoch Powell.

34. "A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., 'New Jersey v. New York', 1931.

35. "With one foot in the canoe, and the other on the shore, you are sure to fall into the river."

- A proverb of the Native American Tuscarora people.

36. “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” – Heraclitus.

37. "I could not help concluding this man had the most supreme pleasure while he was driven so fast and so smoothly by the sea."

- Capt. James Cook, 'The Voyages of Captain James Cook', 1842.

38. "We're all equal before a wave."

- Laird Hamilton.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Kayaking Quotes then why not take a look at [Tropical quotes], or [You go this quotes].

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Written by Georgia Stone

Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia Stone picture

Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.

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