‘A Ship In Harbour Is Safe, But That Is Not What Ships Are Built For’

Getting out of your comfort zone is key to experiencing new things, broadening your horizons and taking the risks that help us grow as people — to either achieve our goals and do the things we’ve always wanted to go, or at least say we tried to get there, even if we fell short.

Photo by John Loo.

John A. Shedd, an author and professor, coined this quote in 1928, in his book Salt from My Attic, a collection of quotes and sayings he loved and lived by. The quote itself has been influential since then, becoming a favourite of and oft-repeated by pioneering computer scientist and US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper.

As for the quote itself, its meaning is fairly clear: That it’s better to get out and do the things you want to do, or the things you need to do, than to sit and rot and do nothing. Even if you fail, at least you’ll have tried, and at least you’ll have done something and learned something extraordinary in the process.

A Ship in a Harbour [Swissmiss]