13 Inspirational Paddling Quotes

There is no comparison to those glorious paddling days, and the days spent living in the ‘real world’. You know the world where you have a job, run errands and pay the bills. Getting out on the water brings a certain amount of solitude and allows the soul to heal. With fresh air and an ever-changing landscape, the waterways call to us! If you can’t be out on water 24/7 – like most of us – we complied some fun quotes to keep you motivated throughout the slumpish days. Slumpish? Yea that describes it.

From the classics to the inside jokes only water lovers will understand, enjoy some of our picks below the next time you need a pick-me-up.

1. “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
2. “A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
3. “The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes “sight-seeing.” – Daniel J. Boorstin
4. “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” – Winnie the Pooh
5. “The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing.” – John Muir
6. “As one goes through life, one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.” – Katharine Hepburn
7. “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your element in each moment.” – Henry David Thoreau
8. “Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.” – Michael Caine
9. “There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” – Kenneth Grahame
10. “If there’s a place, Canoe there.” – Brent Kelly
11. “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” – Loren Eiseley
12. “The marsh, to him who enters it in a receptive mood, holds, besides mosquitoes and stagnation, melody, the mystery of unknown waters, and the sweetness of Nature undisturbed by man.” – Charles William Beebe
13. “The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare to let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.” -from Illusions by Richard Bach

Image by @rivershred

Ready to head out? Pack along your Watershed Drybag to keep your gear safe and dry on the outing! From backpacks to duffel bags to kayak equipment, we have the dry bag perfect for your adventure!