The stillness of the sea stirs in waves.

What it means

Even the sea's calm is never dead; it moves in waves. Rest and work are not opposites in Tagore's line. Real stillness is alive.

The source

"The stillness of the sea stirs in waves." Rabindranath Tagore said it in Stray Birds 132 (1916). Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, 1916.

"Leisure in its activity is work. The stillness of the sea stirs in waves."

Rabindranath Tagore, 1916, Stray Birds 132 (1916). Text read at gutenberg.org.

Who said it

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). Bengali poet, composer and teacher, and in 1913 the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. He rendered his own short poems into English in Gitanjali and Stray Birds.

Questions

What does "The stillness of the sea stirs in waves." mean?

Even the sea's calm is never dead; it moves in waves. Rest and work are not opposites in Tagore's line. Real stillness is alive.

Who said "The stillness of the sea stirs in waves."?

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). Source: Stray Birds 132 (1916).

What is the original wording?

Leisure in its activity is work. The stillness of the sea stirs in waves (Rabindranath Tagore, 1916). Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, 1916.

Is "The stillness of the sea stirs in waves." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"The stillness of the sea stirs in waves." (Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds 132 (1916), trans. Rabindranath Tagore, 1916). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/the-stillness-of-the-sea-stirs-in-waves