Original artwork, not a still
Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a proverb about sailing that people apply to everything else: anyone looks like a leader when nothing is going wrong, and skill only shows in a storm. The Latin has been recycled for two thousand years, and the English turns up in speeches and sailing clubs alike. It is a maxim, so there is no scene behind it, only a good image.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for SententiaeShow the scene
The line is a maxim from the Sententiae, the collection of one-line sayings attributed to Publilius Syrus, who lived in the first century BC. The Latin is 'In tranquillo esse quisque gubernator potest', numbered 358 in the collection. Publilius was a Syrian brought to Italy as a slave who won his master's favour and was freed and educated. The Sententiae is a set of verse maxims arranged alphabetically, so the line has no story behind it, only a sailor's image.
Sources (1)
- Wikiquote: Publilius SyrusQuotes, Sentences, Maxim 358Reference checked
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