Ben Jonson Quote

Each petty hand
Can steer a ship becalm'd; but he that will
Govern and carry her to her ends, must know
His tides, his currents, how to shift his sails;
What she will bear in foul, what in fair weathers;
Where her springs are, her leaks, and how to stop 'em;
What strands, what shelves, what rocks do threaten her.

The Works of Ben. Johnson: Catiline's conspiracy. Epigrams. The forest. Entertainments, masques, speeches, &c. 1716 (ed. 1716)