I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding-line, and had no way of knowing how near the harbour was.

在开始接受教育之前，我就像这样一条船，只是没有罗盘，没有测深绳，无法得知离海港有多远。

youdao

A man without a clear goal, just like a ship without a compass.

一个人没有明确的目标，就象船没有罗盘一样。

youdao

The sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass never knows where he may be cast.

水手上船如果没有舵和罗盘，将永远不知道自己驶向何方。

youdao

Perhaps his is not the moral compass (not in the Bible) by which we should guide the ship of state.

FORBES: Dear President Obama: I'm Only My Brother's Keeper If My Brother Is My Sheep

This, members of the committee, is the equivalent of a ship's captain leaving on a difficult and uncharted voyage hoping to find his or her compass somewhere along the way.

CNN: Transcript: Schippers, Lowell briefings before Judiciary panel, part 2