Name That Author

[anotherDan]

Like Name That Tune, whoever names the author adds the next quote. Here's your chance to quote your favorite passages from Marx, MLK Jr., Tom Clancy, and Pascal!

I believe I have omitted mentioning that, in my first voyage from Boston, being becalm'd off Block Island, our people set about catching cod, and hauled up a great many. Hitherto I had stuck to my resolution of not eating animal food, and on this occasion consider'd, with my master Tryon, the taking every fish as a kind of unprovoked murder, since none of them had, or ever could do us any injury that might justify the slaughter. All this seemed very reasonable. But I had formerly been a great lover of fish, and, when this came hot out of the frying-pan, it smelt admirably well. I balanc'd some time between principle and inclination, till I recollected that, when the fish were opened, I saw smaller fish taken out of their stomachs; then thought I, "If you eat one another, I don't see why we mayn't eat you." So I din'd upon cod very heartily, and continued to eat with other people, returning only now and then occasionally to a vegetable diet. So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.

[GeorgeStGeorge]

I have a feeling that this crowd (myself included) spends a lot less time with books than we do with movies, TV, or the radio, but I'll give it a shot:

Herman Melville

You didn't mention needing a title. I'm thinking Moby Dick, of course, but maybe Billy Budd.

George

[waysider]

I must confess; I googled it.

WOW!!

Perfect choice for this forum.

[wrdsandwrks]

I have a feeling that this crowd (myself included) spends a lot less time with books than we do with movies, TV, or the radio, but I'll give it a shot:

Herman Melville

You didn't mention needing a title. I'm thinking Moby Dick, of course, but maybe Billy Budd.

George

Where's the next quote?

[doojable]

Is that a Hemingway quote? I only remember the story with the Bonito fish....not the title.

*edited to say that on second thought I don't really think it is Hemingway.

Edited April 2, 2008 by doojable

[GeorgeStGeorge]

Where's the next quote?

Until someone says I'm right (or wrong), we wait!

George

[anotherDan]

nope, but thanks for trying

hint: It's non fiction. Not Hemingway, not Melville.

You know him, though

The subject matter does give some good clues.

From the same book, a description of an itinerant preacher of the author's day, a Mr. Whitefield. This quote is a gem.

He had a loud and clear voice, and articulated his words and sentences so perfectly, that he might be heard and understood at a great distance, especially as his auditories, however numerous, observ'd the most exact silence. He preach'd one evening from the top of the Court-house steps, which are in the middle of Market-street, and on the west side of Second-street, which crosses it at right angles.

Both streets were fill'd with his hearers to a considerable distance. Being among the hindmost in Market-street, I had the curiosity to learn how far he could be heard, by retiring backwards down the street towards the river; and I found his voice distinct till I came near Front-street, when some noise in that street obscur'd it. Imagining then a semi-circle, of which my distance should be the radius, and that it were fill'd with auditors, to each of whom I allow'd two square feet, I computed that he might well be heard by more than thirty thousand. This reconcil'd me to the newspaper accounts of his having preach'd to twenty-five thousand people in the fields, and to the antient histories of generals haranguing whole armies, of which I had sometimes doubted.

By hearing him often, I came to distinguish easily between sermons newly compos'd, and those which he had often preach'd in the course of his travels. His delivery of the latter was so improv'd by frequent repetitions that every accent, every emphasis, every modulation of voice, was so perfectly well turn'd and well plac'd, that, without being interested in the subject, one could not help being pleas'd with the discourse; a pleasure of much the same kind with that receiv'd from an excellent piece of musick. This is an advantage itinerant preachers have over those who are stationary, as the latter can not well improve their delivery of a sermon by so many rehearsals.

the author happened to be the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations, not that he was known for this; interesting, though

Edited April 3, 2008 by anotherDan

[GeorgeStGeorge]

Thoreau?

George

[wrdsandwrks]

I was thinking Melville too when I saw George's response so I googled it. I recently read this book or one on the same subject and was especially interested in the Whitfield quote. Here's another quote by the same author on his church-going or lack thereof which I thought was especially interesting. (Dan, hope it's okay to chime in here since I disqualified myself by googling it.)

Tho' I seldom attended any public worship, I had still an opinion of its propriety, and of its utility when rightly conducted, and I regularly paid my annual subscription for the support of the only Presbyterian minister or meeting we had in Philadelphia. He us'd to visit me sometimes as a friend, and admonish me to attend his administrations, and I was now and then prevail'd on to do so, once for five Sundays successively. Had he been in my opinion a good preacher, perhaps I might have continued, notwithstanding the occasion I had for the Sunday's leisure in my course of study; but his discourses were chiefly either polemic arguments, or explications of the peculiar doctrines of our sect, and were all to me very dry, uninteresting, and unedifying, since not a single moral principle was inculcated or enforc'd, their aim seeming to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens.

[cheranne]

Martin Luther King?

[anotherDan]

In the spirit of moving on, I'm revealing the author, who is Benjamin Franklin, from his Autobiography.

It can be read online in its entirety HERE.

Great book! Thanks for playing and being such good sports.... Wrds... I'm surprised you didn't get it! Nice "chime in" --- that was another fascinating glimpse into this guy's thinking, one I had also marked in my copy.

I pass to George St. George.

It can be any book, fiction or nonfiction. Could be interesting, since it's not necessarily that a person remembers a particular quote, but can figure out sometimes from the content who might have written it.

[GeorgeStGeorge]

"Gallia est omnis divisa in partis tris, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur."

George

[bfh]

GSG:

I am ROTFLMAO.

Who knew 3 years of college Latin would come in handy on GSC?

I only took it to fill the language req. and translate Medieval Manuscripts ( I have since given that up).

That would be Julius Caesar - spent a whole semester on those Commentaries.

Now, all I can translate is the first phrase without my Latin/English Dictionary.

"All of Gaul is divided into three parts"

Edited April 6, 2008 by bfh

[anotherDan]

GSG:

I am ROTFLMAO.

Who knew 3 years of college Latin would come in handy on GSC?

I only took it to fill the language req. and translate Medieval Manuscripts ( I have since given that up).

That would be Julius Caesar - spent a whole semester on those Commentaries.

Now, all I can translate is the first phrase without my Latin/English Dictionary.

"All of Gaul is divided into three parts"

Bravo! Is he right GSG? (how cultured!)

[GeorgeStGeorge]

Quite correct!

I believe the whole quote is translated

"All Gaul is divided into three parts, in one of which dwell the Belgians, in another the Aquitani, and in the third those whose language is of the Celts, who are called Gauls by us."

Admittedly, my Latin is a little rusty. I do a lot more with Greek these days.

Your turn, bfh!

George

[bfh]

GSG:

I believe you are correct about that translation.

Although it has been close to a decade since I delved into Latin (has it really been that long), so my Latin is very rusty.

BTW, my favorite Latin quote: Nunc est bibendum!

Okay, on to the next quote:

"We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out

against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to

the will of Providence, determined still to do our best to the last...

Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood,

endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the

heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must

tell the tale."

[anotherDan]

Is it Edmonton? Not sure of the name.... antarctic explorer?

edit: ah, but he lived!

Edited April 6, 2008 by anotherDan

[waysider]

It sounds like it might be describing the ill-fated Franklin Expedition to find The Northwest Passage.

[bfh]

anotherDan is on the right track -

It was written by an Antarctica explorer.

[waysider]

Slight diversion

[wrdsandwrks]

Is it Shakleton?

Loved the clip: "These books were alive, they spoke to me."!

[bfh]

Ah, Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury. Good Book and a pivotal scene.

Kind of looks like my house with all those books...

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming....

No, it's not Shackleton...but close.

[wrdsandwrks]

Okay, it's a longshot, but the only other Anarctic Explorer I can think of is Byrd. Byrd?

Probably not...

[bfh]

Okay, it's a longshot, but the only other Anarctic Explorer I can think of is Byrd. Byrd?

Probably not...

I can't think of any other clues I can give...There were four important Antarctic explorers and you have named two of them.

Let's see...the remaining two explorers were competing to see who could reach the South Pole first.

One explorer and his team accomplished the mission in record time, the other and his team perished on the ice (see quote).

Edited to say: Oops, I forgot to say...No, not Byrd.

Edited April 6, 2008 by bfh

[GeorgeStGeorge]

Robert Peary?

George

P.S. For those who didn't get bfh's Latin phrase: Now we must drink!