Often undecided whether to desert a sinking ship for one that might not float, he would make up his mind to sit on the wharf for a day.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
A captain who does not know where he wants to sail, there is no wind on Earth that will bring him there.
If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.
The man who voyages strange seas must of necessity be a little unsure of himself. It is the man with the flashy air of knowing everything, who is always with it, that we should beware of.
The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea.
The days of languorous shore leave are long gone. Overnight stays are unheard of and sailor towns a distant memory. In better ports, seafarers head for a seamen's mission.
No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.
Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore.
It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage.
It is better to meet danger than to wait for it. He that is on a lee shore, and foresees a hurricane, stands out to sea and encounters a storm to avoid a shipwreck.
I cling to the idea that Herman Melville had to work at the end of his career watching ships in a dock, as a shipping agent in New York. Any writer who thinks they should be given patronage because of their gift... you don't have to look too far in history to see that's just not the case.
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