Imagine the horror with which darkness, rain, and wind, fill persons who have lost their way in the night; and who, consequently, have not the pleasant prospect of warm fires, dry cloaths, and other refreshments, to support their minds in struggling with the inclemencies of the weather.
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
At the time I now write of, Father Mapple was in the hardy winter of a healthy old age; that sort of old age which seems merging into a second flowering youth, for among all the fissures of his wrinkles, there shone certain mild gleams of a newly developing bloom–the spring verdure peeping forth even beneath February’s snow.
Moby Dick, the White Whale by Herman Melville
Constellation Orion, partly encircled by Barnard’s Loop, appears upside down (on the left) when seen from the southern hemisphere.
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky.
On the far right, near the top, are the two Magellanic Clouds, satellite galaxies of the Milky Way.
Jules Travernier painting was inspired during the year he spent crossing America, sketching the scenes he encountered while lost in his thoughts.
I will have no man in my boat,” said Starbuck, “who is not afraid of a whale.” By this, he seemed to mean, not only that the most reliable and useful courage was that which arises from the fair estimation of the encountered peril, but that an utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.
Chapter 26, Knights and Squires – Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Hunger is the first element of self-discipline.
If you can control what you eat & drink, you can control everything else.
Perception of time will eventually condense into an infinite now. Until then, observe the rush of random thoughts as they travel downstream.
Half of those who die in combat enter Valhalla, while the other half are chosen to reside in Fólkvangr.
Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution.
Aristotle