Wednesday Quote – Classics Considered

It’s Valentine’s Day, and what better time to feature a quote from the lovable Sherlock Holmes? A self-described scientist who belittles sentiment, Holmes nonetheless often plays the role of knight-in-shining-armor, as in “The Speckled Band.” I love this clip from the TV episode starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes and David Burke as Watson. The dialogue is almost word-for-word from the book!

Also, if you’re interested in more costume dramas from books, I talked about some of my favorites in this week’s Classics Considered episode. Always on the lookout for recommendations, too. 🙂

As far as novels go, I’ve found an interesting read in Embers, by Hungarian author Sandor Marai. “Interesting” may be an understatement; I can hardly put it down. Look for that review in the upcoming week…

“‘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.”

Over the years, I’ve collected various quotes about or related to courage (it is probably my favorite subject for quotes). This bit of wisdom from Starbuck is something in particular I’ve carried with me, I suppose subconsciously. At work, for example, I have some worries and personal insecurities, and instead of trying to ignore them, I’ve found it’s best to acknowledge, think through, then address them, in that order. Fortunately, my job is worlds easier than Starbuck’s…