| The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. |
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| NUMBER: | 38846 |
| QUOTATION: | If the gods think to speak outright to man, they will honorably speak outright; not shake their heads, and give an old wives’ darkling hint. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Herman Melville (1819–1891), U.S. author. Moby-Dick (1851), ch. 133, The Writings of Herman Melville, vol. 6, eds. Harrison Hayford, Hershel Parker, and G. Thomas Tanselle (1988).
Spoken by Captain Ahab, about omens. |
| BIOGRAPHY: | Columbia Encyclopedia. |
| WORKS: | Melville Collection. |
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| | | The Columbia World of Quotations. Copyright © 1996 Columbia University Press. |
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