Home / Books / In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Book by Nathaniel Philbrick · 4 quotes · Adversity, American Values, Compassion

Browse quotes from In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex.

Book detail: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex is presented as a focused source page for quotations connected with this book, collection, transcript, or source record.

Browse quotes from In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex.

The quotes below use the same card format as the rest of the site, including topics, source notes, copy actions, image creation, and sharing controls.

Filter quotes by topic

All Adversity American Values Compassion Empathy Grace Of God Hunger Independence Optimism Prosperity Sea Voyage Ship Strong Women Whales

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex Quotes

“Many of the so-called American characteristics,’ a chronicler of the [WW2 University of Minnesota starvation] experiment wrote, ‘—abounding energy, generosity, optimism—become intelligible as the expected behavior response of a well-fed people.”

Optimism Hunger American Values

Book:In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Source: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

“How much of assumed national and personal character comes from the fact that we have never truly known need to the point of having our character tested? Willing conscientious objectors underwent controlled starvation and confirmed how quickly it impacts the initiative and generosity we like to think of as "American" characteristics.”

Compassion Empathy Adversity Prosperity Grace Of God

Book:In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Source: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

“Then I’ll haste to wed a sailor, and send him off to sea, For a life of independence, is the pleasant life for me. But every now and then I shall like to see his face, For it always seems to me to beam with manly grace, With his brow so nobly open, and his dark and kindly eye, Oh my heart beats fondly towards him whenever he is nigh. But when he says “Goodbye my love, I’m off across the sea,” First I cry for his departure, then laugh because I’m free. (“Nantucket Girl’s Song,” as recorded in Eliza Brock’s journal)”

Independence Strong Women

Book:In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Source: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

“Unable to sleep for the third night in a row, he continued to dwell obsessively on the circumstances of the ship's sinking. He could not get the creature out of his mind.”

Whales Ship Sea Voyage

Book:In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Source: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex