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Quote by Robert Smith Surtees

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Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour

This book is a blend of comedy and travel, chronicling the escapades of Mr. Sponge as he participates in a variety of sports and meets a colorful cast of characters along the way. The story is filled with wit and whimsy, offering readers a unique perspective on the world of sports and the spirit of adventure. more

Author

Robert Smith Surtees
Robert Smith Surtees

Robert Smith Surtees was a British novelist born on May 17, 1805, and died on March 16, 1864. Known for his humorous and satirical writing style, Surtees is primarily recognized for his works centered around rural life, particularly his depictions of the English horse racing world. more

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“Those who are to follow the arts should have a training in what is called poverty. Given a comfortable middle-class start in life, the artist is almost sure to end up by becoming a bellyacher, constantly complaining because the public does not rush forward at once to proclaim him.”

“If our family was poor, of what did our poverty consist? If our clothes were torn the torn places only let in the sun and wind. In the winter we had no overcoats, but that only meant we ran rather than loitered.”

“There is a note that comes into the human voice by which you may know real weariness. It comes when one has been trying with all his heart and soul to think his way along some difficult road of thought. Of a sudden he finds himself unable to go on. Something within him stops. A tiny explosion takes place. He bursts into words and talks, perhaps foolishly. Little side currents of his nature he didn't know were there run out and get themselves expressed. It is at such times that a man boasts, uses big words, makes a fool of himself in general.”

“In Middle America men are awakening. Like awkward and untrained boys we begin to turn toward maturity and with our awakening we hunger for song. But in our towns and fields there are few memory haunted places. Here we stand in roaring city streets, on steaming coal heaps, in the shadow of factories from which come only the grinding roar of machines. We do not sing but mutter in the darkness. Our lips are cracked with dust and with the heat of furnaces. We but mutter and feel our way toward the promise of song.”