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Quote by Joseph Conrad

Work

Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' is a seminal work that delves into the dark underbelly of colonialism and the psychological impact of exploration. The narrative follows Marlow, a seaman, as he navigates the treacherous Congo River and encounters the enigmatic Mr. Kurtz. more

Author

Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad, born on December 3, 1857 in Poland and died on August 3, 1924 in the United Kingdom, was a renowned British author of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is known for his profound descriptions of maritime life and his insightful explorations of human nature. more

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“the illusion of speed is the belief that it saves time. it looks simple at first sight: finish something in two hours instead of three, gain an hour. it’s an abstract calculation, though, done as if each hour of the day were like an hour on the clock, absolutely equal. but haste and speed accelerate time, which passes more quickly, and two hours of hurry shorten a day. every minute is torn apart by being segmented, stuffed to bursting. you can pile a mountain of things into an hour. days of slow walking are very long: they make you live longer, because you have allowed every hour, every minute, every second to breathe, to deepen, instead of filling them up by straining the joints. hurrying means doing several things at once, and quickly: this; then that; and then something else. when you hurry, time is filled to bursting, like a badly-arranged drawer in which you have stuffed different things without any attempt at order.”

“The pirates would kiss Hayden, and sometimes they would cut off a hank of hair - 'as a reminder of yer kisses, me lad' - and one of them even cut off a piece of his earlobe. This particular pirate was Bill McGregor, and he was the one Hayden feared the most. Bill McGregor was the worst of them - and at night when everyone else was asleep, Bill McGregor would come looking for Hayden, his step slow and hollow on the planks of the deck, his voice a deep whisper. Boy,' he would murmur. 'where are you, boy?' After Bill McGregor cut off the piece of Hayden's earlobe, he decided that he wanted more. Every time he caught Hayden, he would cut a small piece off of him. The skin of an elbow, the tip of a finger, a piece of his lip. He would grip the squirming Hayden and cut a piece off of him, and then Bill McGregor would eat the piece of flesh.”