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Basques Quotes

Browse 13 quotes about Basques.

Basques Quotes

“When the Basque whalers applied to cod the salting techniques they were using on whale, they discovered a particularly good marriage because the cod is virtually without fat, and so if salted and dried well, would rarely spoil. It would outlast whale, which is red meat, and it would outlast herring, a fatty fish that became a popular salted item of the northern countries in the Middle Ages.”

FoodTravelFishingFood AnthropologyCodCodfishBasquesSalted FishWhalers
Book:Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
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“In the twelfth century the Basque fishermen of Biarritz used to hunt whales with deadly efficiency. When the whales sensibly moved away, the Basques chased them further and further, with the consequence that the fishermen of Biarritz discovered America before Columbus did. This is a matter for local pride but on a larger view it is not quite so stunning, since with the possible exception of the Swiss everybody discovered America before Columbus did.”

MatterAmericaUsedViewsHistoryCenturyHumourPrideConsequenceMovedLocalsExceptionEfficiencyHuntsWhalesFishermanStunningColumbusSwissBasques
Book:Flying Visits
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“When I'm scared - and I'm always scared when I have to face an audience, when I have to read a review, when I publish a book...then, I think of my grandfather. My grandfather was this strong, tough Basque who would never bend....What would he do? Well, he would go ahead, close his eyes, and drive forward. You do it and the spirit that is within you....is there.”

ThinkingWellsBookEyeFacesSpiritStrongAudienceToughScaredHis EyesReviewsWithin YouGrandfatherPublishMy GrandfatherBasques
Author:Isabel Allende
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“If you go back a century in Europe, all over the place people were speaking different languages. There were dozens of languages in France and Italy, and they're all called French [and Italian], but they were not mutually comprehensible. They were different languages. And they have mostly disappeared in the last century or so. Some are being preserved, like Welsh, some are being revived, like Basque or Catelan to some extent. There are plenty of people in Europe who can't talk to their grandmother because they talk a different language.”

PeopleIfsDifferentLastsLanguageCenturyEuropePlentyFranceGrandmotherItalianDozenWelshDifferent LanguagesBasques
Author:Noam Chomsky
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“In Europe there's kind of a reaction to the European Union, kind of a move towards some kind of regionalization. It's more advanced in some regions than others, like in Spain for example. Catelan was repressed under Franco. People spoke it, but not publicly. It's now the language of Catelonia. The Basque language is being revived, not just the language but the culture, the folk music and everything else. So you're getting more diverse societies, and it's happening in Britain as well.”

PeopleWellsKindMovingCultureLanguageExampleHappeningsEuropeUnionsFolksReactionsBritainRegionsSpokesDiverseSpainEuropean UnionRepressedFolk MusicFrancoBasquesDiverse Society
Author:Noam Chomsky
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