“Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed.”

— E. B. White

Letter to M. Nadeau (30 March 1973)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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E. B. White 54

American writer 1899–1985

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version in original Dutch / citaat van Gerard Bilders' brief, in het Nederlands: ..Nu is er maar één ding, dat hinderlijk is en waar niemand iets aan veranderen kan, het is, dat de dagen zoo schrikkelijk kort zijn door het donkere weder. Voor aanleggen[?] en schetsen gaat het nog, maar fijne toonen en tinten te begluren en weder te geven zou nu eene onmogelijkheid zijn. Vooral op het Museum is het somtijds bijzonder duister.
Quote of Gerard Bilders, in a letter to his mecenas Johannes Kneppelhout, The Hague 19 Jan. 1857; from an excerpt of this letter https://rkd.nl/nl/explore/excerpts/512, in the RKD-Archive, The Hague
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“Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed.”

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E. B. White 54

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