“"At present I would prefer not to be a little reasonable," was his mildly cadaverous reply.”

— Herman Melville, book Bartleby, the Scrivener

Bartleby, the Scrivener (1853)

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Herman Melville144

American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet 1818–1891

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“I would prefer not to.”

Herman Melville (1818–1891) American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet

Source: Bartleby the Scrivener