“O! many a shaft at random sent
Finds mark the archer little meant!
And many a word, at random spoken,
May soothe or wound a heart that's broken!”

—  Walter Scott , The Lord of the Isles

Canto V, stanza 18.
The Lord of the Isles (1815)

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Walter Scott photo
Walter Scott 151
Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet 1771–1832

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