“Courteous reader, 'tis said of scripture that it is deep enough for an elephant to swim in, and yet shallow enough for a lamb to wade through.”

— Ralph Venning

From the late 1640s, in Ian Green, Print and Protestantism in Early Modern England (2002), p. 101.

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

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Courteous reader, 'tis said of scripture that it is deep enough for an elephant to swim in, and yet shallow enough for …" by Ralph Venning?

Ralph Venning 8

English minister 1621–1673

Related quotes

“This love was big enough for the both of us.
This love of yours was big enough to be frightened of.
It's deep and dark, like the water was,
The day I learned to swim.”

Kate Bush (1958) British recording artist; singer, songwriter, musician and record producer

Song lyrics, The Sensual World (1989)

“Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.”

Linus Torvalds (1969) Finnish-American software engineer and hacker

“Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.”

Eric S. Raymond book The Cathedral and the Bazaar

The Cathedral and the Bazaar

“Taking elephants across the Alps is not as much fun as it sounds. The Alps are difficult enough when alone, and elephants are peculiarly fitted for not crossing them.”

Will Cuppy (1884–1949) American writer

The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody (1950), Part II: Ancient Greeks and Worse, Hannibal

“I knew I was telling a story that would be gripping enough to take readers with it, and I have a high enough opinion of my readers to expect them to take a little difficulty in their stride.”

Philip Pullman (1946) English author

Interview at Achuka Children's Books
Context: I knew I was telling a story that would be gripping enough to take readers with it, and I have a high enough opinion of my readers to expect them to take a little difficulty in their stride. My readers are intelligent: I don't write for stupid people. Now mark this carefully, because otherwise I shall be misquoted and vilified again — we are all stupid, and we are all intelligent. The line dividing the stupid from the intelligent goes right down the middle of our heads. Others may find their readership on the stupid side: I don't. I pay my readers the compliment of assuming that they are intellectually adventurous.