“A whale ship was my Yale College and my Harvard”
— Herman Melville
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Simplified Meaning:
The speaker is saying that instead of going to a traditional school like Yale or Harvard, they learned everything they needed to know from working on a whaling ship. This means they gained important life lessons and skills from their experiences at sea, which was just as valuable as a formal education. For example, imagine someone who didn't go to college but worked in a family business. They might learn about hard work, managing money, and dealing with people just by being part of the business. These experiences can teach just as much as, if not more than, sitting in a classroom. The idea is that there are many ways to get an education, and real-world experiences can be just as meaningful and valuable as academic ones.
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American literature Classic literature Education Herman melville Literature Maritime Moby dick Nautical Self-education WhalingFEATURED QUOTES
