"I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. Hence, though I belong to a profession proverbially energetic and nervous, even to turbulence, at times, yet nothing of that sort have I ever suffered to invade my peace."

It was difficult to choose a succinct quote from this book. There are so many delightful passages, but with such cumbersome and inaccessible language, many of the best quotes would end up being longer than my review itself. Which is a nice segue to my main thought: this book is phenomenal, so long as you can get past the verbose ramblings and see the melancholy humor beneath the weight of the language. I’ve never read Melville before, but I’m glad I started with this one, as at least the shortness of it aids its palatability.