Ballast Quote by Thomas Love Peacock
“Seamen three! what men be ye? Gotham's three Wise Men we be. Whither in your bowl so free? To rake the moon from out the sea. The bowl goes trim. The moon doth shine, And our ballast is old wine.”
About This Quote
Source Play: Ganymede; 1815
A whimsical dialogue about identity and the absurdity of pretensions, using nautical metaphors.
In simple terms: Men question their roles while using playful sea imagery.
Key Takeaway
Embrace humor to reveal truth.
Themes
identity
absurdity
humor
language
Mood
playful
ironic
Type
literary
satirical
When to use this quote
- theatrical performance
- literary analysis
- creative writing
Key Concepts
self‑reflection
metaphor
satire
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the bowl symbolize?
- How does absurdity reveal truth?
A Different Perspective
The humor may obscure deeper meaning for some readers.
![“First of all, what made him [Duke in "Zero Year"] captivating is this sense of somebody who wants to save the city regardless of whether Batman wants to or not, but has been inspired by Batman. He's always been - not combative with Batman or anything - but I think he has a sense that what Robin is…” quote by Scott Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/74a/scott-snyder-9381_captivating_first-of-all-what-made-him-duke-in-zero_842896.jpg)
![“The more modest its intellectual ballast, the more exclusively it takes into consideration the emotions of the masses, the more effective [propaganda] will be.” quote by Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/afa/adolf-hitler-253_ballast_the-more-modest-its-intellectual-ballast_169433.jpg)
