Sea Fever: “All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.” John Masefield

Focus: A mariner must have his eye upon the rocks and sands as well upon the north star.

Success: “Success in life comes only with effort, self-denial, and grim perseverance. So we are asked to believe, at any rate; and, with due allowance for sheer, dumb luck, the proposition is mainly true. But the lazy man also has his reward—smaller, less negotiable, but satisfactory in its own way, and especially welcome as a kind of end run around the rigorous principle above.”

“I’ll teach you how to escape death.…..there is a raven in the eastern sea which is called Yitai (“dull-head”). This dull-head cannot fly very high and seems very stupid. It hops only a short distance and nestles close with others of its kind. In going forward, it dare not lead and in going back, it dare not lag behind. At the time of feeding, it takes what is left over by the other birds. Therefore, the ranks of this bird are never depleted and nobody can do them any harm. A tree with a straight trunk is the first to be chopped down. A well with sweet water is the first to be drawn dry.”—Taikung Jen, in a conversation with Confucius (Fate is the Hunter, Ernst Gann)