8 Quotes & Sayings By Daniel James Brown

Daniel James Brown is the author of "The Boys in the Boat," a national bestseller that once again has become a staple of high school reading lists. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in Queens and Long Island. He attended the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he was an editor on their student newspaper. Daniel later worked as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times before going on to become one of America's leading historians on World War II and naval history Read more

He is a regular contributor to the New York Times Magazine and has written articles for The Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Time Out Chicago, and other publications.

1
..heroes are sometimes the most ordinary -seeming people. It reminds us that as ordinary as we might be, we can, if we choose, take the harder road, walk forth bravely under the indifferent stars. We can hazard the ravages of chance. We can choose to endure what seems unendurable, and thereby open up the possibility of prevailing. We can awaken to the world as it is, and seeing it with eyes wide open, we can nevertheless embrace hope rather than despair. Daniel James Brown
2
Then the coxswain called out, 'Ready all! ' Joe turned and faced the rear of the boat, slid his seat forward, sank the white blade of his oar into the oil-black water, tensed his muscles, and waited for the command that would propel him forward into the glimmering darkness. Daniel James Brown
3
To appreciate beauty is to experience humility-- to recognize that something larger and more powerful than oneself is at work in the environment. And humility, it turns out, is key to recognizing that in order to survive, you must adapt yourself to the environment, that it won't adapt to your needs. Daniel James Brown
4
Neither is necessarily a better or more valuable oarsman than the other; both the long arms and the strong back are assets to the boat. But if they are to row well together, each of these oarsmen must adjust to the needs and capabilities of the other. Each must be prepared to compromise something in the way of optimizing his stroke for the overall benefit of the boat.. Only in this way can the capabilities that come with diversity..be turned to advantage rather than disadvantage.p179. Daniel James Brown
5
And he came to understand how those almost mystical bonds of trust and affection, if nurtured correctly, might lift a crew above the ordinary sphere, transport it to a place where nine boys somehow became one thing - a thing that could not quite be defined, a thing that was so in tune with the water and the earth and the sky above that, as they rowed, effort was replaced by ecstasy. It was a rare thing, a sacred thing, a thing devoutly to be hoped for.p 48 . Daniel James Brown
6
Even as rowers must subsume their often fierce sense of independence and self-reliance, at the same time they must hold true to their individuality, their unique capabilities as oarsmen or oarswomen or, for that matter, as human beings. p 179 Daniel James Brown
7
A good shell has to have life and resiliency to get in harmony with the swing of the crew. Daniel James Brown