All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.

Herman Melville
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All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life. Those who have not learned to swim are continually running into hidden whirlpools and danger spots. They are unaware that they are swimming within the vast undersea world of peril.

Source: Mobydick Or, The Whale

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