You may seek it with thimbles - and seek it with care; You may hunt it with forks and hope; You may threaten its life with a railway-share; You may charm it with smiles and soap - ('That's exactly the method,' the Bellman bold In a hasty parenthesis cried, 'That's exactly the way I have always been told That the capture of Snarks should be tried!') ''But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day, If your Snark be a Boojum! For then You will softly and suddenly vanish away, And never be met with again!'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Describes absurd methods to hunt a Snark, warning that Boojums cause disappearance.
- In plain terms
- Use strange tools to hunt; beware of Boojums.
- What can you take from it?
- Beware dangerous unknowns in absurd pursuits.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a quest dangerous?
- When do rules stop working?
Another view
The warning relies on fictional creatures with no real-world analogy.
More from Lewis Carroll
But the principal failing occurred in the sailing, And the Bellman, perplexed and distressed, Said he had hoped, at least, when the wind blew due East That the…
Permalink to quote #10 You may charge me with murder - or want of sense - (we are all of us weak at times): But the slightest approach to a false pretence was never among my crimes! …
Permalink to quote #12 Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes: A thing, as the Bellman remarked, That frequently happens in tropical climes, When a vessel is, so to sp…
Permalink to quote #9
Related quotes
He was within a few hours of giving his enemies the slip forever.
Laurence SterneLaurence Sterne quote #6 You may charge me with murder - or want of sense - (we are all of us weak at times): But the slightest approach to a false pretence was never among my crimes! …
Lewis CarrollLewis Carroll quote #12 Some children have a most disagreeable way of getting grown-up: I hope you won't do anything of that sort before we meet again.
Lewis CarrollLewis Carroll quote #26