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About this quote

What does it mean?
An old sailor stops a wedding guest to tell his story, captivating him with his intense gaze.
In plain terms
An old mariner stops a man to tell a tale, holding him with his gaze.
What can you take from it?
Stories can force us to stop and listen against our will.

Where it applies

  • listening to strangers
  • sharing stories
  • social interruptions

Putting it to work

  • engage with unexpected storytellers
  • reflect on why we listen

Questions to consider

  • Why do we feel compelled to listen?
  • What stories change us?

Another view

The situation is fictional and might not reflect real social dynamics.

More from Samuel Taylor Coleridge

  1. If a man could pass through Paradise in a dream, and have a flower presented to him as a pledge that his soul had really been there, and if he found that flowe…

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  2. The guests are met, the feast is set: May'st hear the merry din.

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  3. He saw a lawyer killing a viper On a dunghill hard, by his own stable And the devil smiled, for it put him in mind Of Cain and his brother, Abel.

    Permalink to quote #32

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