“ The walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active; the scenery and the woodsy smells are good to bear in upon a man an unconscious and unobtrusive charm and solace to eye and soul and sense; but the supreme pleasure comes from the talk. ”
Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad (1880). copy citation
| Author | Mark Twain |
|---|---|
| Source | A Tramp Abroad |
| Topic | pleasure charm |
| Date | 1880 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/119/119-h/119-h.htm |
Context
“So we set the pedometer and then stretched away on an easy, regular stride, down through the cloven forest, drawing in the fragrant breath of the morning in deep refreshing draughts, and wishing we might never have anything to do forever but walk to Oppenau and keep on doing it and then doing it over again.
Now, the true charm of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the talking. The walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active; the scenery and the woodsy smells are good to bear in upon a man an unconscious and unobtrusive charm and solace to eye and soul and sense; but the supreme pleasure comes from the talk. It is no matter whether one talks wisdom or nonsense, the case is the same, the bulk of the enjoyment lies in the wagging of the gladsome jaw and the flapping of the sympathetic ear.
And what motley variety of subjects a couple of people will casually rake over in the course of a day’s tramp!”
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