Unbelievable how Gregory Peck later said he disliked this performance...I think he should have gotten the Oscar. I was just a boy and this movie blew me away. Gregory Peck was the greatest American actor of his generation.
The contrast in the lighting is great too. When he's sitting, he's more reasoning and open. But when he stands the camera creeps in tight and the light makes his face appear determined and sinister.
I know, that voice. That's why i like that actor. I really liked him too in the movie "To kill a muckingbird". I really like that movie. Never get tired to see that movie.
was never a better Ahab than Gregory Peck - this scene is particularly powerful the way Peck's entire being is so focused and fierce - you really believe he would strike the sun
Gregory Peck always hated his performance as Ahab. He believed--in a totally professional way--that he didn't do the character justice. But, goddamn, he's got the look, the attitude, and most of all the VOICE for the character: "Speak not to me of blasphemy, man...I'd strike the sun if it insulted me!" He's totally committed to the part and it's a perfectly judged performance, from his quiet fierceness at the beginning of the movie to the out-of-control rage at the climax.
TM Rezzek so many people have tried this roll (give credit to them), but no one ever played this part better than Gregory. This man was a well polished actor over all.
Leo Genn's an interesting man. A lawyer by trade he went into acting for the fun of it and was great at it. Also, after serving in the British Army during WW2 he went back into lawyering and and a British Army prosecutor he participated in the trials of Nazi war criminals.
WE Screened Moby Dick -At Studio One- Oxford Street. London-1956. I know most scenes. Also yellow Ribbon and shenandoh. Good old days.Thank you- You tube.🐳🎬🐋📽
This version was on the tube and when it's on I have to watch. Plenty of remakes, versions of Moby Dick but Gregory Pecks' version tops them all. He IS Ahab.
God this scene is amazing in every way. Bradbury's dialogue is just pitch perfect and encapsulates the main theme of the novel so succinctly. The lighting is extraordinary especially for the demonic glint that seems to emanate from Ahab's unblinking eyes. The entire cast is marvelous but it all rides on Peck and he is truly otherworldly and deranged. A remarkable film.
And when Starbuck walks away, Ahab says "Come about, sir." He momentarily shows his subordinate officer the respect of calling him "sir." People were so formal and proper in their conversations in those days.
My God--the greatest moment in the book & the movie--Ahab's great speech to Starbuck that eloquently encapsulates one of the books central themes--the universal dread of the force of Nature, and the single-minded malignancy of people to see Evil in some inoffensive aspect of Nature merely acting out its part in it. Or, the malignancy of the deranged true believer in any intoxicating ideology, including religion, especially the twisted true-believing leaders who would enlist and drive to doom himself & all the helpless suckers in his charge. Great book/movie, but worth the whole price of admission for this one haunting scene, Thank you.
I like his speech after the storm just as well as this one, even if this is more central to the overall theme. but I think they really complement each other.
Ahab's soliloquy towards the end (spoken in Starbuck's presence) also is memorable: (a short part of it) "Is it I, God, or who that lifts this arm? But if the great Sun move not of himself, but is as an errand boy in Heaven, nor one single star can revolve but by some invisible power, how then can this one small heart beat, this one small brain think thoughts, unless God does that beating, does that thinking, does that living, and not I?"
Nature is not inoffensive. It is filled with killing and destruction as one creature seeks to devour another and so absorb its energy. Ahab does not see Nature as a mindless force, but as an evil one that intentionally seeks to cripple mankind. Ahab has experienced this horror in his own flesh and seeks to destroy the whale that devoured part of him. But at the end it is clear that he knows that he will be totally destroyed in the attempt, whether or not the whale dies. Starbuck, on the other hand, seeks to kill the whale out of a practical desire (authorized by God) to satisfy the needs of mankind. But in the end, both men are destroyed. So, whether one seeks to destroy Nature out of anger at its malevolent violence, or out of a rational desire to benefit mankind, the end result is the same- human obliteration by a force far greater than itself.
From the moment Ahab rises out of his chair until he finishes his statement with….”half a heart and half a lung…” there is not a single blink of his eyes….
" all visible objects are but pasteboard masks... Just the thing behind the mask I chiefly hate " The pursuit of vengeance has consumed his soul, what a magnificent movie.
When my boss asks me to do over time,I'm going to tell him " money's not the measure man, (going home), will fetch me a great premium ,here",(and point to my heart.)
Remember Hyman Roth in Godfather Part II? He told Michael "This -- is the business -- we've chosen!" On a day when the "going gets tough" at my present job and my boss asks what's wrong, I say: *"This* -- is the *business* -- we've *chosen."* "
Peck is obviously fantastic in this scene but Leo Genn is wonderful too. Look at his face at about 1:18 : So much conveyed in such a subtle movement of the eyes.
Yes, Starbuck is following along with Ahab's words, quite interested, until (that telling shift of the eyes) ... he realizes that Ahab is getting a little too serious about this Moby Dick business.
I've searched the text of Moby Dick for this scene...doesn't exist as written. So Ray Bradbury created it...twice removed from Melville's incredible text, via Bradbury and Peck.
@@mitchyoung8791 See Chapter 36 ("The Quarter-Deck"). You'll find it there, though more spread out. Bradbury condensed it. Had it been placed in sequence in the film, it would occur in the scene where Ahab has all hands on deck, inducing them to swear "Death to Moby Dick!" But Bradbury *did* make a connection, in having Ahab, in this scene, say to Starbuck, "The crew stands with me. You heard them swear." To clarify, in the book, this dialogue takes place in a different setting, out on the quarter-deck in day time, and in the presence of the crew. Bradbury's putting it in the cabin and keeping it between Ahab and Starbuck was a definite improvement, with all due respect to literature.
@@mitchyoung8791 Late discovery: The line "Let Ahab beware Ahab. Beware thy self" is found toward the end of Chapter 109 ("Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin"), where the two have a confrontation and Ahab actually threatens the First Mate.
@@basilmarasco1975 It's not that it improves on the book, it's just that great scenes from books don't necessarily make great scenes on film--they're different media. A good director knows how to _transpose_ from text to film in order to stay truthful to the _spirit_ of the text.
I understand exactly what he means. The seeming mockery of man in nature, some malicious force pulling the strings behind it, mocking at us and our puny efforts though the thing itself is behind a mask, unreachable.
Down to the core of ontology we go! What is the real object behind what we observe with our imperfect and foolhardy senses. What has God done that we do not know this world?
I don't think he ever blinked at all. Like one of the men said in a later scene, he spent 7 days and nights on watch. He slept standing up, ate on deck. He never moved a muscle, nor blinked an eye
Completely ignorant as I am about literature , another fine movie should have been made of The Somers Mutiny, a book and a true story by Henry Carlisle.
I`ve seen Sperm whales travelling on a ferry from Manila- Cebu, Philippines, but i didnt see a white one.They are found off the Philippines about April- May
@@shanemoore8055 "While traveling via ferry, I did see sperm whales. The whales were travelling independently; that is, they were employing their natural ability to swim quite easily in the ocean, with no need whatsoever for an alternative mode of travel." I fixed it for you.
3:30 - "It is the thing behind the mask I chiefly hate." - Is Ahab referring (at least unwittingly) to the Noumenon (Kant and Schopenhauer's philosophy)?
Prior to this voyage, Ahab was a very able whaling captain. His employers think he only lost a leg- they don't realize that the most severe damage was psychological.
The movie, through Starbuck, pictures Ahab as hell bent on personal vengeance against Moby Dick for causing his near fatal injuries and condition. Ahab does not counter Starbuck's accusation of vengeance, perhaps feeling vengeance in this case to be justified (against nuclear weapons as well then), but also perhaps wanting to keep the focus on the business of nuclear weapons as killing and severely injuring human beings rather than engage Starbuck on the issue of personal vengeance and make that the focus. Also nuclear missiles are to some extent seen as weapons of vengeance, and Captain.Ahab in conjunction with the owners of the business wanted to take the higher ground in the fight against nuclear weapons by not engaging the vengeance side of nuclear weapons (in the United States, the use of nuclear weapons before an enemy came to be looked down on, in some part due to dropping of nuclear bombs on Japan). In a sense, the movie is arguing that vengeance against nuclear weapons is justifiable, while taking the higher ground against nuclear missiles as weapons of vengeance is necessary.
One edition of the book includes a map detailing "The Cruise of the Pequod" and has it sinking southwest of the Hawaiian Islands and due north of Samoa.
Ahab's speech about Moby Dick being a mask behind which there is a malevolent force that mauls and mutilates the human race is a second example that the hunt to kill Moby Dick is business and not personal vengeance. It is the maiming and mutilation of human beings by weapons of war that Ahab hates, with Moby Dick representing the latest incarnation of these deadly and disabling weapons of war, the nuclear bomb / missile.
May be farfetched, but Ahab's statement of striking the sun if it insulted him could a reference to nuclear bombs (the sun consisting of nuclear fusion)
Moby Dick could be a symbol of nuclear weapons killing and maiming humanity, which the business is making top priority to stop, according to the arguments of Ahab (at the time of the making of the movie, disarmament of the nuclear threat and scare was highest priority for world leaders, making it first business before the economy.
Is this line not from the book? Because Herman Melville wrote it long before the thought of nuclear bombs and weapons of mass destruction were even conceivable.
That voice! And he doesn't blink. It makes for the delivery of a mad concept
Mark Gramm He’s stark, raving mad. I imagine James Mason would also make a good Ahab
@@Tempusverum Charlton Heston had a strong baritone voice, like Gregory Peck, but not the look.
Unbelievable how Gregory Peck later said he disliked this performance...I think he should have gotten the Oscar. I was just a boy and this movie blew me away. Gregory Peck was the greatest American actor of his generation.
I agree Micheal , such a fantastic performance From this great actor should have been recognised he did an amazing job.
He was fantastic as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
He didn't like his performance as Ahàb
This is my all time favorite version of this GREAT TALE... Mr. Pecks performance, blew me away !!!!
A timeless study of madness.
The contrast in the lighting is great too. When he's sitting, he's more reasoning and open. But when he stands the camera creeps in tight and the light makes his face appear determined and sinister.
Peck is my favorite Ahab too. That voice!
A strong, solid baritone ...
Peck is Ahab, and Ahab is Peck.
Case closed.
I know, that voice. That's why i like that actor. I really liked him too in the movie "To kill a muckingbird". I really like that movie. Never get tired to see that movie.
Ray Bradbury did such a fantastic job of adapting that monster of a book.
was never a better Ahab than Gregory Peck - this scene is particularly powerful the way Peck's entire being is so focused and fierce - you really believe he would strike the sun
Some of Melville’s best writing - verbatim. And one of our country’s best writers. But Peck brings Ahab’s words to life.
U sound like a doosh
The shadow on his face the white of his eyes the most underrated scene and dialog ever Gregory Peck literally became Ahab in this film.
@TheWiseMonkey8888 I got this book with pictures as a child and loved it .
His baritone voice. Peck had that presence alright.
Gregory Peck always hated his performance as Ahab. He believed--in a totally professional way--that he didn't do the character justice. But, goddamn, he's got the look, the attitude, and most of all the VOICE for the character: "Speak not to me of blasphemy, man...I'd strike the sun if it insulted me!" He's totally committed to the part and it's a perfectly judged performance, from his quiet fierceness at the beginning of the movie to the out-of-control rage at the climax.
TM Rezzek so many people have tried this roll (give credit to them), but no one ever played this part better than Gregory. This man was a well polished actor over all.
You said it all man. He owns Ahab.
Peck was right, from first moment I watch him, I know he's not right for this role.
Maybe someone could do it better, but I don't think anyone has done so. I like him very much in this role.
@peter hennig for me he definitely is.
I never heard of Gregory Peck tackling a great Shakespearean role. His portrayal of Ahab comes close enough to make me feel I have. 🐧
" Money's not the measure, man " Nice alliteration!
Leo Genn (Starbuck) also is excellent in this scene, and in the entire film.
He played Petronius in Quo Vadis he had to watch Nero and in this movie he is watching another madman:Ahab.
Leo Genn's an interesting man. A lawyer by trade he went into acting for the fun of it and was great at it. Also, after serving in the British Army during WW2 he went back into lawyering and and a British Army prosecutor he participated in the trials of Nazi war criminals.
Stunning performance by Peck and Genn!
WE Screened Moby Dick -At Studio One- Oxford Street. London-1956. I know most scenes. Also yellow Ribbon and shenandoh. Good old days.Thank you- You tube.🐳🎬🐋📽
This version was on the tube and when it's on I have to watch. Plenty of remakes, versions of Moby Dick but Gregory Pecks' version tops them all. He IS Ahab.
" Him, Mr. Starbuck. HIM."
God this scene is amazing in every way. Bradbury's dialogue is just pitch perfect and encapsulates the main theme of the novel so succinctly. The lighting is extraordinary especially for the demonic glint that seems to emanate from Ahab's unblinking eyes. The entire cast is marvelous but it all rides on Peck and he is truly otherworldly and deranged. A remarkable film.
he is going to "meet" him. and i would like to know how he will know where.
Bradbury added some excellent lines not found in the book.
And when Starbuck walks away, Ahab says "Come about, sir." He momentarily shows his subordinate officer the respect of calling him "sir." People were so formal and proper in their conversations in those days.
My God--the greatest moment in the book & the movie--Ahab's great speech to Starbuck that eloquently encapsulates one of the books central themes--the universal dread of the force of Nature, and the single-minded malignancy of people to see Evil in some inoffensive aspect of Nature merely acting out its part in it. Or, the malignancy of the deranged true believer in any intoxicating ideology, including religion, especially the twisted true-believing leaders who would enlist and drive to doom himself & all the helpless suckers in his charge. Great book/movie, but worth the whole price of admission for this one haunting scene, Thank you.
Eric Collier " ...pasteboard masks ... "
I like his speech after the storm just as well as this one, even if this is more central to the overall theme. but I think they really complement each other.
Interesting, the novel led me to the same conclusions
Ahab's soliloquy towards the end (spoken in Starbuck's presence) also is memorable:
(a short part of it)
"Is it I, God, or who that lifts this arm? But if the great Sun move not of himself, but is as an errand boy in Heaven, nor one single star can revolve but by some invisible power, how then can this one small heart beat, this one small brain think thoughts, unless God does that beating, does that thinking, does that living, and not I?"
Nature is not inoffensive. It is filled with killing and destruction as one creature seeks to devour another and so absorb its energy. Ahab does not see Nature as a mindless force, but as an evil one that intentionally seeks to cripple mankind. Ahab has experienced this horror in his own flesh and seeks to destroy the whale that devoured part of him. But at the end it is clear that he knows that he will be totally destroyed in the attempt, whether or not the whale dies. Starbuck, on the other hand, seeks to kill the whale out of a practical desire (authorized by God) to satisfy the needs of mankind. But in the end, both men are destroyed. So, whether one seeks to destroy Nature out of anger at its malevolent violence, or out of a rational desire to benefit mankind, the end result is the same- human obliteration by a force far greater than itself.
"Let Ahab beware Ahab. Beware thyself".
From the moment Ahab rises out of his chair until he finishes his statement with….”half a heart and half a lung…” there is not a single blink of his eyes….
You can even watched in his eyes: the madness, the madness of man.
“I'll chase him round the Moons of Nibia and round the Antares Maelstrom and round Perdition's flames before I give him up!”
Yep trekkies love vengence stories in the great expanse.
And the Norway maelstrom ...
Don't forget: "Revenge is a dish best served cold!"
Perdition's flames sound scary ...
I love her voice ¡¡ amazing performenc
" all visible objects are but pasteboard masks... Just the thing behind the mask I chiefly hate " The pursuit of vengeance has consumed his soul, what a magnificent movie.
I think he said, *"Tis* the thing behind the mask"
"Tis" being Old English for "It is."
When my boss asks me to do over time,I'm going to tell him " money's not the measure man, (going home), will fetch me a great premium ,here",(and point to my heart.)
Remember Hyman Roth in Godfather Part II?
He told Michael "This -- is the business -- we've chosen!"
On a day when the "going gets tough" at my present job and my boss asks what's wrong, I say:
*"This* -- is the *business* -- we've *chosen."*
"
“He waxes brave, but nevertheless obeys; most careful bravery that!”
“Thou art but too good a fellow, Starbuck,”...
Excellent direction! It couldn't have been better if Herman Melville himself had directed this movie!
At first they were afraid Gregory Peck would be "too handsome" to play Ahab.
In the book, Ahab is considerably older in appearance; for one thing all gray.
I know Peck didn't think he was the right guy, and many criticized his performance, but I thought he was fantastic as Ahab.
A Classic - Way ahead of its time film !!
The greatest scene in the movie. Peck is Ahab!
And Ahab is Peck ...
What a contrast. As General Savage in "Twelve O'Clock High" Greg Peck's character is a nice guy who projects menace, as Captain Ahab he IS menace!
Gregory Peck would’ve been perfect at playing Abraham Lincoln
What a performance!
"Captain Ahab for you, boy!"
Great movie!
As good as acting gets right here!
Que voz tenía!!!! Maravillosa !!
Ahab doesn't really want revenge on the whale, he want's revenge on god for the pain of existing.
That's pretty deep but probably true.
He certainly displays an absence of reverence toward god in saying "Speak not to me of blasphemy, man!"
To me, there no other than Gregory Peck who can make a better Captain Ahab.
Some have tried. All have failed.
Klaus Kinsky
Peck is obviously fantastic in this scene but Leo Genn is wonderful too. Look at his face at about 1:18 : So much conveyed in such a subtle movement of the eyes.
Yes, Starbuck is following along with Ahab's words, quite interested, until (that telling shift of the eyes) ... he realizes that Ahab is getting a little too serious about this Moby Dick business.
Is it possible that an actor can create a character even more than the author originally did?
I've searched the text of Moby Dick for this scene...doesn't exist as written. So Ray Bradbury created it...twice removed from Melville's incredible text, via Bradbury and Peck.
@@mitchyoung8791 See Chapter 36 ("The Quarter-Deck"). You'll find it there, though more spread out. Bradbury condensed it. Had it been placed in sequence in the film, it would occur in the scene where Ahab has all hands on deck, inducing them to swear "Death to Moby Dick!" But Bradbury *did* make a connection, in having Ahab, in this scene, say to Starbuck, "The crew stands with me. You heard them swear."
To clarify, in the book, this dialogue takes place in a different setting, out on the quarter-deck in day time, and in the presence of the crew. Bradbury's putting it in the cabin and keeping it between Ahab and Starbuck was a definite improvement, with all due respect to literature.
@@basilmarasco1975 Thanks for the info.
@@mitchyoung8791 Late discovery: The line "Let Ahab beware Ahab. Beware thy self" is found toward the end of Chapter 109 ("Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin"), where the two have a confrontation and Ahab actually threatens the First Mate.
@@basilmarasco1975 It's not that it improves on the book, it's just that great scenes from books don't necessarily make great scenes on film--they're different media. A good director knows how to _transpose_ from text to film in order to stay truthful to the _spirit_ of the text.
The Birds!
Most adventure movies written today have no such dialogue.
Gregory Peck looks like Abraham Lincoln
Whom he played in The Blue and the Grey.
Review the lighting used by Houston's direction. This was quite a work.
"....’tis principally the thing behind the mask that I hate....."
That is one of the greatest lines ever!
I understand exactly what he means. The seeming mockery of man in nature, some malicious force pulling the strings behind it, mocking at us and our puny efforts though the thing itself is behind a mask, unreachable.
"Tis the thing behind the mask ... "
"Tis" is Old English, meaning "It is."
Gregory Peck was great.
3:32 Ahab looks like he was going to use his harpoon on starbuck
That look 👀
Down to the core of ontology we go! What is the real object behind what we observe with our imperfect and foolhardy senses. What has God done that we do not know this world?
Talk about leading your lambs to the slaughter.
Even in death...... He beckons us.......
"D'ya see? D'ya see? Ahab beckons. He's *dead* but he *beckons."*
He tasks me.
He *heaps* me!
is it just me, or did ahab not blink for this entire scene
I don't think he ever blinked at all. Like one of the men said in a later scene, he spent 7 days and nights on watch. He slept standing up, ate on deck. He never moved a muscle, nor blinked an eye
+mechabre
Nope, Gregory Peck played this role with the respect it deserved.
Total, nearly psychotic focus is one of the marks of Ahab.
goddamn. total props. this version of the movie is so underrated i swear
Dead eyes of Ahab.
Completely ignorant as I am about literature , another fine movie should have been made of The Somers Mutiny, a book and a true story by Henry Carlisle.
I`ve seen Sperm whales travelling on a ferry from Manila- Cebu, Philippines, but i didnt see a white one.They are found off the Philippines about April- May
Did the whale hog all the seats?
@@leebennett1821 hahaha.....perhaps i used the wrong preposition? " off a ferry" maybe is the correct grammar?
@@shanemoore8055 "While traveling via ferry, I did see sperm whales. The whales were travelling independently; that is, they were employing their natural ability to swim quite easily in the ocean, with no need whatsoever for an alternative mode of travel."
I fixed it for you.
OMG COOL MAN
"Looky Starbuck" or "Look Ye Starbuck" ? hard to tell.
Sounds like "Look, ye Starbuck."
Because he uses "ye" (you) again toward the end. As he sits down again, he asks Starbuck, "Now, what say ye?"
Let Ahab beware Ahab
3:30 - "It is the thing behind the mask I chiefly hate." - Is Ahab referring (at least unwittingly) to the Noumenon (Kant and Schopenhauer's philosophy)?
I say calmly back to you ser I am against thy.
3:00 this is what i came for i quote this some times.
I realised i dont take offence from alot of things alot of slights thats probably a good thing.
Now ... what say *ye?*
Speak of non other. Peck is Ahab incarnate...
Now ... what say *ye?*
@@basilmarasco1975yea!
3:30-3:52 boy, do i feel this.
Dickie Moe...
Ahab is "he" while Starbuck is "us"
Ca sa marche MOBY DICK 1956 by J. Huston! DGM/
What insanity allowed the people who owned the boat to commission thus lunatic captaincy over a group of men.
Prior to this voyage, Ahab was a very able whaling captain. His employers think he only lost a leg- they don't realize that the most severe damage was psychological.
@@jenniferweston7621 Also a very tough captain.
In the book, "Elijah" tells "Ishmael", 'When Ahab says "Jump!", you must jump!'
The movie, through Starbuck, pictures Ahab as hell bent on personal vengeance against Moby Dick for causing his near fatal injuries and condition. Ahab does not counter Starbuck's accusation of vengeance, perhaps feeling vengeance in this case to be justified (against nuclear weapons as well then), but also perhaps wanting to keep the focus on the business of nuclear weapons as killing and severely injuring human beings rather than engage Starbuck on the issue of personal vengeance and make that the focus. Also nuclear missiles are to some extent seen as weapons of vengeance, and Captain.Ahab in conjunction with the owners of the business wanted to take the higher ground in the fight against nuclear weapons by not engaging the vengeance side of nuclear weapons (in the United States, the use of nuclear weapons before an enemy came to be looked down on, in some part due to dropping of nuclear bombs on Japan). In a sense, the movie is arguing that vengeance against nuclear weapons is justifiable, while taking the higher ground against nuclear missiles as weapons of vengeance is necessary.
2:42
Did he point to Bikini Atoll?
NH1969GOAT he sure did
One edition of the book includes a map detailing "The Cruise of the Pequod" and has it sinking southwest of the Hawaiian Islands and due north of Samoa.
William Hurts Ahab? Laughable!
He acts more like Stubb than Ahab
So I DIDN'T Imagine William Hurt as Ahab...I had thought to myself at the time: "This Ahab is MUCH too nice..."
Ahab's speech about Moby Dick being a mask behind which there is a malevolent force that mauls and mutilates the human race is a second example that the hunt to kill Moby Dick is business and not personal vengeance. It is the maiming and mutilation of human beings by weapons of war that Ahab hates, with Moby Dick representing the latest incarnation of these deadly and disabling weapons of war, the nuclear bomb / missile.
May be farfetched, but Ahab's statement of striking the sun if it insulted him could a reference to nuclear bombs (the sun consisting of nuclear fusion)
There weren't many nuclear bombs in Melville's time.
@@davidbrimson83 no, but movie made in 1956 when nuclear weapons already start
@@jamesruscheinski8602 That isn't relevant because the lines are taken directly from the book.
@@davidbrimson83 the lines also fit the screen adaptation of 1956.
Do you suppose "perdition's flame" is a reference to global warming?
as good as Gregory Peck was, he just wasn't made to play ultra-intense/sinister fellas; still a soft, kind of dull/stoic Ahab
Is the Write whales gone now.
Moby Dick could be a symbol of nuclear weapons killing and maiming humanity, which the business is making top priority to stop, according to the arguments of Ahab (at the time of the making of the movie, disarmament of the nuclear threat and scare was highest priority for world leaders, making it first business before the economy.
Is this line not from the book? Because Herman Melville wrote it long before the thought of nuclear bombs and weapons of mass destruction were even conceivable.