Three Men in a Boat

by Jerome K. Jerome

“You know we are on a wrong track altogether. We must not think of the things we could do with, but only of the things that we can’t do without.”

Throw the lumber over, man! Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need—a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.

It seems to be the rule of this world. Each person has what he doesn’t want, and other people have what he does want.

We, in this age, do not see the beauty of that dog. We are too familiar with it. It is like the sunset and the stars: we are not awed by their loveliness because they are common to our eyes.