“... I say and maintain, that of all torcheculs, arsewisps, bumfodders, tail-napkins, bunghole cleansers, and wipe-breeches, there is none in the world comparable to the neck of a goose ...”
Explore This Quote Further
-
Working on it...
-
Working on it...
-
Working on it...
Quote Analysis: Francois Rabelais on the Neck of a Goose
This vivid and humorous quote by Francois Rabelais employs a series of crude and playful terms—"torcheculs, arsewisps, bumfodders, tail-napkins, bunghole cleansers, and wipe-breeches"—to refer to various types of toilet paper or cleansing materials. Through this exaggerated, almost comedic list, Rabelais emphasizes the inimitable quality of the goose's neck, elevating it above all these mundane and crude alternatives.
The neck of a goose, with its long, flexible, and perhaps symbolically pure nature, is praised as incomparable, hinting at themes of natural superiority and effectiveness. Rabelais’ use of grotesque humor and earthy language is characteristic of his satirical style, blending bodily functions and lofty praise to challenge social norms and conventions. This quote underscores his ability to mix the absurd with the profound, turning what might seem a trivial subject into a playful yet meaningful meditation.
Similar quotes
“Readers, friends, if you turn these pagesPut your prejudice aside,For, really, there's nothing here that's outrageous,Nothing sick, or bad — or contagious.Not that I sit here glowing with prideFor my book: all you'll find is laughter:That's all the glory my heart is after,Seeing how sorrow eats you, defeats you.I'd rather write about laughing than crying,For laughter makes men human, and courageous.”
“...and also celebrate the Skill of the Scythians in that Art, who sent once to Darius King of Persia an Embassador that made him a present of a Bird, a Frog, a Mouse, and five Arrows, without speaking one word; and being ask'd what those Presents meant, and if he had Commission to say any thing, answer'd that he had not; Which puzzl'd and gravell'd Darius very much; till Gobrias, one of the seven Captains that had kil'd the Magi explain'd it, saying to Darius, By these Gifts and Offerings the Scythians silently tell you, that except the Persians like Birds fly up to Heaven, like Mice hide themselves near the Centre of the Earth, or like Frogs dive to the very bottom of Ponds and Lakes, they shall be destroyed by the Power and Arrows of the Scythians.”
“I have nothing, I owe a great deal, and the rest I leave to the poor.”
“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.”
“Science without conscience is the soul's perdition.”
“Bring down the curtain,the farce is played out.”