The Writing on the Wall

“The Words of the Prophets are written on the subway walls / and tenement halls . . . “

— Sounds of Silence, Simon and Garfield. 1964

In this legendary song of the sixties, the authors of graffiti were elevated to the status of a “prophet.”

I guess it depends on what was written. Or even how it was written.

These days, instead of spray cans, you can pick out your favorite slice of wisdom at the wallpaper store and attach it to the wall. You may have seen messages like these, or perhaps you already have them on a wall in your home.

But generic messages are more cogent when they are nautical. Here are a couple of samples from some past clients.

Diamond Neeley is a fan of the Ernest Hemingway, a long-time resident of Key West Florida. He was a fan of this quote and wanted it in one of our complimentary scrolls

Molly Lineberger had another idea. She loved the excerpt from The Wind in the Willows which is a favorite quote of many a sailor or boater. She wanted her quote to match the color of the compass rose and reside in the water. We used a nice font to reflect the easy feel of that message.

But we are only scratching the surface. How about:

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky / And all I want is a tall ship and a start to steer her by. —an excerpt from Sea Fever, by John Masefield.

Or this one by Ella Wilcox Wheeler, circa 1850

One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.

Or my favorite quote, attributed to Mark Twain:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

And this piece of concise wisdom:

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd. 

What bit of wisdom is worthy for your wall? We’ll make a mural worth musing over! Call or text us at (801) 989-8083 and we’ll get started!