How we cite our quotes: (Chapter, Paragraph)
Quote #10
"A smart fool always talks well; takes a smart fool to be tonguey."
In much the same strain the discussion continued—the hook-nosed gentleman talking at large and excellently, with a view of demonstrating that a smart fool always talks just so. Ere long he talked to such purpose as almost to convince. (18, 13-14)
New character-type alert: the smart fool. What's that? Hmm, well it looks like a smart fool is a special breed of person who takes his brains and uses them to be a good talker. Doesn't mean that person's not going to make all the wrong choices; just means he is going to convince a lot of people to go down with him as he crashes and burns. Meanwhile, the rest of this discussion gets a mild meta-nod from the narrator: the guy advocating that a smart fool is a good talker almost talks dude number two into believing him. We see what you did there, Melville.