22
$\begingroup$

I recently got offered an exciting new position. Not knowing whether I should accept or stay at my current job, I sought the help of Wise Oracle to help me decide.

O Wise Oracle, why did my predecessor leave the company?

Wise Oracle speaks now, prepare if you can;
The answer you seek is: He was an old man.

Thank you, o Wise Oracle. What can you tell me about my new co-workers? What are they like?

Wise Oracle speaks now, whose words give the willies;
The answer you seek is: All happy families.

Thank you, o Wise Oracle. Do you think I have something valuable to offer in the new organization?

Wise Oracle speaks, a man long in the tooth;
The answer you seek is this: It is a truth.

Thank you, o Wise Oracle. Will I be happy if I accept the new position?

Wise Oracle speaks now, while knowingly grinning;
The answer you seek, it is: In the beginning.

Thank you, o Wise Oracle. One last question, if I may: What is your name?

Wise Oracle did in fact tell me his real name. Can you guess what it is?

$\endgroup$
1

2 Answers 2

32
$\begingroup$

These look like

First lines from classic novels

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
- Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and The Sea

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife
- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

In the beginning, sometimes I left messages in the street.
- David Markson, Wittgenstein's Mistress

@Bass has suggested in the comment a better-known alternative for the fourth clue and maybe this is what OP intended:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
(Genesis 1:1)

So the last line that would fit the bill is

Call me Ishmael.
- Herman Melville, Moby Dick

$\endgroup$
8
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ such nice explanation, hope 'tis the answer! +1 to both Q and A $\endgroup$ Jan 2, 2019 at 13:14
  • 8
    $\begingroup$ May I suggest a slightly more famous alternative for the fourth clue? $\endgroup$
    – Bass
    Jan 2, 2019 at 15:09
  • $\begingroup$ An alternative. $\endgroup$ Jan 2, 2019 at 20:18
  • $\begingroup$ Nice work! @Bass's alternative is what I had in mind for #4, but your first pick arguably fits even better. $\endgroup$
    – Jafe
    Jan 3, 2019 at 11:39
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Grump. Wise Oracle speaks now, he's, umm... wearing chain mail? $\endgroup$
    – Jafe
    Jan 7, 2019 at 11:07
9
$\begingroup$

Going low-brow with Chrone's reasoning:

Wise Oracle speaks now, five years in hell I have been;
The answer you seek, it is: My name is Oliver Queen.

$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.