"It's these Puritans," Kit sighed. "I'll never understand them. Why do they want life to be so solemn? I believe they actually enjoy it more that way."
"If you ask me," Nat replied stretched flat on his back, "it's all that schooling. It takes the fun out of life, being cooped up like that day after day... Mind you, it's not that I don't favor an education. A boy has to learn his numbers. ...and there's nothing like a book to keep you company on a long voyage."
~from The Witch of Blackbird Pond