For some reason I memorized that quote in middle school, and it remains implanted in my brain. It often emerges in the swirls of clay dust which surround me when I am in the process of recycling clay.
Always wear a mask when doing this!
The process consists of breaking down and re-wetting scraps of dried clay, slaking them in water until they are completely saturated

16 tons and whaddya get?

and soft throughout, then drying them on a plaster slab until they are ready to be transformed into sculpture. This hunk is a year's worth of saved clay scraps. On top is a recognizable reject from an old sculpture that didn't make it into the kiln… an arm or a thigh.
I let it all dry out into a giant jello mold the size of a 30 gallon garbage can.
Just kidding- it IS a 39 gallon garbage can… then break it down with the sledgehammer to re-wet it evenly. Otherwise it clumps and clots and is unworkable.
I need a new, long handled sledgehammer, but I don't do this often enough to make me run out and buy one.