There is nothing so slipperily alluring as sadness; we become sad in the first place by having nothing stirring to do; we continue in it, because we have found a snug sofa at last.
HERMAN MELVILLEBetter be an old maid, a woman with herself as a husband, than the wife of a fool; and Solomon more than hints that all men are fools; and every wise man knows himself to be one.
More Herman Melville Quotes
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Hope is the struggle of the soul, breaking loose from what is perishable, and attesting her eternity.
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When among wild beasts, if they menace you, be a wild beast.
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We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.
HERMAN MELVILLE -
A smile is the chosen vehicle of all ambiguities.
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An utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.
HERMAN MELVILLE -
Heaven have mercy on us all – Presbyterians and Pagans alike – for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending.
HERMAN MELVILLE -
He who has never failed somewhere, that man can not be great.
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Nature is nobody’s ally.
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Better be an old maid, a woman with herself as a husband, than the wife of a fool; and Solomon more than hints that all men are fools; and every wise man knows himself to be one.
HERMAN MELVILLE -
A man of true science… thinks, that by mouthing hard words, he proves that he understands hard things.
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We cannot live for ourselves alone.
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I do not think I have any uncharitable prejudice against the rattlesnake, still, I should not like to be one.
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We are only what we are; not what we would be; nor every thing we hope for. We are but a step in a scale, that reaches further above us than below.
HERMAN MELVILLE -
You cannot hide the soul.
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Let us speak, though we show all our faults and weaknesses, – for it is a sign of strength to be weak, to know it, and out with it – not in a set way and ostentatiously, though, but incidentally and without premeditation.
HERMAN MELVILLE






