Quote

For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horrors of the half known life.

Herman Melville

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Herman Melville
Age: 72 †
Born: 1819
Born: August 1
Died: 1891
Died: September 28
Art Collector
Essayist
Lecturer
Literary Critic
Novelist
Poet
Sailor
Teacher
Writer
Manhattan borough
New York City
Hermann Melville
Herman Melvill
Full
Surrounds
Known
Horrors
Lying
Surround
Half
Horror
Verdant
Peace
Ocean
Tahiti
Soul
Lies
Insular
Men
Joy
Encompassed
Life
Land
Appalling

More quotes by Herman Melville

Image
The great God absolute! The centre and circumference of all democracy! His omnipresence, our divine equality!
Herman Melville
Image
The world is forever babbling of originality but there never yet was an original man, in the sense intended by the world the first man himself--who according to the Rabbins was also the first author--not being an original the only original author being God.
Herman Melville
Image
A good laugh is a mighty good thing, and rather too scarce a good thing.
Herman Melville
Image
Honor lies in the mane of a horse.
Herman Melville
Image
Though the ancients were ignorant of the principles of Christianity there were in them the germs of its spirit.
Herman Melville
Image
I will frankly confess that after passing a few weeks in the valley of the Marquesas, I formed a higher estimate of human nature than I had ever before entertained. But, alas, since then I have been one of the crew of a man-of- war, and the pent-up wickedness of five hundred men has nearly overturned all my previous theories.
Herman Melville
Image
Struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!
Herman Melville
Image
An utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.
Herman Melville
Image
Meditation and water are wedded for ever.
Herman Melville
Image
Real strength never impairs beauty or harmony, but it often bestows it, and in everything imposingly beautiful, strength has much to do with the magic.
Herman Melville
Image
Book! You lie there the fact is, you books must know your places. You'll do to give us the bare words and facts, but we come in to supply the thoughts.
Herman Melville
Image
We should, if possible, prove a teacher to posterity, instead of being the pupil of by-gone generations. More shall come after us than have gone before the world is not yet middle-aged.
Herman Melville
Image
All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event — in the living act, the undoubted deed — there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask.
Herman Melville
Image
See how elastic our prejudices grow when once love comes to bend them.
Herman Melville
Image
Yet habit - strange thing! what cannot habit accomplish?
Herman Melville
Image
The man that has anything bountifully laughable about him, be sure there is more in that man than you perhaps think for.
Herman Melville
Image
Man is a money-making animal, which propensity too often interferes with his benevolence.
Herman Melville
Image
In truth, a mature man who uses hair oil, unless medicinally, that man has probably got a quoggy spot in him somewhere.
Herman Melville
Image
Be sure of this, O young ambition, all mortal greatness is but disease.
Herman Melville
Image
At length I fell asleep, with the volume in my hand and never slept so sound before
Herman Melville