The fact is, that among his hunters at least, the whale would by all hands be considered a noble dish, were there not so much of him; but when you come to sit down before a meat-pie nearly one hundred feet long, it takes away your appetite.
Herman Melville
Whale Dish, Noble Feast, Hunters, Appetite, Whale, Meal
Herman Melville’s Quotes On Topics
Unique Character | Calm | Good Conscience | Obligations | Unlikely Preference | Experience | Immortality | Beautiful Queen | Preceding Depth | Fiction | Ease Of Living | George Reference | Metaphysical Order | Wills | Shadows | Rattlesnake Prejudice | Paradox | Hell Equality | Warlike Cubs | Live | More
More Herman Melville Quotes
“Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its ragged edges.” Herman Melville
Truth, Honesty, Reality, Philosophy, Life’s Struggle, Integrity
Herman Melville Truth, Honesty, Reality, Philosophy, Life’s Struggle, Integrity“Now, art thou the man to pitch a harpoon down a live whale’s throat, and then jump after it? Answer, quick!” Herman Melville
Harpoon Pitch, Whale Challenge, Bold Action, Harpoon, Whale, Action
Herman Melville Harpoon Pitch, Whale Challenge, Bold Action, Harpoon, Whale, Action“I try all things, I achieve what I can.” Herman Melville
Personal Effort, Achievable Goals, Determined Spirit, Effort, Goals, Spirit
Herman Melville Personal Effort, Achievable Goals, Determined Spirit, Effort, Goals, Spirit“It was while gliding through these latter waters that one serene and moonlight night, when all the waves rolled by like scrolls of silver; and, by their soft, suffusing seethings, made what seemed a silvery silence, not a solitude; on such a silent night a silvery jet was seen far in advance of the white bubbles at the bow.” Herman Melville
Moonlight Waves, Silvery Silence, Waves, Moonlight, Silence, Jet
Herman Melville Moonlight Waves, Silvery Silence, Waves, Moonlight, Silence, Jet“Strange as it may seem, there is nothing in which a young and beautiful female appears to more advantage than in the art of smoking.” Herman Melville
Female Beauty, Smoking Habit, Art Of Smoking, Youthful Charm, Women’s Habits, Beauty And Smoking
Herman Melville Female Beauty, Smoking Habit, Art Of Smoking, Youthful Charm, Women’s Habits, Beauty And Smoking“How now in the contemplative evening of his days, the pious Bildad reconciled these things in the reminiscence, I do not know; but it did not seem to concern him much, and very probably he had long since come to the sage and sensible conclusion that a man’s religion is one thing, and this practical world quite another. This world pays dividends.” Herman Melville
Pious Bildad, Religion Practicality, Dividends Truth, Religion, Practicality, Dividends
Herman Melville Pious Bildad, Religion Practicality, Dividends Truth, Religion, Practicality, Dividends“Art is the objectification of feeling.” Herman Melville
Art, Emotion, Creativity, Expression, Feeling, Inspiration
Herman Melville Art, Emotion, Creativity, Expression, Feeling, Inspiration“Doesn’t the devil live forever; who ever heard that the devil was dead? Did you ever see any person wearing mourning for the devil?” Herman Melville
Life And Death, Evil’s Persistence, Eternal Struggle, Mortality, Good And Evil, Existence
Herman Melville Life And Death, Evil’s Persistence, Eternal Struggle, Mortality, Good And Evil, Existence“No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses.” Herman Melville
Animal Wisdom, Human Bonds, Philosophical Insight, Dogs, Horses, Insight
Herman Melville Animal Wisdom, Human Bonds, Philosophical Insight, Dogs, Horses, Insight“Let us only hate hatred; and once give love a play, we will fall in love with a unicorn.” Herman Melville
Hate Hatred, Unicorn Love, Love Play, Love, Hate, Unicorn
Herman Melville Hate Hatred, Unicorn Love, Love Play, Love, Hate, Unicorn“Praise when merited is not a boon: yet to a generous nature, is it pleasant to utter it.” Herman Melville
Merited Praise, Generous Utterance, Recognition Value, Praise, Generous, Recognition
Herman Melville Merited Praise, Generous Utterance, Recognition Value, Praise, Generous, Recognition“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 Melville
Sadness And Solitude, Emotional Traps, Human Nature, Melancholy, Comfort, Idleness
Herman Melville Sadness And Solitude, Emotional Traps, Human Nature, Melancholy, Comfort, Idleness“Yes, these eyes are windows, and this body of mine is the house. What a pity they didn’t stop up the chinks and crannies though, and thrust in a little lint here and there. But it’s too late to make any improvements now. The universe is finished; the copestone is on, and the chips were carted off a million years ago.” Herman Melville
Body House, Universe Finished, Eyes Windows, Universe, Body, Eyes
Herman Melville Body House, Universe Finished, Eyes Windows, Universe, Body, Eyes“God help thee, old man, thy thoughts have created a creature in thee; and he whose intense thinking thus makes him a Prometheus; a vulture feeds upon that heart for ever; that vulture the very creature he creates.” Herman Melville
Intense Thinking, Prometheus Creation, Eternal Vulture, Thinking, Creation, Vulture
Herman Melville Intense Thinking, Prometheus Creation, Eternal Vulture, Thinking, Creation, Vulture“Dissect him how I may, then, I but go skin deep; I know him not, and never will.” Herman Melville
Human Nature, Depth, Perception, Understanding, Complexity, Judgment
Herman Melville Human Nature, Depth, Perception, Understanding, Complexity, Judgment“Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll! Ten thousand blubber-hunters sweep over thee in vain.” Herman Melville
Ocean Depth, Blubber Hunters, Vast Waves, Ocean, Depth, Hunters
Herman Melville Ocean Depth, Blubber Hunters, Vast Waves, Ocean, Depth, Hunters“I’m a demoniac; I am madness maddened.” Herman Melville
Madness, Demoniac, Identity, Insanity, Fear, Chaos
Herman Melville Madness, Demoniac, Identity, Insanity, Fear, Chaos“There seems no reason why patriotism and narrowness should go together, or why intellectual fairmindedness should be confounded with political trimming, or why serviceable truth should keep cloistered because not partisan.” Herman Melville
Patriotism Narrowness, Truth Politics, Intellectual Fairness, Truth, Politics, Fairness
Herman Melville Patriotism Narrowness, Truth Politics, Intellectual Fairness, Truth, Politics, Fairness“A hermitage in the forest is the refuge of the narrow-minded misanthrope; a hammock on the ocean is the asylum for the generous distressed. The ocean brims with natural griefs and tragedies; and into that watery immensity of terror, man’s private grief is lost like a drop.” Herman Melville
Ocean Asylum, Private Grief, Ocean, Grief, Hermitage, Refuge
Herman Melville Ocean Asylum, Private Grief, Ocean, Grief, Hermitage, Refuge