When beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean’s skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants beneath it; and would not willingly remember that this velvet paw but conceals a remorseless fang.
Herman Melville
Ocean’s Beauty, Tiger Heart, Hidden Danger, Beauty, Danger, Ocean
Herman Melville’s Quotes On Topics
Achievable Goals | Hidden Threats | Disappear Places | True Justice | Dyspepsia | Madman’s View | Sleep Habits | Aristotle’s Influence | Dead | Real Truth | Events And Deeds | Earthly Misery | Fault | Eyes Soul | Sea Legends | One King | Saturn Seat | Moons Seat | Cultural Wisdom | Art | More
More Herman Melville Quotes
“All wars are boyish, and are fought by boys.” Herman Melville
Wars, Youth, Conflict, Masculinity, Humanity, Philosophy
Herman Melville Wars, Youth, Conflict, Masculinity, Humanity, Philosophy“For the most part, in this tropic whaling life, a sublime uneventfulness invests you; you hear no news; read no gazettes; extras with startling accounts of commonplaces never delude you into unnecessary excitements.” Herman Melville
Whaling Life, Uneventful Peace, Sublime Calm, Life, Peace, Calm
Herman Melville Whaling Life, Uneventful Peace, Sublime Calm, Life, Peace, Calm“The sailor is frankness, the landsman is finesse. Life is not a game with the sailor, demanding the long head.” Herman Melville
Sailor, Frankness, Life’s Philosophy, Humanity, Finesse, Realism
Herman Melville Sailor, Frankness, Life’s Philosophy, Humanity, Finesse, Realism“Better to sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian.” Herman Melville
Sober Cannibal, Christian Comparison, Unexpected Wisdom, Cannibal, Sober, Christian
Herman Melville Sober Cannibal, Christian Comparison, Unexpected Wisdom, Cannibal, Sober, Christian“I’m a demoniac; I am madness maddened.” Herman Melville
Madness, Demoniac, Identity, Insanity, Fear, Chaos
Herman Melville Madness, Demoniac, Identity, Insanity, Fear, Chaos“If you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least.” Herman Melville
Simple Joys, Good Dinner, Dinner, World, Joys, Simple
Herman Melville Simple Joys, Good Dinner, Dinner, World, Joys, Simple“To be called one thing, is oftentimes to be another.” Herman Melville
Identity, Mislabeling, Truth, Self-perception, Deception, Reality
Herman Melville Identity, Mislabeling, Truth, Self-perception, Deception, Reality“Over his ivory-inlaid table, Ahab presided like a mute, maned sea-lion on the white coral beach, surrounded by his warlike but still deferential cubs. In his own proper turn, each officer waited to be served.” Herman Melville
Ahab’s Table, Sea-lion Strength, Coral Beach, Warlike Cubs, Officer’s Respect, Quiet Authority
Herman Melville Ahab’s Table, Sea-lion Strength, Coral Beach, Warlike Cubs, Officer’s Respect, Quiet Authority“All we discover has been with us since the sun began to roll; and much we discover, is not worth the discovering.” Herman Melville
Ancient Knowledge, Discovery Worth, Timeless Truths, Discovery, Worth, Knowledge
Herman Melville Ancient Knowledge, Discovery Worth, Timeless Truths, Discovery, Worth, Knowledge“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“Out of the bottomless profundities the gigantic tail seems spasmodically snatching at the highest heaven. So in dreams, have I seen majestic Satan thrusting forth his tormented colossal claw from the flame Baltic of Hell. But in gazing at such scenes, it is all in all what mood you are in; if in the Dantean, the devils will occur to you; if in that of Isaiah, the archangels.” Herman Melville
Heaven Claw, Dream Scenes, Mood Perception, Claw, Dream, Mood
Herman Melville Heaven Claw, Dream Scenes, Mood Perception, Claw, Dream, Mood“All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.” Herman Melville
Whale-lines Perils, Sudden Death, Mortal Realization, Death, Life, Perils
Herman Melville Whale-lines Perils, Sudden Death, Mortal Realization, Death, Life, Perils“None but a good man is really a living man, and the more good any man does, the more he really lives. All the rest is death, or belongs to it.” Herman Melville
Goodness, Life Philosophy, Morality, True Living, Death, Virtue
Herman Melville Goodness, Life Philosophy, Morality, True Living, Death, Virtue“There are some persons in this world, who, unable to give better proof of being wise, take a strange delight in showing what they think they have sagaciously read in mankind by uncharitable suspicions of them.” Herman Melville
Uncharitable Suspicion, Misread Wisdom, False Judgment, Suspicion, Wisdom, Judgment
Herman Melville Uncharitable Suspicion, Misread Wisdom, False Judgment, Suspicion, Wisdom, Judgment“All truth is profound.” Herman Melville
Profound Truth, Deep Insight, Truth, Profound, Insight, Knowledge
Herman Melville Profound Truth, Deep Insight, Truth, Profound, Insight, Knowledge“Are not half our lives spent in reproaches for foregone actions, of the true nature and consequences of which we were wholly ignorant at the time?” Herman Melville
Foregone Actions, Life Reproaches, Ignorant Consequences, Actions, Reproaches, Ignorant
Herman Melville Foregone Actions, Life Reproaches, Ignorant Consequences, Actions, Reproaches, Ignorant“Though public libraries have an imposing air, and doubtless contain invaluable volumes, yet, somehow, the books that prove most agreeable, grateful, and companionable, are those we pick up by chance here and there; those which seem put into our hands by Providence; those which pretend to little, but abound in much.” Herman Melville
Library Air, Providence Books, Companionable Volumes, Library, Books, Volumes
Herman Melville Library Air, Providence Books, Companionable Volumes, Library, Books, Volumes“Poor people make a very poor business of it when they try to seem rich.” Herman Melville
Pretend Wealth, Social Facade, Poor, Rich, Business, Facade
Herman Melville Pretend Wealth, Social Facade, Poor, Rich, Business, Facade“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
Strength Weakness, Fault Acceptance, Honest Speech, Strength, Weakness, Fault
Herman Melville Strength Weakness, Fault Acceptance, Honest Speech, Strength, Weakness, Fault