Herman Melville

An intense copper calm, like a universal yellow lotus, was more and more unfolding its noiseless measureless leaves upon the sea. ↗

— Herman Melville

#nature #sunset #nature

[T]here is no folly of the beasts of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of men. ↗

— Herman Melville

#beasts #human-condition #humanity #men #men

The reason the mass of men fear God, and at bottom dislike Him, is because they rather distrust His heart, and fancy Him all brain like a watch. ↗

— Herman Melville

#heart #intellect #men

but the reason why the grave-digger made music must have been because there was none in his spade ↗

— Herman Melville

#herman-melville #moby-dick #spade #music

Instinct and study, love and hate; Audacity-reverence. These must mate, And fuse with Jacob's heart, To wrestle with the angel -- Art. ↗

— Herman Melville

#art

What business have I with this pipe? This thing that is meant for sereneness, to send up mild white vapors among mild white hairs, not among torn iron-grey locks like mine. I'll smoke no more. ↗

— Herman Melville

#the-pipe #business

Strangest problems of life seem clearing; but clouds sweep between--Is my journey’s end coming? ↗

— Herman Melville

#human-condition #humanity #life #mortality #death

Alle tragischen Männer gewinnen ihre Größe durch etwas Krankhaftes in ihnen. ↗

— Herman Melville

#inspirational

There is nothing namable but that some men will, or undertake to, do it for pay. ↗

— Herman Melville

#nothing #pay #some #some men #undertake

There is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. ↗

— Herman Melville

#exists #itself #merely #nothing #quality