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Herman Melville Biography

Herman Melville

Herman Melville[a] (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last 30 years.

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Herman Melville Quotes

Are there no Moravians in the Moon, that not a missionary has yet visited this poor pagan planet of ours, to civilise civilisation and christianise Christendom?

Missionary, Moon, Moravians, Pagan, Visited

A book in a man's brain is better off than a book bound in calf - at any rate it is safer from criticism.

Book, Bound, Brain, Men, Writing

Though amid all the smoking horror and diabolism of a sea-fight, sharks will be seen longingly gazing up to the ship's decks, like hungry dogs round a table where red meat is being carved, ready to bolt down every killed man that is tossed to them.

Dog, Down, Fighting, Horror, Men, Seen

In childhood, death stirred me not; in middle age, it pursued me like a prowling bandit on the road; now, grown an old man, it boldly leads the way, and ushers me on.

Childhood, Death, Like, Men, Pursued, Stirred

Not one man in five cycles, who is wise, will expect appreciative recognition from his fellows, or any one of them.

Appreciative, Cycles, Man, Men, Recognition, Wise

Let faith oust fact; let fancy oust memory; I look deep down and do believe.

Believe, Fact, Let, Looks, Memories

Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.

Aggravates, Earnest, Passive Resistance, Persons, Resistance

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.

Encompassed, Full, Lying, Man, Men, Ocean

It is with fiction as with religion: it should present another world, and yet one to which we feel the tie.

Fiction, Present, Religion, Tie, Ties

A gentleman of Typee can bring up a numerous family of children and give them all a highly respectable cannibal education, with infinitely less toil and anxiety than he expends in the simple process of striking a light; whilst a poor European artisan, who through the instrumentality of a lucifer performs the same operation in one second, is put to his wits' end to provide for his starving offspring that food which the children of a Polynesian father, without troubling their parent, pluck from the branches of every tree around them.

Artisan, Children, Father, Same, Simple

What troops Of generous boys in happiness thus bred Saturnians through life's Tempe led, Went from the North and came from the South, With golden mottoes in the mouth, To lie down midway on a bloody bed.

Bed, Boys, Came, Down, Lying, North

The poor man wants many things; the covetous man, all.

Covetous, Greed, Men, Poor, Things, Want

The Anglo-Saxon hive have extirpated Paganism from the greater part of the North American continent; but with it they have likewise extirpated the greater portion of the Red race. Civilization is gradually sweeping from the earth the lingering vestiges of Paganism, and at the same time the shrinking forms of its unhappy worshippers.

Civilization, Continent, Race, Sweeping, Time, Unhappy

In the operative opinion of the world, he who is already fully provided with what is necessary for him, that man shall have more;while he who is deplorably destitute of the same, he shall have taken away from him even that which he hath. Yet the world vows it is a very plain, downright matter-of-fact, plodding, humane sort of world.

Fully, Man, Men, Same, Taken, World

Whatever has made, or does make, or may make music, should be held sacred as the golden bridle-bit of the Shah of Persia's horse,and the golden hammer, with which his hoofs are shod.

Doe, Hammer, Horse, Music, Musical, Shah

As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.

Everlasting, Inspirational, Life, Remote, Tormented, Travel

Top-heavy was the ship as a dinnerless student with all Aristotle in his head.

Aristotle, Head, Heavy, Ships, Student, Students

The shadows of things are greater than themselves; and the more exaggerated the shadow, the more unlike the substance.

Exaggerated, Greater, Shadow, Substance

flight from tyranny does not of itself insure a safe asylum, far less a happy home.

Asylum, Doe, Happy, Home, Safe

The further our civilization advances upon its present lines so much the cheaper sort of thing does "fame" become, especially of the literary sort. This species of "fame" a waggish acquaintance says can be manufactured to order, and sometimes is so manufactured.

Civilization, Doe, Literary, Order, Says, Thing

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