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Herman Melville

Herman Melville Quotes

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Famous Herman Melville Quotes

“Natural Depravity: a depravity according to nature." A definition which tho' savoring of Calvinism, by no means involves Calvin's dogmas as to total mankind. Evidently its intent makes it applicable but to individuals. Not many are the examples of this depravity which the gallows and jail supply. At any rate for notable instances, since these have no vulgar alloy of the brute in them, but invariably are dominated by intellectuality, one must go elsewhere. Civilization, especially if of the austerer sort, is auspicious to it. It folds itself in the mantle of respectability. It has its certain negative virtues serving as silent auxiliaries.”

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Book:Beginning Game Development with Amazon Lumberyard: Create 3D Games Using Amazon Lumberyard and Lua
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“For even the high lifted and chivalric Crusaders of old times were not content to traverse two thousand miles of land to fight for their holy sepulchre, without committing burglaries, picking pockets, and gaining other pious perquisites by the way. Had they been strictly held to their one final and romantic object—that final and romantic object, too many would have turned from in disgust.”

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Book:Moby Dick
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“Let us pray that the great historic tragedy of our time may not have been enacted without instructing our whole beloved country through terror and pity; and may fulfillment verify in the end those expectations which kindle the bards of Progress and Humanity.”

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Book:Battle-pieces and aspects of the war [poems].
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“For my part I love sleepy fellows, and the more ignorant the better. Damn your wide-awake and knowing chaps. As for sleepiness, itis one of the noblest qualities of humanity. There is something sociable about it, too. Think of those sensible & sociable millions of good fellows all taking a good long friendly snooze together, under the sod--no quarrels, no imaginary grievances, no envies, heart-burnings, & thinking how much better that other chap is off--none of this: but all equally free-&-easy, they sleep away & reel off their nine knots an hour, in perfect amity.”

ThinkingHeartLongTogetherDeathHumanityEasyHoursSleepPerfectQualityMillionsKnowingFellowsWideEnvyNineIgnorantBurningDamnAwakeFriendlySensibleImaginaryQuarrelsKnotsGrievanceSleepyChapsSociableWide AwakeSleepinessSodAmityGood Long
Author:Herman Melville
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“Civilization does not engross all the virtues of humanity: she has not even her full share of them. They flourish in greater abundance and attain greater strength among many barbarous people. The hospitality of the wild Arab, the courage of the North American Indian, and the faithful friendships of some of the Polynesian nations, far surpass any thing of a similar kind among the polished communities of Europe.”

PeopleKindDoeHumanityNationsCommunityVirtueGreaterShareCivilizationEuropeIndianFaithfulAbundanceHospitalityPolishedAmerican IndianPolynesians
Book:Typee: A Romance of the South Seas (Illustrated & Annotated Edition)
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“That hour in the life of a man when first the help of humanity fails him, and he learns that in his obscurity and indigence humanity holds him a dog and no man: that hour is a hard one, but not the hardest. There is still another hour which follows, when he learns that in his infinite comparative minuteness and abjectness, the gods do likewise despise him, and own him not of their clan.”

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Book:Pierre: Or, the Ambiguities
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