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Quote by Herman Melville

“Not ignoring what is good, I am quick to perceive a horror, and could still be social with it—would they let me—since it is but well to be on friendly terms with all the inmates of the place one lodged in.”

Quote by Herman Melville

Work

Moby Dick

Moby Dick is a profound and complex novel that explores themes of obsession, fate, and the human condition. The story is narrated by Ishmael, a young man who signs on as a crew member of the Pequod, a whaling ship captained by the obsessed Ahab. The journey is fraught with danger and moral dilemmas, as the crew faces the perils of the sea and the relentless pursuit of their nemesis. The novel is renowned for its vivid descriptions of the ocean and its creatures, as well as its philosophical and existential musings. more

Author

Herman Melville
Herman Melville

Herman Melville was a renowned 19th-century American novelist known for his profound psychological descriptions and unique literary style. His masterpiece, 'Moby-Dick', is considered a classic of American literature. more

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“To the possible objection that thus the world would of necessity have long ago turned into a paradise, it is easy to reply: Many substances already may have attained great perfection; yet, the continuum being infinitely divisible, there will always remain in the unfathomable depth of the universe some somnolent elements which are still to be awakened, developed, and improved - in a word, promoted to higher culture. This is why the end of progress can never be attained.”

“Take the case (to use an easy example) of a river, carrying boats and communicating to them its own velocity, yet limited by their own inertia so that, all the rest being equal, the more heavily loaded will be carried more slowly. Hence it can be stated that the speed of the boats comes from the river, the slowness, from the load; the positive, from the force of the propelling agent, the privative, from the inertia of the propelled. Quite in the same manner it may be said that God contributes to the creatures their perfections, yet is limited by their receptivity. Thus all goods are due to the divine force; the evils, to the torpor of the creature.”