Herman Melville Quotes & Sayings

52 most famous Herman Melville quotes and sayings. These are the first 10 quotes we have for him. He was an American novelist who passed away on 28 September, 1891.

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”

“I am, as I am; whether hideous, or handsome, depends upon who is made judge.”

“Friendship at first sight, like love at first sight, is said to be the only truth.”

“A smile is the chosen vehicle of all ambiguities.”

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.”

“To the last, I grapple with thee; From Hell's heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.”

“Toil is man's allotment; toil of brain, or toil of hands, or a grief that's more than either, the grief and sin of idleness.”

“There is a touch of divinity even in brutes, and a special halo about a horse, that should forever exempt him from indignities.”

“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes his whole universe for a vast practical joke.”