The Power of Revenge in “Moby-Dick”

For some people, revenge becomes an all-consuming force that takes over their lives. This is the central theme of Moby-Dick, where Captain Ahab becomes obsessed with hunting down the legendary Great White Whale to avenge the loss of his leg.

Told through the eyes of Ishmael, the only survivor of the doomed whaling ship Pequod, the novel explores struggle, beauty, and obsession. Below are some of the most powerful quotes from Moby-Dick that capture its depth and madness across 135 chapters.

31 Essential “Moby-Dick” Quotes on Life and Literature

Quotes to Inspire Self-Belief

• “I try all things, I achieve what I can.” ― Herman Melville
• “I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing.” ― Herman Melville
• “Ignorance is the parent of fear.” ― Herman Melville
• “Let faith oust fact; let fancy oust memory; I look deep down and do believe.” ― Herman Melville

Quotes on Truth and Wisdom

• “But vain to popularize profundities, and all truth is profound.” ― Herman Melville
• “Think not, is my eleventh commandment; and sleep when you can, is my twelfth.” ― Herman Melville
• “It is the easiest thing in the world for a man to look as if he had a great secret in him.” ― Herman Melville
• “In this world, shipmates, sin that pays its way can travel freely and without a passport; whereas Virtue, if a pauper, is stopped at all frontiers.” ― Herman Melville
• “See how elastic our prejudices grow when once love comes to bend them.” ― Herman Melville

Philosophical and Supernatural Quotes

• “There is, one knows not what sweet mystery about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath.” ― Herman Melville
• “There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke…” ― Herman Melville
• “A noble craft, but somehow a most melancholy! All noble things are touched with that.” ― Herman Melville

Quotes on Madness

• “Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form.” ― Herman Melville
• “All my means are sane, my motive and my object mad.” ― Herman Melville

Religious and Metaphorical Quotes

• “Better to sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunk Christian.” ― Herman Melville
• “Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me.” ― Herman Melville
• “It is the horrible texture of a fabric that should be woven of ships’ cables and hawsers. A Polar wind blows through it, and birds of prey hover over it.” ― Herman Melville

Other Memorable Quotes

• “It is not down on any map; true places never are.” ― Herman Melville
• “As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.” ― Herman Melville

Why “Moby-Dick” Still Matters

Even after nearly 200 years, Moby-Dick remains a literary masterpiece studied worldwide. These quotes are a testament to Herman Melville’s ability to captivate readers with profound insights and unforgettable storytelling.