White Jacket or, the World in a Man-of-War Quotes

“The Past is the textbook of tyrants; the Future is the Bible of the Free.”
― Herman Melville, White-Jacket

“We are the pioneers of the world; the advance-guard sent on through the wilderness of untried things...”
― Herman Melville, White Jacket or, the World in a Man-of-War

“You will generally observe that, of all Americans, your foreign-born citizens are the most patriotic - especially toward the Fourth of July.”
― Herman Melville, White Jacket or, the World in a Man-of-War

“...the books that prove most agreeable, grateful, and companionable, are those we pick up by chance here and there; those which seem put into our hands by Providence; those which pretend to little, but abound by much.”
― Herman Melville, White Jacket, or the World in a Man-Of-War: Volume Five, Scholarly Edition

“I say, White-Jacket, d'ye mind me? there never was a very great man yet who spent all his life inland. A snuff of the sea, my boy, is inspiration; and having been once out of sight of land, has been the making of many a true poet and the blasting of many pretenders; for, d'ye see, there's no gammon about the ocean; it knocks the false keel right off a pretender's bows; it tells him just what he is, and makes him feel it, too. A sailor's life, I say, is the thing to bring us mortals out. What does the blessed Bible say? Don't it say that we main-top-men alone see the marvellous sights and wonders? Don't deny the blessed Bible, now! don't do it! How it rocks up here, my boy!" holding on to a shroud; "but it only proves what I've been saying—the sea is the place to cradle genius! Heave and fall, old sea!”
― Herman Melville, White Jacket or, the World on a Man-of-War

“Are there no Moravians in the Moon, that not a missionary has yet visited this poor pagan planet of ours to civilize civilization and Christianize Christendom?”
― Herman Melville, White-Jacket or The World in a Man-of-War

“Here the sons of adversity meet the children of calamity, and here the children of calamity meet the offspring of sin.”
― Herman Melville, The White-Jacket: or The World in a Man-of-War

“And how nationally disgraceful, in every conceivable point of view, is the IVth of our American Articles of War: "If any person in the Navy shall pusillanimously cry for quarter, he shall suffer death." Thus, with death before his face from the foe, and death behind his back from his countrymen, the best valor of a man-of-war's-man can never assume the merit of a noble spontaneousness. In this, as in every other case, the Articles of War hold out no reward for good conduct, but only compel the sailor to fight, like a hired murderer, for his pay, by digging his grave before his eyes if he hesitates.
But this Article IV is open to still graver objections. Courage is the most common and vulgar of the virtues; the only one shared with us by the beasts of the field; the one most apt, by excess, to run into viciousness. And since Nature generally takes away with one hand to counterbalance her gifts with the other, excessive animal courage, in many cases, only finds room in a character vacated of loftier things. But in a naval officer, animal courage is exalted to the loftiest merit, and often procures him a distinguished command.”
― Herman Melville, White-jacket ; or, The World in a Man-of-war