Herman Melville

"Hope is the struggle of the soul, breaking loose from what is perishable, and attesting her eternity."

"To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living."

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."

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

"To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme."

"Art is the objectification of feeling."