Quotes from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Ah, happiness courts the light so we deem the world is gay. But misery hides aloof so we deem that misery there is none.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“To a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“At present I would prefer not to be a little reasonable,' was his mildly cadaverous reply.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“My first emotions had been those of pure melancholy and sincerest pity; but just in proportion as the forlornness of Bartleby grew and grew to my imagination, did that same melancholy merge into fear, that pity into repulsion. So true it is, and so terrible too, that up to a certain point the thought or sight of misery enlists our best affections; but, in certain special cases, beyond that point it does not. They err who would assert that invariably this is owing to the inherent selfishness of the human heart. It rather proceeds from a certain hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill. To a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain. And when at last it is perceived that such pity cannot lead to effectual succor, common sense bids the soul rid of it. What I saw that morning persuaded me that the scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. I might give alms to his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I could not reach.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Will you, or will you not, quit me?' I now demanded in a sudden passion, advancing close to him.
'I would prefer not to quit you', he replied, gently emphasizing the not.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“So true it is, and so terrible, too, that up to a certain point the thought or sight of misery enlists our best affections; but, in certain special cases, beyond that point it does not. they err who would assert that invariable this is owing to the inherent selfishness of the human heart. It rather proceeds from a certain hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill. To a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain. An when at last it is perceived that such pity cannot lead to effectual succor, common sense bides the soul be rid of it.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“But thus it often is, that the constant friction of illiberal minds wears out at last the best resolves of the more generous.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Imagine my surprise, nay, my consternation, when without moving from his privacy, Bartleby, in a singular mild, firm voice, replied, “I would prefer not to.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“لكنه يبدو وحيدًا، وحيدًا تمامًا في الكون، قطعة من حطام سفينة في عرض الأطلنطي”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“So true it is, and so terrible too, that up to a certain point the thought or sight of misery enlists our best affections; but, in certain special cases, beyond that point it does not. They err who would assert that invariably this is owing to the inherent selfishness of the human heart. It rather proceeds from a certain hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill. To a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain. And when at last it is perceived that such pity cannot lead to effectual succor, common sense bids the soul rid of it.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“As minhas primeiras emoções tinham sido a melancolia mais pura e a compaixão mais sincera, mas na mesma proporção em que o desamparo de Bartleby crescia na minha fantasia, aquela melancolia se transformava em medo, e a compaixão, em repulsa. É tão verdadeiro e ao mesmo tempo tão terrivel o fato de que, ao vermos ou presenciarmos a miséria, os nossos melhores sentimentos são despertados até um cer
to ponto; mas, em certos casos especiais, não passam disso. Erram os que afirmam que é devido apenas ao egoísmo inerente ao coração humano. Na verdade, provém de uma certa impotência em remediar um mal excessivo e orgânico. Para uma pessoa sensivel, a piedade é quase sempre uma dor. Quando afinal percebe que tal piedade não significa um socorro eficaz, o bom senso compele a alma a desvencilhar-se dela. O que vi naquela manhã convenceu-me de que o escrivão era vítima de um mal inato e incurável. Eu podia dar esmolas ao seu corpo, mas o seu corpo não lhe doía; era a sua alma que sofria, e ela estava fora do meu alcance.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Gözümü dikip baktım suratına. Suratı sıska ve dingindi; gri gözleri de donuk ve sakin. Hiçbir heyecan izi seçilmiyordu. Tavrında en ufak bir tedirginlik, öfke, sinir ya da küstahlık olsa, ya da şöyle söyleyeyim, olağan bir insanî ifade olsa, hiç durmaz yaka paça kovardım ofisimden. Ama bu durumda bunu yapmak, Paris işi alçıdan Cicero büstümü kapı dışarı etmek gibi bir şey olacaktı.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Σ'ένα ευαίσθητο ον ο οίκτος γίνεται συχνά πόνος. Και όταν κάποτε κατανοήσει κανείς ότι παρόμοιος οίκτος δεν αρκεί για να βοηθήσει αποτελεσματικά, τότε παρεμβαίνει η λογική επιτάσσοντας την ψυχή ν'απαλλαγεί από παρόμοιο οίκτο.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“La felicidad busca la luz, por eso juzgamos que el mundo es alegre; pero el dolor se esconde en la soledad, por eso juzgamos que el dolor no existe.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“The truth was, I suppose, that a man of so small an income, could not afford to sport such a lustrous face and a lustrous coat at one and the same time.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“But indeed, nature herself seemed to have been his vintner, and at his birth charged him so thoroughly with an irritable, brandy-like disposition, that all subsequent potations were needless.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“His dinner is ready. Won't he dine to-day, either? Or does he live without dining?"
"Lives without dining," said I, and closed his eyes.
"Eh!—He's asleep, aint he?"
"With kings and counselors," murmured I.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Não é raro que um homem, a quem se intimida de um modo sem precedentes, completamente insólito e irracional, comece a duvidar das suas crenças mais banais. Por mais estranho que isso possa parecer, ele começa a desconfiar que a justiça e a razão estejam do outro lado. Assim, se há pessoas imparciais presentes, recorre-se a elas, em busca de ajuda por causa de suas ideias titubeantes.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Bir noktaya kadar bir sefalet düşüncesi ya da görünüşünün içimizdeki en temiz duyguları kendine çektiği çok doğru, çok da korkunç; ama bazı özel durumlarda, o noktayı geçince böyle olmuyor. Bunun her zaman insan yüreğinin doğuştan gelme bencilliğinden ötürü böyle olduğunu söyleyenler yanılıyorlar. Aşırı ve organik bir kötülüğü, hastalığı tedavi etmenin umutsuz olmasından ileri geliyor bu. Duyarlı biri için acıma çoğu zaman acı demektir. Böyle bir acımanın herhangi bir işe yaramadığı sonunda anlaşılınca, sağduyu insana bundan kurtulması gerektiğini söylüyor, uyarıyor.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

“Mutluluk ışıkla cilveleşir, biz de dünyanın neşe dolu olduğunu düşünürüz. Oysa ızdırap uzaklarda saklanır, bizde ızdırap yok sanırız.”
― Herman Melville, quote from Bartleby the Scrivener

About the author

Popular quotes

“Crafting a plan is easy. Taking action will always prove to be the more difficult path.”
― Camron Wright, quote from The Rent Collector

“Silence gave the shadows and the darkness power”
― Madeleine Roux, quote from Sanctum

“King Dan sat on his stallion fierce
Swords did slice and spears did pierce
But in a tree upon the field
Perched a small, keen-eyed blackbird
And the blackbird did not sing
No, the blackbird did not sing”
― Shannon Hale, quote from Palace of Stone

“He shook her gently. "Listen to me, listen, there's nothing anybody could do to you that would make me not want you - no hurt, no scar, nothing. These past days I've been afraid they broke you, ruined all the fire. I'd mourn, Annie - I don't want you different - but I'd still want you. I love you.”
― Ellen O'Connell, quote from Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold

“She had been a comet; and her blazing descent through dark skies had been plain for all to see.”
― Susanna Clarke, quote from The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

Interesting books

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.