It is — or seems to be — a wise sort of thing, to realise that all that happens to a man in this life is only by way of joke, especially his misfortunes, if he have them. And it is also worth bearing in mind, that the joke is passed round pretty liberally & impartially, so that not very many are entitled to fancy that they in particular are getting the worst of it.


Letter to Samuel Savage (24 August 1851), as published in The Writings of Herman Melville : The Northwestern-Newberry Edition (1993), edited by Lynn Horth, Vol. 14, p. 203

Herman Melville Quotes

It is — or seems to be — a wise sort of thing, to realise that all that happens to a man in this life is only by way of joke, especially his...

It is — or seems to be — a wise sort of thing, to realise that all that happens to a man in this life is only by way of joke, especially his...

It is — or seems to be — a wise sort of thing, to realise that all that happens to a man in this life is only by way of joke, especially his...

It is — or seems to be — a wise sort of thing, to realise that all that happens to a man in this life is only by way of joke, especially his...