--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because no man can ever feel his own…" description: "\"Because no man can ever feel his own identity aright except his eyes be closed; as if darkness were indeed the proper element of our essences, though l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/herman-melville-162_darkness_because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-ide_287173.jpg" --- # Because no man can ever feel his own identity aright… ![“Because no man can ever feel his own identity aright except his eyes be closed; as if darkness were indeed the proper element of our essences, though light be more congenial to our clayey part.” quote by Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/herman-melville-162_darkness_because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-ide_287173.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/herman-melville-162_darkness_because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-ide_287173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/herman-melville-162_darkness_because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-ide_287173.jpg) > “Because no man can ever feel his own identity aright except his eyes be closed; as if darkness were indeed the proper element of our essences, though light be more congenial to our clayey part.” [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage suggests that true self-understanding may require shutting out external perceptions, implying that darkness (ignorance) aligns with our core nature, while light (knowledge) suits our superficial aspects. **In simple terms:** Understanding oneself may need turning away from external views, as darkness fits our essence more than light. Key Takeaway Seek inner clarity beyond external appearances. Themes identity perception philosophy Mood introspective philosophical Type quote reflection When to use this quote - meditation - creative writing - psychotherapy - spiritual retreats Key Concepts self essence duality Questions to Reflect On - What does "darkness" represent in your life? - How does external validation affect your self-identity? A Different Perspective The metaphor may be too abstract for practical application. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Closed Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closed-darkness-1810774/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Proper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-proper-1810772/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eyes Closed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-closed/) [Feel Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-identity-1810773/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [His eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/his-eyes/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [“No man can ever feel his own identity aright excepr his eyes be closed; as if darkness were indeed the proper element of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-identity-aright-excepr-his-eyes-be/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“The door closed and darkness claimed the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-lawrence/the-door-closed-and-darkness-claimed-the-room/) [R.J. 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Inaction, no falsifying dream Between my hooked head and hooked feet: Or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/i-sit-in-the-top-of-the-wood-my-eyes-closed-inaction-no-falsifying/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“We are retracing the lines and windows that are no longer there. We are rebuilding from our memory, trying to do with our eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/we-are-retracing-the-lines-and-windows-that-are-no-longer-there-we/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I eat her insides, mmm soul food. She put her head back, then her eyes closed. We stuck in the moment, like the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/i-eat-her-insides-mmm-soul-food-she-put-her-head-back-then-her-eyes/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [LOVE: He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/love-he-to-whom-this-emotion-is-a-stranger-who-can-no-longer-pause-to/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Your eyes are closed in hell and you haven't even opened them to see heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-eyes-are-closed-in-hell-and-you-haven-t-even-opened-them-to-see/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Living is easier with eyes closed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-beatles/living-is-easier-with-eyes-closed/) [The Beatles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-beatles/) > [“I glanced through another page in case I had missed something, and came to the description of Simon's face as he lay on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/i-glanced-through-another-page-in-case-i-had-missed-something-and/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [You keep your eyes closed to block out the hardships, the pain, the unwanted; but in that, the true beauty of the world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-keep-your-eyes-closed-to-block-out-the-hardships-the-pain-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Herman Melville > [“and man, though idiotic, and knowing not what he does, yet full of the sweet things of love and gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-man-though-idiotic-and-knowing-not-what-he-does-yet-full-of-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“But were the coming narrative to reveal in any instance, the complete abasement of poor Starbuck's fortitude, scarce might I have the heart to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/but-were-the-coming-narrative-to-reveal-in-any-instance-the-complete/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“(On Ralph Waldo Emerson)I love all men who dive. 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For hardly have we mortals by long toilings extracted from this world's vast bulk its small but valuable sperm; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/yet-this-is-life-for-hardly-have-we-mortals-by-long-toilings/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [I never fancied broiling fowls; - though once broiled, judiciously buttered, and judgmatically salted and peppered, there is no one who will speak more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/i-never-fancied-broiling-fowls-though-once-broiled-judiciously/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [War should be carried on like a monsoon; one changeless determination of every particle towards the one unalterable aim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/war-should-be-carried-on-like-a-monsoon-one-changeless-determination/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Genius is full of trash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/genius-is-full-of-trash/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) [Explore all 1,009 Herman Melville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/) [anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Even in darkness your lips taste of sunshine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/even-in-darkness-your-lips-taste-of-sunshine/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does he look like? The question was soft- tentative. I knew who he meant. I interlaced my fingers through Rhysand's and squeezed tightly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/what-does-he-look-like-the-question-was-soft-tentative-i-knew-who-he/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/) [Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because no man can ever feel his own identity aright except his eyes be closed; as if darkness were indeed the proper element of our essences, though light be more congenial to our clayey part.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Herman Melville" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-identity-aright-except-his-eyes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Darkness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-identity-aright-except-his-eyes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/herman-melville-162_darkness_because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-ide_287173.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/herman-melville-162_darkness_because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-ide_287173.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/herman-melville-162_darkness_because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-ide_287173.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because no man can ever feel his own identity aright except his eyes be closed; as if darkness were indeed…” — Herman Melville", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Herman Melville", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Because no man can ever feel...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-identity-aright-except-his-eyes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/because-no-man-can-ever-feel-his-own-identity-aright-except-his-eyes/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```