--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Give not thyself up, then, to fire, lest…" description: "\"Give not thyself up, then, to fire, lest it invert thee, deaden thee, as for the time it did me. There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/herman-melville-162_fire_give-not-thyself-up-then-to-fire-lest-it_1685138.jpg" --- # Give not thyself up, then, to fire, lest it invert thee… ![“Give not thyself up, then, to fire, lest it invert thee, deaden thee, as for the time it did me. There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness.” quote by Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/herman-melville-162_fire_give-not-thyself-up-then-to-fire-lest-it_1685138.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/herman-melville-162_fire_give-not-thyself-up-then-to-fire-lest-it_1685138.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b8/herman-melville-162_fire_give-not-thyself-up-then-to-fire-lest-it_1685138.jpg) > “Give not thyself up, then, to fire, lest it invert thee, deaden thee, as for the time it did me. There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness.” [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. Self‑destruction can masquerade as wisdom, but true madness lies in ignoring the pain that fuels it. **In simple terms:** Beware of false wisdom that harms. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront self‑destructive patterns. Themes self‑destruction wisdom madness Mood somber reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - addiction recovery - grief processing - personal growth Key Concepts psychology existential dread self‑awareness Questions to Reflect On - What “wisdom” leads you to self‑harm? - How can you transform pain into healthy insight? A Different Perspective May be too abstract for practical use. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Invert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invert/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Woe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woe/) ## Related quotes > [There is a woe that is wisdom, a woe that is madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/there-is-a-woe-that-is-wisdom-a-woe-that-is-madness/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-wisdom-that-is-woe-but-there-is-a-woe-that-is-madness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness. 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Heilbron > [It does seem to me, that herein we see the rare virtue of a strong individual vitality, and the rare virtue of thick walls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/it-does-seem-to-me-that-herein-we-see-the-rare-virtue-of-a-strong/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Seat thyself sultanically among the moons of Saturn, and take high abstracted man alone; and he seems a wonder, a grandeur, and a woe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/seat-thyself-sultanically-among-the-moons-of-saturn-and-take-high/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [How many young men, in all previous times of unprecedented steadiness, had turned suddenly wild and wicked for the same reason, and, in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/how-many-young-men-in-all-previous-times-of-unprecedented-steadiness/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [One can say that the author is an ideological product, since we represent him as the opposite of his historically real function. (When a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/one-can-say-that-the-author-is-an-ideological-product-since-we/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [In actual fact. The manifold sexualities - those which appear with the different ages (sexualities of the infant or the child), those which become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/in-actual-fact-the-manifold-sexualities-those-which-appear-with-the/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [Inside the snow globe on my father's desk, there was a penguin wearing a red-and-white-striped scarf. When I was little my father would pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/inside-the-snow-globe-on-my-father-s-desk-there-was-a-penguin-wearing/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Faulty execution of a winning combination has lost many a game on the very brink of victory. In such cases a player sees the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reinfeld/faulty-execution-of-a-winning-combination-has-lost-many-a-game-on-the/) [Fred Reinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reinfeld/) > [The difference is as great between The optics seeing as the objects seen. All manners take a tincture from our own; Or come discolor'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/the-difference-is-as-great-between-the-optics-seeing-as-the-objects/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [To put labour and wages first and human ordomestic life second is to invert the order of God and of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-edward-manning/to-put-labour-and-wages-first-and-human-ordomestic-life-second-is-to/) [Henry Edward Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-edward-manning/) > [That rewriting of literary history is most obvious in the case of The Yage Letters, where I was able to show that the true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-harris/that-rewriting-of-literary-history-is-most-obvious-in-the-case-of-the/) [Oliver Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-harris/) ## 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. Any fish can swim near the surface, but it takes a great whale to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/on-ralph-waldo-emerson-i-love-all-men-who-dive-any-fish-can-swim-near/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“So seemed it to me, as I stood at her helm, and for long hours silently guided the way of this fire-ship on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/so-seemed-it-to-me-as-i-stood-at-her-helm-and-for-long-hours-silently/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“the only real owner of anything is its commander;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/the-only-real-owner-of-anything-is-its-commander/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously hidden beneath the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/consider-the-subtleness-of-the-sea-how-its-most-dreaded-creatures/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Is it that by its indefiniteness it shadows forth the heartless voids and immensities of the universe, and thus stabs us from behind with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/is-it-that-by-its-indefiniteness-it-shadows-forth-the-heartless-voids/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Now, as I before hinted, I have no objection to any person's religion, be it what it may, so long as that person does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/now-as-i-before-hinted-i-have-no-objection-to-any-person-s-religion/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Let America first praise mediocrity even, in her children, before she praises... the best excellence in the children of any other land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/let-america-first-praise-mediocrity-even-in-her-children-before-she/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Only the man who says no is free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/only-the-man-who-says-no-is-free/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Beneath those stars is a universe of gliding monsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/beneath-those-stars-is-a-universe-of-gliding-monsters/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Yet this is life. 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 Fire quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... 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For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [“Nothing is ever lost nor can be lost; the body aged, sluggish,cold… the embers left from earlier fires shall dully flame again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/nothing-is-ever-lost-nor-can-be-lost-the-body-aged-sluggish-cold-the/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [War is like a fire. One man may start it, but it will spread all over. 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