--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I say, I can not identify that thing…" description: "\"“I say, I can not identify that thing which is called happiness, that thing whose token is a laugh, or a smile, or a silent serenity on the lip. I may ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/herman-melville-162_american-dream_i-say-i-can-not-identify-that-thing-whic_2465005.jpg" --- # I say, I can not identify that thing which is called… ![“I say, I can not identify that thing which is called happiness, that thing whose token is a laugh, or a smile, or a silent serenity on the lip. I may have been happy, but it is not in my conscious memory now. Nor do I feel a longing for it, as though I had never had it; my spirit seeks different…” quote by Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/herman-melville-162_american-dream_i-say-i-can-not-identify-that-thing-whic_2465005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/herman-melville-162_american-dream_i-say-i-can-not-identify-that-thing-whic_2465005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/herman-melville-162_american-dream_i-say-i-can-not-identify-that-thing-whic_2465005.jpg) > ““I say, I can not identify that thing which is called happiness, that thing whose token is a laugh, or a smile, or a silent serenity on the lip. I may have been happy, but it is not in my conscious memory now. Nor do I feel a longing for it, as though I had never had it; my spirit seeks different food from happiness, for I think I have a suspicion of what it is. I have suffered wretchedness, but not because of the absence of happiness, and without praying for happiness. I pray for peace -- for motionlessness -- for the feeling of myself, as of some plant, absorbing life without seeking it, and existing without individual sensation. I feel that there can be no perfect peace in individualness. Therefore, I hope one day to feel myself drank up into the pervading spirit animating all things. I feel I am an exile here. I still go straying.”” [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. He distinguishes happiness from deeper peace, seeking a timeless, selfless connection with the world rather than fleeting joy. **In simple terms:** He wants peace, not just happiness. Key Takeaway Seek lasting inner peace over temporary joy. Themes spirituality existentialism contentment Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - meditation - creative writing - therapy sessions Key Concepts inner peace self-transcendence philosophy of happiness Questions to Reflect On - What does true peace feel like? - Can happiness be achieved without peace? A Different Perspective Peace may be elusive in modern life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-dream/) [Called Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-happiness-541744/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Pray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-pray-696798/) [Happiness Praying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-praying-696797/) [Longing Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing-spirit-696796/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Perfect peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-peace/) [Pray for peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pray-for-peace/) [Praying Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying-happiness-696799/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [Affection is sign of love, laughing is sign of happiness, praying is sign of good faith and choosing me as a friend is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norden/affection-is-sign-of-love-laughing-is-sign-of-happiness-praying-is/) [Norden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norden/) > [The infinity of this vacancy, the pervasive pain, the longing for some spirit, some lightness, some joy - that's all that is left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-manning/the-infinity-of-this-vacancy-the-pervasive-pain-the-longing-for-some/) [Martha Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-manning/) > [What you take for granted, someone else is praying for. Happiness never comes to those who dont appreciate what they already have. Dont wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/what-you-take-for-granted-someone-else-is-praying-for-happiness-never/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Like billowing clouds, Like the incessant gurgle of the brook The longing of the spirit can never be stilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/like-billowing-clouds-like-the-incessant-gurgle-of-the-brook-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At that time I told myself that I didn't want to fall in love ever again. But that night while praying for your happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-yazawa/at-that-time-i-told-myself-that-i-didn-t-want-to-fall-in-love-ever/) [Ai Yazawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-yazawa/) > [“Her life, she knew, was becoming simplified into an unbreakable chain of habits, a series of orderly actions at regular hours. Vaguely, she thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/her-life-she-knew-was-becoming-simplified-into-an-unbreakable-chain/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/happiness-quite-unshared-can-scarcely-be-called-happiness-it-has-no/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [When I was a boy, I naively thought that this thing called happiness would be something I would wake up to find every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bernard/when-i-was-a-boy-i-naively-thought-that-this-thing-called-happiness/) [Jeffrey Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bernard/) > [You never see the stock called Happiness quoted on the exchange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/you-never-see-the-stock-called-happiness-quoted-on-the-exchange/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [The song of the curved line is called happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-crevel/the-song-of-the-curved-line-is-called-happiness/) [Rene Crevel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-crevel/) > [What is called happiness is an abstract idea, composed of various ideas of pleasure; for he who has but a moment of pleasure is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-is-called-happiness-is-an-abstract-idea-composed-of-various/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“It is called happiness that, once it comes, it is not followed by misery (again). Secondly, what people in the world call happiness, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/it-is-called-happiness-that-once-it-comes-it-is-not-followed-by/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Is it not clear, however, that bliss and envy are the numerator and denominator of the fraction called happiness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/is-it-not-clear-however-that-bliss-and-envy-are-the-numerator-and/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [I get so emotional when you're not around. That emotion is called happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/i-get-so-emotional-when-you-re-not-around-that-emotion-is-called/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [When you are happy you are ordinary, because to be happy is just to be natural. To be miserable is to become extraordinary. Nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/when-you-are-happy-you-are-ordinary-because-to-be-happy-is-just-to-be/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## 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 American dream quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [Are we a nation of guarantees or are we a nation of opportunities to achieve the American dream?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mcdonnell/are-we-a-nation-of-guarantees-or-are-we-a-nation-of-opportunities-to/) [Bob McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mcdonnell/) > [I believe keeping our promises should be our highest priority and that means saving Social Security and Medicare while preserving the American dream for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-coburn/i-believe-keeping-our-promises-should-be-our-highest-priority-and/) [Tom Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-coburn/) > [Our families and our homes are the center of American life, Everything we do is to make those homes-and the lives in them-more beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/our-families-and-our-homes-are-the-center-of-american-life-everything/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [I want people to know where I come from. I think I have come really far from that, and I did it on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/i-want-people-to-know-where-i-come-from-i-think-i-have-come-really/) [AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. 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It shouldnt be part of a financial nightmare for families](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mikulski/college-is-part-of-the-american-dream-it-shouldnt-be-part-of-a/) [Barbara Mikulski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mikulski/) > [“New Rule: Americans must realize what makes NFL football so great: socialism. That's right, the NFL takes money from the rich teams and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-americans-must-realize-what-makes-nfl-football-so-great/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I believe it from the bottom of my heart, and your sons and daughters, too, can have the American dream come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-a-ribicoff/i-believe-it-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart-and-your-sons-and-daughters/) [Abraham A. Ribicoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-a-ribicoff/) > [I dare to imagine a country where every child I hold in my hands, are all God's children, regardless of the color of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wellstone/i-dare-to-imagine-a-country-where-every-child-i-hold-in-my-hands-are/) [Paul Wellstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wellstone/) [Browse all 1,001 American dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I say, I can not identify that thing which is called happiness, that thing whose token is a laugh, or a smile, or a silent serenity on the lip. I may have been happy, but it is not in my conscious memory now. Nor do I feel a longing for it, as though I had never had it; my spirit seeks different food from happiness, for I think I have a suspicion of what it is. I have suffered wretchedness, but not because of the absence of happiness, and without praying for happiness. I pray for peace -- for motionlessness -- for the feeling of myself, as of some plant, absorbing life without seeking it, and existing without individual sensation. I feel that there can be no perfect peace in individualness. Therefore, I hope one day to feel myself drank up into the pervading spirit animating all things. I feel I am an exile here. 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