--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Passion, and passion in its profoundest…" description: "\"“Passion, and passion in its profoundest, is not a thing demanding a palatial stage whereon to play its part. Down among the groundlings, among the beg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/herman-melville-162_beggar_passion-and-passion-in-its-profoundest-i_3015824.jpg" --- # Passion, and passion in its profoundest, is not a thing… ![“Passion, and passion in its profoundest, is not a thing demanding a palatial stage whereon to play its part. Down among the groundlings, among the beggars and rakers of the garbage, profound passion is enacted. And the circumstances that provoke it, however trivial or mean, are no measure of its…” quote by Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/herman-melville-162_beggar_passion-and-passion-in-its-profoundest-i_3015824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/herman-melville-162_beggar_passion-and-passion-in-its-profoundest-i_3015824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/herman-melville-162_beggar_passion-and-passion-in-its-profoundest-i_3015824.jpg) > ““Passion, and passion in its profoundest, is not a thing demanding a palatial stage whereon to play its part. Down among the groundlings, among the beggars and rakers of the garbage, profound passion is enacted. And the circumstances that provoke it, however trivial or mean, are no measure of its power. In the present instance the stage is a scrubbed gun deck, and one of the external provocations a man-of-war's-man's spilled soup.”” [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. Passion can thrive in humble, gritty settings; its power isn’t tied to grandeur but to authentic circumstance. **In simple terms:** Passion works anywhere, even in lowly places. Key Takeaway Seek depth, not prestige. Themes passion humility authenticity Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - street performance - everyday work - creative expression - social activism Key Concepts existentialism social class human condition Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor deep feelings in modest contexts? - What societal norms limit where passion is accepted? A Different Perspective Passion may be misunderstood or dismissed when displayed outside elite venues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beggar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beggar/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Deck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deck/) [Garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garbage/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instance/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passion Enacted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion-enacted-4857566/) [Passion Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion-passion/) [Passion Profoundest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion-profoundest-4857567/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Profound Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound-passion-2593969/) [Provocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provocation/) [Provoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoking/) [Soup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soup/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I have a profound passion for the act of flying. It's very freeing, with an intense physicality, but it also gives an Olympian, god's-eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-light/i-have-a-profound-passion-for-the-act-of-flying-it-s-very-freeing/) [Michael Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-light/) > [Is he mad? Anyway there's something on his mind, as sure as there must be something on a deck when it cracks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/is-he-mad-anyway-there-s-something-on-his-mind-as-sure-as-there-must/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Though amid all the smoking horror and diabolism of a sea-fight, sharks will be seen longingly gazing up to the ship's decks, like hungry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/though-amid-all-the-smoking-horror-and-diabolism-of-a-sea-fight/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [What is snowboarding to me? I'd say it's when I feel passion. That is, if passion is a combination of utter joy, frustration and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-rice/what-is-snowboarding-to-me-i-d-say-it-s-when-i-feel-passion-that-is/) [Travis Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-rice/) > [Passion acts like a magnet that attracts us to its source. We are drawn to people who radiate with passion, who live with passion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/passion-acts-like-a-magnet-that-attracts-us-to-its-source-we-are/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [There is only one passion, the passion for happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/there-is-only-one-passion-the-passion-for-happiness/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Faith is the truth of passion. Since no passion is more true than another, faith is the truth of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/faith-is-the-truth-of-passion-since-no-passion-is-more-true-than/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Its not about passion. Passion is something that we tend to overemphasize, that we certainly place too much importance on. Passion ebbs and flows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keller/its-not-about-passion-passion-is-something-that-we-tend-to/) [Thomas Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keller/) > [“... Clara was a teenage girl like any other; the object of her passion was only an accessory to the passion itself, a passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/clara-was-a-teenage-girl-like-any-other-the-object-of-her-passion-was/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [What the public wants is the image of passion, not passion itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/what-the-public-wants-is-the-image-of-passion-not-passion-itself/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“it is essentially not about sensation but about passion, and passion is not of the flesh but of the mind and heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/it-is-essentially-not-about-sensation-but-about-passion-and-passion/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Find your passion. Because with that passion, you can do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-whitson/find-your-passion-because-with-that-passion-you-can-do-anything/) [Peggy Whitson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-whitson/) > [I think everybody needs a passion. Whether it's one passion or a hundred, that's what keep life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-white/i-think-everybody-needs-a-passion-whether-it-s-one-passion-or-a/) [Betty White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-white/) > [Sport is a passion and out of passion comes love. No point trying to work out why some become heroes and others don't. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-carlyon/sport-is-a-passion-and-out-of-passion-comes-love-no-point-trying-to/) [Les Carlyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-carlyon/) > [If you can't figure out your purpose, figure out passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-t-figure-out-your-purpose-figure-out-passion-for-your/) [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. 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 Beggar quotes > [If some beggar steals a bridle he'll be hung by a man who's stolen a horse. There's no surer justice in the world than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peire-cardenal/if-some-beggar-steals-a-bridle-he-ll-be-hung-by-a-man-who-s-stolen-a/) [Peire Cardenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peire-cardenal/) > [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Why remain polite but powerless, in love but a beggar?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/why-remain-polite-but-powerless-in-love-but-a-beggar/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [Don't be doubtful to your goals or else you will end up your life as a beggar, keep faith on yourself and you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athar-azeem/don-t-be-doubtful-to-your-goals-or-else-you-will-end-up-your-life-as/) [Athar Azeem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athar-azeem/) > [Poets and beggars, musicians and prophets, warriors and scoundrels, all creatures of that unbridled reality, we have had to ask but little of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/poets-and-beggars-musicians-and-prophets-warriors-and-scoundrels-all/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [Beggars fear no rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/beggars-fear-no-rebellion/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proverb/) > [Hurrah for revolution and more cannon-shot! A beggar upon horseback lashes a beggar on foot. Hurrah for revolution and cannon come again! The beggars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/hurrah-for-revolution-and-more-cannon-shot-a-beggar-upon-horseback/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You obviously don't know what an Old Man of the Sea great wealth is. It is not a fat purse and time to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/you-obviously-don-t-know-what-an-old-man-of-the-sea-great-wealth-is/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Make of the Silence your to-do tasks, of the compassion your wealth and of the meditation your beggar's bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/make-of-the-silence-your-to-do-tasks-of-the-compassion-your-wealth/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [Nobody but a beggar chooses to depend chiefly upon the benevolence of his fellow-citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/nobody-but-a-beggar-chooses-to-depend-chiefly-upon-the-benevolence-of/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [All religions have honored the beggar. For he proves that in a matter at the same time as prosaic and holy, banal and regenerative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/all-religions-have-honored-the-beggar-for-he-proves-that-in-a-matter/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [I'll not meddle with it. It makes a man a coward: a man cannot steal but it accuseth him; a man cannot swear but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-ll-not-meddle-with-it-it-makes-a-man-a-coward-a-man-cannot-steal/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A beggar through the world am I, From place to place I wander by. Fill up my pilgrim's scrip for me, For Christ's sweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/a-beggar-through-the-world-am-i-from-place-to-place-i-wander-by-fill/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The bashful beggar has an empty purse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cranch-bond/the-bashful-beggar-has-an-empty-purse/) [William Cranch Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cranch-bond/) > [“A coin is examined, and only after careful deliberation, given to a beggar, whereas a child is flung out into the cosmic brutality without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/a-coin-is-examined-and-only-after-careful-deliberation-given-to-a/) [Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/) [Browse all 455 Beggar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beggar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Passion, and passion in its profoundest, is not a thing demanding a palatial stage whereon to play its part. 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