---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thou hast evoked in me profounder spells…"
description: "\"Thou hast evoked in me profounder spells than the evoking one, thou face! For me, thou hast uncovered one infinite, dumb, beseeching countenance of mys..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herman-melville-162_countenance_thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells_400050.jpg"
---

#  Thou hast evoked in me profounder spells than the evoking…

![“Thou hast evoked in me profounder spells than the evoking one, thou face! For me, thou hast uncovered one infinite, dumb, beseeching countenance of mystery, underlying all the surfaces of visible time and space.” quote by Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herman-melville-162_countenance_thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells_400050.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herman-melville-162_countenance_thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells_400050.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herman-melville-162_countenance_thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells_400050.jpg)

> “Thou hast evoked in me profounder spells than the evoking one, thou face! For me, thou hast uncovered one infinite, dumb, beseeching countenance of mystery, underlying all the surfaces of visible time and space.”

[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 speaker feels that the other person reveals a deeper, indescribable mystery beyond ordinary perception.

**In simple terms:** A person shows a profound, hidden mystery.

Key Takeaway

Recognize hidden depths in others.

Themes

mystery perception revelation

Mood

wonderful introspective

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- philosophical contemplation
- artistic inspiration

Key Concepts

existentialism aesthetic experience

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this mystery influence your view of reality?
- What does “infinite countenance” suggest about truth?

A Different Perspective

The mystery may be romanticized, obscuring practical understanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Time and space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-space/)

## Related quotes

> [“Speak, thou vast and venerable head,” muttered Ahab, “which, though ungarnished with a beard, yet here and there lookest hoary with mosses; speak, mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/speak-thou-vast-and-venerable-head-muttered-ahab-which-though/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [“Thou hast but enraged, not insulted me, sir; but for that I ask thee not to beware of Starbuck; thou wouldst but laugh; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/thou-hast-but-enraged-not-insulted-me-sir-but-for-that-i-ask-thee-not/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [He who is ready to despair in solitary peril, plucks up a heart in the presence of another. In a plurality of comrades is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/he-who-is-ready-to-despair-in-solitary-peril-plucks-up-a-heart-in-the/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [When peace like a river, attendeth my way / When sorrow like sea billows roll / Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-spafford/when-peace-like-a-river-attendeth-my-way-when-sorrow-like-sea-billows/)

Horatio Spafford

> [“Thou hast come into being by the toil; the work of the gods thou art the way of holy order. With the Vasus, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aparna-sinha/thou-hast-come-into-being-by-the-toil-the-work-of-the-gods-thou-art/)

Aparna Sinha

> [O LORD, THOU HAST GUARDED ME AS A CHILD,THOU HAS TAKEN AWAY FROM ME THE LOVE OF THIS WORLD, THOU HAST GIVEN ME THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/o-lord-thou-hast-guarded-me-as-a-child-thou-has-taken-away-from-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The Present, the Present is all thou hast For thy sure possessing; Like the patriarch's angel hold it fast Till it gives its blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/the-present-the-present-is-all-thou-hast-for-thy-sure-possessing-like/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/thou-hast-shewed-thy-people-hard-things-thou-hast-made-us-to-drink/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/the-lord-hath-sworn-by-his-right-hand-and-by-the-arm-of-his-strength/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [“The Friends Thou Hast And Their Adoption Tried Grapple Them To Thy Soul With Hooks Of Steel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-friends-thou-hast-and-their-adoption-tried-grapple-them-to-thy-2/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-thou-hast-eaten-and-art-full-then-thou-shalt-bless-the-lord-thy/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. . .thou understandest my thought afar off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-rongione/o-lord-thou-hast-searched-me-and-known-me-thou-understandest-my/)

[Dana Rongione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-rongione/)

> [And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/and-saith-unto-him-every-man-at-the-beginning-doth-set-forth-good/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [Thou shouldst not decide until thou hast heard what both have to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/thou-shouldst-not-decide-until-thou-hast-heard-what-both-have-to-say/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [Sum up at night what thou hast done by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/sum-up-at-night-what-thou-hast-done-by-day/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

## 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 Countenance quotes

> [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Our communications reflect in our countenance. Therefore, we must be careful not only what we communicate, but also how we do so. Souls can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lionel-kendrick/our-communications-reflect-in-our-countenance-therefore-we-must-be/)

[L. Lionel Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lionel-kendrick/)

> [At this point in history when all things which concern man and the structure and elements of history itself are suddenly revealed to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-mannheim/at-this-point-in-history-when-all-things-which-concern-man-and-the/)

[Karl Mannheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-mannheim/)

> [Nothing to me is more distasteful than that entire complacency and satisfaction which beam in the countenances of a new married couple; in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/nothing-to-me-is-more-distasteful-than-that-entire-complacency-and/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [And these two elements are at odds with one another because Freud is utterly adversary to almost all the ways of structuring the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/and-these-two-elements-are-at-odds-with-one-another-because-freud-is/)

[Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/)

> [It is a hard matter for a man to lie all over, nature having provided king's evidence in almost every member. The hand will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-allston/it-is-a-hard-matter-for-a-man-to-lie-all-over-nature-having-provided/)

[Washington Allston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-allston/)

> [The two maxims of any great man at court are, always to keep his countenance, and never to keep his word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/the-two-maxims-of-any-great-man-at-court-are-always-to-keep-his/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [The countenance is the portrait of the soul, and the eyes mark its intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-countenance-is-the-portrait-of-the-soul-and-the-eyes-mark-its/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Not only do they offend thee, O Lady, who outrage thee, but thou art also offended by those who neglect to ask thy favors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonaventure/not-only-do-they-offend-thee-o-lady-who-outrage-thee-but-thou-art/)

[Bonaventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonaventure/)

> [Custom is a violent and treacherous school mistress. She, by little and lithe, slyly and unperceived, slips in the foot of her authority; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/custom-is-a-violent-and-treacherous-school-mistress-she-by-little-and/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [The life of Christ was a life charged with a divine message of the love of God, and He longed intensely to impart this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/the-life-of-christ-was-a-life-charged-with-a-divine-message-of-the/)

[Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/)

> [“The countenance is the portrait of the soul, and the eyes mark its intention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cicero/the-countenance-is-the-portrait-of-the-soul-and-the-eyes-mark-its-2/)

[Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cicero/)

> [“In the faces of humanity, the countenances that shine brightest are those whose minds are powered by wisdom's Divine supplier of enlightment...selah.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-bond/in-the-faces-of-humanity-the-countenances-that-shine-brightest-are/)

[Tracey Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-bond/)

> [This life in us; however low it flickers or fiercely burns, is still a divine flame which no man dare presume to put out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/this-life-in-us-however-low-it-flickers-or-fiercely-burns-is-still-a/)

[Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/)

Browse all 251 Countenance quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Thou hast evoked in me profounder spells than the evoking one, thou face! For me, thou hast uncovered one infinite, dumb, beseeching countenance of mystery, underlying all the surfaces of visible time and space.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Herman Melville"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells-than-the-evoking-one-thou/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Countenance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells-than-the-evoking-one-thou/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herman-melville-162_countenance_thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells_400050.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herman-melville-162_countenance_thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells_400050.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/herman-melville-162_countenance_thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells_400050.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Thou hast evoked in me profounder spells than the evoking one, thou face! For me, thou hast uncovered one…” — 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": "Thou hast evoked in me profounder...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells-than-the-evoking-one-thou/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/thou-hast-evoked-in-me-profounder-spells-than-the-evoking-one-thou/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
