--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: when cruising in an empty ship, if you…" description: "\"“when cruising in an empty ship, if you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least.”\" — Herman Melville" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/herman-melville-162_cruising_when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-ca_396195.jpg" --- # when cruising in an empty ship, if you can get nothing… ![“when cruising in an empty ship, if you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least.” quote by Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/herman-melville-162_cruising_when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-ca_396195.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/herman-melville-162_cruising_when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-ca_396195.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/herman-melville-162_cruising_when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-ca_396195.jpg) > ““when cruising in an empty ship, if you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least.”” [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. Finding small pleasures in bleak circumstances can restore meaning and comfort. **In simple terms:** Seek simple joys when life feels empty. Key Takeaway Appreciate modest comforts. Themes resilience gratitude adaptation Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - lonely travel - isolated work - war zones - personal crisis Key Concepts Existentialism mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What small comfort can you create now? - How does gratitude shift perception? A Different Perspective Pleasures may be fleeting and insufficient for deep fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cruising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruising/) [Cruising Ship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruising-ship-3564093/) [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Good Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-dinner-395699/) [World Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-good/) ## Related quotes > [If you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/if-you-can-get-nothing-better-out-of-the-world-get-a-good-dinner-out/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [A good dinner brings out all the softer side of a man. Under its genial influence the gloomy and morose become jovial and chatty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome-2/a-good-dinner-brings-out-all-the-softer-side-of-a-man-under-its/) [Jerome K Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome-2/) > [I would like to sit down with Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, PJ Harvey, and Bjork. That would be a good dinner in my mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freja-beha-erichsen/i-would-like-to-sit-down-with-emily-dickinson-virginia-woolf-pj/) [Freja Beha Erichsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freja-beha-erichsen/) > [“It was as good a dinner as I have ever absorbed, and Thomas like a watered flower. As we sat down he was saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/it-was-as-good-a-dinner-as-i-have-ever-absorbed-and-thomas-like-a/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [When you get me a good man made out of arguments, I will get you a good dinner with reading you the cookery book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/when-you-get-me-a-good-man-made-out-of-arguments-i-will-get-you-a/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Despair is perfectly compatible with a good dinner, I promise you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/despair-is-perfectly-compatible-with-a-good-dinner-i-promise-you/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [ “\[L\]ike poems, cruising carves privacy out of public spaces. Poems are a kind of private communication that occurs in public speech. And I think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/l-ike-poems-cruising-carves-privacy-out-of-public-spaces-poems-are-a/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [“ONE I GO CRUISING WITH EXPLOSIVES”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/one-i-go-cruising-with-explosives/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [You are cruising along, and then technology changes. You have to adapt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/you-are-cruising-along-and-then-technology-changes-you-have-to-adapt/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [Despite the name, 'lift and coast' does not mean cruising. You're trying to be as fast as you can, and you're still going through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/despite-the-name-lift-and-coast-does-not-mean-cruising-you-re-trying/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [For many years I enjoyed the pleasure of cruising on my yacht all summer long and these were my best holidays. In mid-May, we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivana-trump/for-many-years-i-enjoyed-the-pleasure-of-cruising-on-my-yacht-all/) [Ivana Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivana-trump/) > [I'm just cruising, doing me, having a good time and focusing on getting better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-overeem/i-m-just-cruising-doing-me-having-a-good-time-and-focusing-on-getting/) [Alistair Overeem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-overeem/) > [“This was a respect in which he paid due homage to the wise old spirit of the late Emiel Kroger, that romantically practical Teuton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/this-was-a-respect-in-which-he-paid-due-homage-to-the-wise-old-spirit/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I think families should vacation together, and cruising is a wonderful option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-think-families-should-vacation-together-and-cruising-is-a-wonderful/) [Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/) > [“Go small, go simple, go now”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-pardey/go-small-go-simple-go-now/) [Larry Pardey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-pardey/) ## 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 Cruising quotes > [“Go small, go simple, go now”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-pardey/go-small-go-simple-go-now/) [Larry Pardey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-pardey/) > [I think families should vacation together, and cruising is a wonderful option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/i-think-families-should-vacation-together-and-cruising-is-a-wonderful/) [Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/) > [ “\[L\]ike poems, cruising carves privacy out of public spaces. Poems are a kind of private communication that occurs in public speech. And I think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/l-ike-poems-cruising-carves-privacy-out-of-public-spaces-poems-are-a/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [“This was a respect in which he paid due homage to the wise old spirit of the late Emiel Kroger, that romantically practical Teuton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/this-was-a-respect-in-which-he-paid-due-homage-to-the-wise-old-spirit/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I'm just cruising, doing me, having a good time and focusing on getting better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-overeem/i-m-just-cruising-doing-me-having-a-good-time-and-focusing-on-getting/) [Alistair Overeem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-overeem/) > [For many years I enjoyed the pleasure of cruising on my yacht all summer long and these were my best holidays. In mid-May, we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivana-trump/for-many-years-i-enjoyed-the-pleasure-of-cruising-on-my-yacht-all/) [Ivana Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivana-trump/) > [Despite the name, 'lift and coast' does not mean cruising. You're trying to be as fast as you can, and you're still going through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/despite-the-name-lift-and-coast-does-not-mean-cruising-you-re-trying/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [You are cruising along, and then technology changes. You have to adapt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/you-are-cruising-along-and-then-technology-changes-you-have-to-adapt/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [“ONE I GO CRUISING WITH EXPLOSIVES”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/one-i-go-cruising-with-explosives/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“I'm not cruisin' this opportunity in time and space for you to like or dislike my 'get-down'; I'm here 'cause I'm down to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/i-m-not-cruisin-this-opportunity-in-time-and-space-for-you-to-like-or/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [The fear of losing makes you better because it stops you cruising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-alves/the-fear-of-losing-makes-you-better-because-it-stops-you-cruising/) [Dani Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-alves/) > [The real pleasure of cruising is arriving at a new destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-taylor/the-real-pleasure-of-cruising-is-arriving-at-a-new-destination/) [Ellie Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-taylor/) > [Cruising' is feel good TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mcdonald/cruising-is-feel-good-tv/) [Jane McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mcdonald/) [Browse all 14 Cruising quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruising/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“when cruising in an empty ship, if you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Herman Melville" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-can-get-nothing-better-out-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruising" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-can-get-nothing-better-out-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/herman-melville-162_cruising_when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-ca_396195.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/herman-melville-162_cruising_when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-ca_396195.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/herman-melville-162_cruising_when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-ca_396195.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“when cruising in an empty ship, if you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it…” — 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": "“when cruising in an empty ship,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-can-get-nothing-better-out-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/when-cruising-in-an-empty-ship-if-you-can-get-nothing-better-out-of/#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 } } ] } ```