--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When one reads, and re-reads, Moby Dick…" description: "\"“When one reads, and re-reads, Moby Dick , it seems to me that one gets a more convincing, a more definite, impression of the man than from anything on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/w-somerset-maugham-237_failure_when-one-reads-and-re-reads-moby-dick-it_931236.jpg" --- # When one reads, and re-reads, Moby Dick , it seems to me… ![“When one reads, and re-reads, Moby Dick , it seems to me that one gets a more convincing, a more definite, impression of the man than from anything one may learn of his life and circumstances; an impression of a man endowed by nature with a great gift blighted by an evil genius, so that, like the…” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/w-somerset-maugham-237_failure_when-one-reads-and-re-reads-moby-dick-it_931236.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/w-somerset-maugham-237_failure_when-one-reads-and-re-reads-moby-dick-it_931236.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/w-somerset-maugham-237_failure_when-one-reads-and-re-reads-moby-dick-it_931236.jpg) > ““When one reads, and re-reads, Moby Dick , it seems to me that one gets a more convincing, a more definite, impression of the man than from anything one may learn of his life and circumstances; an impression of a man endowed by nature with a great gift blighted by an evil genius, so that, like the agave, no sooner had it put forth its splendid blooming than it withered; a moody, unhappy man tormented by instincts he shrank from with horror; a man conscious that the virtue had gone out of him, and embittered by failure and poverty; a man of heart craving for friendship, only to find that friendship too was vanity. Such, as I see him, was Herman Melville, a man whom one can only regard with deep compassion.”” [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moby Dick reveals a complex, tormented man whose innate gifts are undermined by personal flaws and external hardships, evoking deep compassion. **In simple terms:** A brilliant man is ruined by his own flaws and misfortune. Key Takeaway Consider empathy for flawed greatness. Themes compassion humanity flaw destiny literature Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - Literature classes - psychology discussions - creative writing prompts Key Concepts Tragic hero archetype existential struggle psychological depth Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about the link between talent and suffering? - Can we separate the art from the artist’s flaws? A Different Perspective Interpretations may overlook the character’s agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-genius/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Moby Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moby-dick/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“MOBY DICK; OR THE WHALE by Herman Melville CHAPTER 1 Loomings Call me Ishmael. 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Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson - she's probably the top - Mozart, Shakespeare, Keats.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/you-know-who-my-gods-are-who-i-believe-in-fervently-herman-melville/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [As Herman Melville wrote of that seagoing monster of a man Captain Ahab, “All mortal greatness is but disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-philbrick/as-herman-melville-wrote-of-that-seagoing-monster-of-a-man-captain/) [Nathaniel Philbrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-philbrick/) > [Herman Melville is not comforting. Emily Dickinson isn’t either. Maybe their work is too hungry for comfort, or just too vivid for comfort. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-howe/herman-melville-is-not-comforting-emily-dickinson-isn-t-either-maybe/) [Susan Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-howe/) > [“We cannot live for ourselves alone. 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Nineteen… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/it-s-worth-pointing-out-that-herman-melville-worked-in-the-new-york/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [I am not a religious person, nor do I have any regrets. The war took care of that for me. You know, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-am-not-a-religious-person-nor-do-i-have-any-regrets-the-war-took/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [Art has always been my salvation. And my gods are Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Mozart. I believe in them with all my heart. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/art-has-always-been-my-salvation-and-my-gods-are-herman-melville/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: WHAT SCENES ONE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE FILMED Shakespeare in the part of the King's Ghost. The beheading of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/in-answer-to-the-question-what-scenes-one-would-like-to-have-filmed/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [The bible is very resonant. It has everything, creation, betrayal, lust, poetry, prophecy, sacrifice. All great things are in the bible and all great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/the-bible-is-very-resonant-it-has-everything-creation-betrayal-lust-2/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## More by W. Somerset Maugham > [“A man thinks it quite natural that he should fall out of love with a woman, but it never strikes him for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-thinks-it-quite-natural-that-he-should-fall-out-of-love-with-a/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A man's work reveals him. 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Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Follow your inclinations with due regard to the policeman round the corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/follow-your-inclinations-with-due-regard-to-the-policeman-round-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“His love became a prison from which he longed to escape, but he had not the strength merely to open the door-that was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/his-love-became-a-prison-from-which-he-longed-to-escape-but-he-had/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I did not believe him capable of love. That is an emotion in which tenderness is an essential part, but Strickland had no tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-did-not-believe-him-capable-of-love-that-is-an-emotion-in-which/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [If only the good were a little less heavy-footed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-only-the-good-were-a-little-less-heavy-footed/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perfection-has-one-grave-defect-it-is-apt-to-be-dull/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-god-that-can-be-understood-is-no-god-who-can-explain-the-infinite/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“My dear, you used to be quite a dish; now you're quite a tureen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/my-dear-you-used-to-be-quite-a-dish-now-you-re-quite-a-tureen/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) [Explore all 840 W. Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## More Evil genius quotes > [With the proper training, I could've been an evil genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/with-the-proper-training-i-could-ve-been-an-evil-genius/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“The evil genius of darkness presided at its birth, it came forth under the veil of mystery, its true features being carefully concealed, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-bryan/the-evil-genius-of-darkness-presided-at-its-birth-it-came-forth-under/) Samuel Bryan > [There is no such thing as an evil genius, as evil in it's self is stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farland/there-is-no-such-thing-as-an-evil-genius-as-evil-in-it-s-self-is/) [David Farland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farland/) > [They misspelled 'party.' How evil genius can they be?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/they-misspelled-party-how-evil-genius-can-they-be/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [It's no good choosing your first husband from a school for evil geniuses. Much too difficult to kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/it-s-no-good-choosing-your-first-husband-from-a-school-for-evil/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [“On the switchboard of my memory two pair of gloves have crossed wires - those leather gloves of Omi's and a pair of white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/on-the-switchboard-of-my-memory-two-pair-of-gloves-have-crossed-wires/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [“As I gazed at Mao’s face wearing what was intended as a benign expression but was in fact a smirk of self-satisfaction, I wondered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nien-cheng/as-i-gazed-at-mao-s-face-wearing-what-was-intended-as-a-benign/) [Nien Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nien-cheng/) > [I wouldn't say jamie is an evil genius. I'm not sure he's evil and I'm not sure he's a genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/i-wouldn-t-say-jamie-is-an-evil-genius-i-m-not-sure-he-s-evil-and-i-m/) [Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/) > [Concord is just as idiotic as ever in relation to the spirits and their knockings. Most people here believe in a spiritual world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-is-just-as-idiotic-as-ever-in-relation-to-the-spirits-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“The idea that the euro has “failed” is dangerously naive. 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