Herman Melville Quotes

He who loves wine … shall not be rich.

Following his doctor's orders, Nikita (Khrushchev) has cut his drinking in half. He's leaving out the water.

I had to give up martinis - I enjoyed them too much.

It is easy enough to be moral after a good dinner beside a snug coal fire, and with our hearts well warmed with fine old port.

Too much and too little wine. Give him none, he cannot find truth; give him too much, the same.

The point of drinking in moderation is that sometimes you don't drink in moderation.

I drink no more than a sponge.

I never drank except a couple sips of wine at Thanksgiving.

I can go eight days without a drink—but who wants to be a camel.

Mrs. Hayes has been from childhood a total abstainer. I was not a total abstainer when I became President. But the discussions which arose over the change at the President's house soon satisfied me that in this matter, if our example was to be useful, there was no half-way house for me. During the greater part of my term and at least for the last three years, I have been in practice and in theory a total-abstinence man, and I shall continue to be so. All statements inconsistent with the foregoing are without foundation.

Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.

The apostle Paul very seriously advised Timothy to put some wine in his water for health's sake, but not one of the apostles nor any of the holy fathers have ever recommended putting water in wine

Be temperate in your drinking, remembering that too much wine cannot keep either a secret or a promise.

The rich want good wine, the poor, plenty of wine

You see, baby, after a glass or two of wine I’m inclined to extravagance.

Frugality is a handsome income.

Jars neither of wine nor of water shall fail in the houses of the rich.

Drink is in itself a good creature of God, and to be received with thankfulness, but the abuse of drink is from Satan, the wine is from God, but the Drunkard is from the Devil.

[On growing up in a large family with little money:] ... to take a bath ... we just had a pan of water and we'd wash down as far as possible, and we'd wash up as far as possible. Then, when somebody'd clear the room, we'd wash possible.

I liked wine, both red and white, and especially Champagne; and on very special occasions I could even drink a small glass of brandy.

Take counsel in wine, but resolve afterwards in water.

I like my wine and vodka, but that doesn't mean I fall about drunk. I know my limits.

You are rich if you have enough money to satisfy all your desires. So there are two ways to be rich: you earn, inherit, borrow, beg, or steal enough money to meet all your desires; or you cultivate a simple lifestyle of few desires; that way you always have enough money.

My manner of living is plain and I do not mean to be put out of it. A glass of wine and a bit of mutton are always ready.

I can hardly bring myself to caution you against drinking, because I am persuaded that I am writing to a rational creature, a gentleman, and not to a swine. However, that you may not be insensibly drawn into that beastly custom of even sober drinking and sipping, as the sots call it, I advise you to be of no club whatsoever.