---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: at times you’re so prickly you ought to…"
description: "\"“at times you’re so prickly you ought to take the hedgehog as your sigil.”\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/anonymous-1_prickly_at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to_107800.jpg"
---

#  at times you’re so prickly you ought to take the hedgehog…

![“at times you’re so prickly you ought to take the hedgehog as your sigil.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/anonymous-1_prickly_at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to_107800.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/anonymous-1_prickly_at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to_107800.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/anonymous-1_prickly_at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to_107800.jpg)

> ““at times you’re so prickly you ought to take the hedgehog as your sigil.””

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

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When one feels overly defensive, adopting the hedgehog—a creature that protects itself with spines—symbolizes embracing guardedness as a personal emblem.

**In simple terms:** Use the hedgehog as a defensive symbol.

Key Takeaway

Self‑protection can become a personal brand.

Themes

self‑image defensiveness symbolism

Mood

wry reflective

Type

advice metaphorical

When to use this quote

- personal branding workshops
- conflict resolution training
- creative writing prompts

Key Concepts

psychological coping metaphor usage

Practical Applications

- choose symbols that reflect boundaries
- communicate defensiveness constructively

Questions to Reflect On

- When does self‑protection become avoidance?
- How can symbols shift from defensive to empowering?

A Different Perspective

Over‑identifying with defensiveness may isolate you.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Prickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prickly/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“There are two kinds of people: the prickly and the gooey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-the-prickly-and-the-gooey/)

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

> [I can be prickly and difficult on set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsh/i-can-be-prickly-and-difficult-on-set/)

[James Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsh/)

> [“I don’t mind my friends calling me “Thornes,” but the fact of people calling me “Prickly Thornes” draws the line.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simi-sunny/i-don-t-mind-my-friends-calling-me-thornes-but-the-fact-of-people/)

[Simi Sunny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simi-sunny/)

> [“You have a very prickly exterior that needs to be navigated very carefully. Kind of like a really sexy cactus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rowen/you-have-a-very-prickly-exterior-that-needs-to-be-navigated-very/)

[Michelle Rowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rowen/)

> [“Life is a spread of surprises and it is both a privilege and a challenge to respond to things and events, and find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/life-is-a-spread-of-surprises-and-it-is-both-a-privilege-and-a/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [“When we stake a claim to the needs and wants of our life, we may easily fail to live up to the standards of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-stake-a-claim-to-the-needs-and-wants-of-our-life-we-may/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [“If we are not willing to let go knotty and prickly issues in time, our mental frame can be wrecked before long. One must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/if-we-are-not-willing-to-let-go-knotty-and-prickly-issues-in-time-our/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [I can be a prickly personality at times, but none of it's ever malicious. I don't think anyone who really knows me on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-rosen/i-can-be-a-prickly-personality-at-times-but-none-of-it-s-ever/)

[Josh Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-rosen/)

> [“The darker the shadow, the brighter the light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-skinner/the-darker-the-shadow-the-brighter-the-light/)

[Mike Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-skinner/)

> [I remember my father saying to me once, 'I finally know how to describe you, Charlotte. You're prickly.' And he was right - prickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/i-remember-my-father-saying-to-me-once-i-finally-know-how-to-describe/)

[Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/)

> [“I’ve told you before not to call me prickly. That’s a word that men use about women who don’t cave to them, who don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-adams/i-ve-told-you-before-not-to-call-me-prickly-that-s-a-word-that-men/)

[Noelle Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-adams/)

> [“You're in a prickly mood,' he tells me. As though I am not all-over briars at all times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/you-re-in-a-prickly-mood-he-tells-me-as-though-i-am-not-all-over/)

[Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/)

> [“Your second trial is tomorrow night,' he said neutrally. The gold and silver thread in his black tunic shone in the candlelight. He never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/your-second-trial-is-tomorrow-night-he-said-neutrally-the-gold-and/)

[Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/)

> [“Prickly When I'm feeling porcupine-y, I get nasty, I get whiny. Stay away or I might stick you. My sharp words are quills to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-purdie-salas/prickly-when-i-m-feeling-porcupine-y-i-get-nasty-i-get-whiny-stay/)

Laura Purdie Salas

> [I'm prickly. I fuss over every single detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/i-m-prickly-i-fuss-over-every-single-detail/)

[Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

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

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

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

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

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

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

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

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

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

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

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

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

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

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

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

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

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

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

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

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

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

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

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

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

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

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

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

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Prickly quotes

> [I'm prickly. I fuss over every single detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/i-m-prickly-i-fuss-over-every-single-detail/)

[Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/)

> [“Prickly When I'm feeling porcupine-y, I get nasty, I get whiny. Stay away or I might stick you. My sharp words are quills to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-purdie-salas/prickly-when-i-m-feeling-porcupine-y-i-get-nasty-i-get-whiny-stay/)

Laura Purdie Salas

> [“Your second trial is tomorrow night,' he said neutrally. The gold and silver thread in his black tunic shone in the candlelight. He never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/your-second-trial-is-tomorrow-night-he-said-neutrally-the-gold-and/)

[Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/)

> [“You're in a prickly mood,' he tells me. As though I am not all-over briars at all times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/you-re-in-a-prickly-mood-he-tells-me-as-though-i-am-not-all-over/)

[Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/)

> [“I’ve told you before not to call me prickly. That’s a word that men use about women who don’t cave to them, who don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-adams/i-ve-told-you-before-not-to-call-me-prickly-that-s-a-word-that-men/)

[Noelle Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-adams/)

> [I remember my father saying to me once, 'I finally know how to describe you, Charlotte. You're prickly.' And he was right - prickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/i-remember-my-father-saying-to-me-once-i-finally-know-how-to-describe/)

[Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/)

> [“The darker the shadow, the brighter the light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-skinner/the-darker-the-shadow-the-brighter-the-light/)

[Mike Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-skinner/)

> [I can be a prickly personality at times, but none of it's ever malicious. I don't think anyone who really knows me on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-rosen/i-can-be-a-prickly-personality-at-times-but-none-of-it-s-ever/)

[Josh Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-rosen/)

> [“If we are not willing to let go knotty and prickly issues in time, our mental frame can be wrecked before long. One must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/if-we-are-not-willing-to-let-go-knotty-and-prickly-issues-in-time-our/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [“When we stake a claim to the needs and wants of our life, we may easily fail to live up to the standards of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-stake-a-claim-to-the-needs-and-wants-of-our-life-we-may/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [“Life is a spread of surprises and it is both a privilege and a challenge to respond to things and events, and find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/life-is-a-spread-of-surprises-and-it-is-both-a-privilege-and-a/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [“You have a very prickly exterior that needs to be navigated very carefully. Kind of like a really sexy cactus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rowen/you-have-a-very-prickly-exterior-that-needs-to-be-navigated-very/)

[Michelle Rowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rowen/)

> [“I don’t mind my friends calling me “Thornes,” but the fact of people calling me “Prickly Thornes” draws the line.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simi-sunny/i-don-t-mind-my-friends-calling-me-thornes-but-the-fact-of-people/)

[Simi Sunny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simi-sunny/)

> [I can be prickly and difficult on set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsh/i-can-be-prickly-and-difficult-on-set/)

[James Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsh/)

> [“We others are not like you. We are more prickly, more jittery, more restless, more secretive, more desperate, more cowardly, more bold. We live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-millhauser/we-others-are-not-like-you-we-are-more-prickly-more-jittery-more/)

[Steven Millhauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-millhauser/)

[Browse all 17 Prickly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prickly/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“at times you’re so prickly you ought to take the hedgehog as your sigil.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to-take-the-hedgehog-as-your/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Prickly"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to-take-the-hedgehog-as-your/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/anonymous-1_prickly_at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to_107800.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/anonymous-1_prickly_at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to_107800.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2d/anonymous-1_prickly_at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to_107800.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“at times you’re so prickly you ought to take the hedgehog as your sigil.” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“at times you’re so prickly you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to-take-the-hedgehog-as-your/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-times-you-re-so-prickly-you-ought-to-take-the-hedgehog-as-your/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
