--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Monsters’ can help us by giving a…" description: "\"“Monsters’ can help us by giving a tangible form to our secret fears. It is less widely appreciated today that ‘wonders’ such as the unicorn legitimize..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/boria-sax-47602_animals_monsters-can-help-us-by-giving-a-tangibl_141713.jpg" --- # Monsters’ can help us by giving a tangible form to our… ![“Monsters’ can help us by giving a tangible form to our secret fears. It is less widely appreciated today that ‘wonders’ such as the unicorn legitimize our hopes. But all imaginary animals, to some degree all animals, are ultimately both monsters and wonders, which assist us by deflecting and…” quote by Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/boria-sax-47602_animals_monsters-can-help-us-by-giving-a-tangibl_141713.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/boria-sax-47602_animals_monsters-can-help-us-by-giving-a-tangibl_141713.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/boria-sax-47602_animals_monsters-can-help-us-by-giving-a-tangibl_141713.jpg) > ““Monsters’ can help us by giving a tangible form to our secret fears. It is less widely appreciated today that ‘wonders’ such as the unicorn legitimize our hopes. But all imaginary animals, to some degree all animals, are ultimately both monsters and wonders, which assist us by deflecting and absorbing our uncertainties . It is hard to tell ‘imaginary animals’ from symbolic, exemplary, heraldic, stylized, poetic, literary, or stereotypical ones. What is reality? Until we answer that question with confidence, a sharp differentiation between real animals and imaginary ones will remain elusive. There is some yeti in every ape, and a bit of Pegasus in every horse. Men and women are not only part angel and part demon, as the old cliché goes; they are also part centaur, part werewolf, part mandrake, and part sphinx.”” [Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imaginary creatures embody both our fears and hopes, helping us process uncertainty and identity. **In simple terms:** Monsters and wonders reflect inner anxieties and aspirations. Key Takeaway Recognize and integrate both dark and bright aspects of self. Themes psychology mythology identity creativity Mood reflective inquisitive Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - personal growth - storytelling Key Concepts archetypes symbolism dualism Questions to Reflect On - How do you see your own 'monsters' and 'wonders'? - Can myth help resolve personal conflict? A Different Perspective Imaginary beings can oversimplify complex emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Wonders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonders/) ## Related quotes > [“Don't ever let anyone tell you that the imaginary is equivalent to the real: your skin, your vast breathing skin, will insist otherwise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/don-t-ever-let-anyone-tell-you-that-the-imaginary-is-equivalent-to/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [My father would pass gas and then blame it on imaginary animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/my-father-would-pass-gas-and-then-blame-it-on-imaginary-animals/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [“The irony of talking to animals and an imaginary girlfriend, who keep me sane, even though I know I look like a raving lunatic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyse-draper/the-irony-of-talking-to-animals-and-an-imaginary-girlfriend-who-keep/) [Elyse Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elyse-draper/) > [Man is a wretch without woman; but woman is a monster-and thank Heaven, an almost impossible and hitherto imaginary monster--without man, as her acknowledged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/man-is-a-wretch-without-woman-but-woman-is-a-monster-and-thank-heaven/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [ “...\[I\]t behooves a man who wants to see wonders sometimes to go out of his way.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mandeville/i-t-behooves-a-man-who-wants-to-see-wonders-sometimes-to-go-out-of/) John Mandeville > [Very early in life I became fascinated with the wonders language can achieve. And I began playing with words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/very-early-in-life-i-became-fascinated-with-the-wonders-language-can/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [I don't make one hit wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boosie/i-don-t-make-one-hit-wonders/) [Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boosie/) > [“Life is calling you. The other life. The analogue life. The real. Nature is calling you. And people too. Wondrous royal souls are waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/life-is-calling-you-the-other-life-the-analogue-life-the-real-nature/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Nature is full of wonders; every atom is a standing miracle, and endowed with such qualities, as could not be impressed on it by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/nature-is-full-of-wonders-every-atom-is-a-standing-miracle-and/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“There are not many persons who know what wonders are opened to them in the stories and visions of their youth; for when as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-phillips-lovecraft/there-are-not-many-persons-who-know-what-wonders-are-opened-to-them/) Howard Phillips Lovecraft > [Outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders; we see that the miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence. It is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/outdoors-we-are-confronted-everywhere-with-wonders-we-see-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I grew up listening to Nirvana and then went through some bad '90s pop stuff - a lot of Australian one-hit wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-barnett/i-grew-up-listening-to-nirvana-and-then-went-through-some-bad-90s-pop/) [Courtney Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-barnett/) > [A little faith can do wonders...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/a-little-faith-can-do-wonders/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Lord save us, first you have a heart, now you have a god? Will wonders never cease?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/lord-save-us-first-you-have-a-heart-now-you-have-a-god-will-wonders/) [Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/) > [Too many people expect wonders from democracy, when the most wonderful thing of all is just having it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-winchell/too-many-people-expect-wonders-from-democracy-when-the-most-wonderful/) [Walter Winchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-winchell/) ## More by Boria Sax > [“It is possible that the city of London was initially named for ravens or a raven-deity. According to the Oxford Companion to the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boria-sax/it-is-possible-that-the-city-of-london-was-initially-named-for-ravens/) [Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) > [“We writers constantly try to build up our own confidence by getting published, making sales, winning prizes, joining cliques or proclaiming theories. The passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boria-sax/we-writers-constantly-try-to-build-up-our-own-confidence-by-getting/) [Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) > [“When an animal dies, another of the same species may cling to the body, eat the body, or look bored. Bees expel dead bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boria-sax/when-an-animal-dies-another-of-the-same-species-may-cling-to-the-body/) [Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) > [“Every animal is a tradition, and together they are a vast part of our heritage as human beings. No animal completely lacks humanity, yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boria-sax/every-animal-is-a-tradition-and-together-they-are-a-vast-part-of-our/) [Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) > [“Those who romanticize war often like to think of it, at least in areas of mortal peril, as nothing but “guts and glory.” Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boria-sax/those-who-romanticize-war-often-like-to-think-of-it-at-least-in-areas/) [Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) > [“For the house of Dunraven, the ravens represented a spiritual claim to the Tower for the Celtic, especially the Welsh, people. For the English,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boria-sax/for-the-house-of-dunraven-the-ravens-represented-a-spiritual-claim-to/) [Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) > [“Simply raising the theme of animals in the Third Reich means that our narrative is no longer only an account of what human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boria-sax/simply-raising-the-theme-of-animals-in-the-third-reich-means-that-our/) [Boria Sax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) [Explore all 8 Boria Sax quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boria-sax/) ## More Animals quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) [Browse all 6,813 Animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Monsters’ can help us by giving a tangible form to our secret fears. It is less widely appreciated today that ‘wonders’ such as the unicorn legitimize our hopes. But all imaginary animals, to some degree all animals, are ultimately both monsters and wonders, which assist us by deflecting and absorbing our uncertainties . It is hard to tell ‘imaginary animals’ from symbolic, exemplary, heraldic, stylized, poetic, literary, or stereotypical ones. What is reality? Until we answer that question with confidence, a sharp differentiation between real animals and imaginary ones will remain elusive. 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