--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A centipede the size of a Pontiac had…" description: "\"“A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since moved on once he realized that no one was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/christopher-moore-353_centipede_a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-on_476326.jpg" --- # A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the… ![“A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since moved on once he realized that no one was ever going to bother him, so he could stand up on his hind hundred feet, hiss like a pissed cat, and deliver a deadly bite to a naked foot.” quote by Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/christopher-moore-353_centipede_a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-on_476326.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/christopher-moore-353_centipede_a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-on_476326.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/christopher-moore-353_centipede_a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-on_476326.jpg) > ““A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since moved on once he realized that no one was ever going to bother him, so he could stand up on his hind hundred feet, hiss like a pissed cat, and deliver a deadly bite to a naked foot.”” [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A fantastical centipede, once ignored, becomes a dangerous threat when it finally asserts itself. **In simple terms:** Ignored beings can become dangerous when provoked. Key Takeaway Don’t ignore warning signs. Themes neglect danger assertion humor Mood cautionary darkly humorous Type fictional satirical When to use this quote - workplace dynamics - personal relationships - environmental hazards Key Concepts mythical creatures consequences of apathy Questions to Reflect On - What are you overlooking that could become a problem? - How do you address ignored issues before they erupt? A Different Perspective Assumes all ignored entities become hostile, which isn’t always true. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Centipede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centipede-623322/) [Centipede Size](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centipede-size-4104565/) [Deadly Bite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deadly-bite-4104567/) [Pontiac Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pontiac-lived-4104566/) [Size Pontiac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/size-pontiac-4104568/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not a big fan of spiders, rats, especially if they're like - I got up one morning on a holiday recently, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-spiders-rats-especially-if-they-re-like-i-got-up/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [“The centipede was happy, quite, Until a toad in fun Said, “Pray, which leg goes after which?” This worked his mind to such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/the-centipede-was-happy-quite-until-a-toad-in-fun-said-pray-which-leg/) [Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/) > [“...an arthropod with twenty-one body segments and forty-two legs, is commonly called a centipede (one hundred feet) in English and a "mille-pattes" (thousand legs)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/an-arthropod-with-twenty-one-body-segments-and-forty-two-legs-is/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“There may be people who like centipedes... Personally, I would regard such an individual with deep suspicion. I have just petted my cat: "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-may-be-people-who-like-centipedes-personally-i-would-regard/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Or a mother might look at her child's cheek and ask him: "What's that, a pimple?" and see the flesh puff out a little,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/or-a-mother-might-look-at-her-child-s-cheek-and-ask-him-what-s-that-a/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“...so many knives and forks and spoons were not meant for a human being but for a centipede...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/so-many-knives-and-forks-and-spoons-were-not-meant-for-a-human-being/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“They say only love can create, so who the fuck could love up a centipede? He's got more love in him than I got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/they-say-only-love-can-create-so-who-the-fuck-could-love-up-a/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“The centipede, having a hundred limbs, can find no useless feet;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can-find-no-useless-feet/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“Would you mind washing my feet? I’m a centipede, so it may take you a century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/would-you-mind-washing-my-feet-i-m-a-centipede-so-it-may-take-you-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Now what sort of man or woman or monster would stroke a centipede I have ever seen? And here is my good big centipede!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/now-what-sort-of-man-or-woman-or-monster-would-stroke-a-centipede-i/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I don't go into hysterics or anything, but I look around for something to smash it with. I used to live out in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-don-t-go-into-hysterics-or-anything-but-i-look-around-for-something/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“After the shot he collapsed on the bed and lay there inert, but something was stirring in his spine from neck to the tail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-the-shot-he-collapsed-on-the-bed-and-lay-there-inert-but/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [If your stature were an illness, it seems that the Centipede dispenses medicine to make you well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheshire-cat/if-your-stature-were-an-illness-it-seems-that-the-centipede-dispenses/) [Cheshire Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheshire-cat/) > [The centipede has rhythm and flow in its hundred legs precisely because it does not have to think about it. Consider this the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/the-centipede-has-rhythm-and-flow-in-its-hundred-legs-precisely/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) ## More by Christopher Moore > [“Love them all," said Renoir. "That is the secret, young man. Love them all." The painter let go of his arm and shrugged. "Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/love-them-all-said-renoir-that-is-the-secret-young-man-love-them-all/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I tried cutting myself to express my heartbreak over Tommy (Lord Flood) rejecting me, but OMFG it hurts like flaming fuck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-tried-cutting-myself-to-express-my-heartbreak-over-tommy-lord-flood/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Canada is a myth people made up to entertain children, like the Tooth Fairy. 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Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I don't go into hysterics or anything, but I look around for something to smash it with. I used to live out in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-don-t-go-into-hysterics-or-anything-but-i-look-around-for-something/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Now what sort of man or woman or monster would stroke a centipede I have ever seen? And here is my good big centipede!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/now-what-sort-of-man-or-woman-or-monster-would-stroke-a-centipede-i/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Would you mind washing my feet? I’m a centipede, so it may take you a century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/would-you-mind-washing-my-feet-i-m-a-centipede-so-it-may-take-you-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“The centipede, having a hundred limbs, can find no useless feet;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can-find-no-useless-feet/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“They say only love can create, so who the fuck could love up a centipede? He's got more love in him than I got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/they-say-only-love-can-create-so-who-the-fuck-could-love-up-a/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“...so many knives and forks and spoons were not meant for a human being but for a centipede...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/so-many-knives-and-forks-and-spoons-were-not-meant-for-a-human-being/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Or a mother might look at her child's cheek and ask him: "What's that, a pimple?" and see the flesh puff out a little,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/or-a-mother-might-look-at-her-child-s-cheek-and-ask-him-what-s-that-a/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“There may be people who like centipedes... Personally, I would regard such an individual with deep suspicion. I have just petted my cat: "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-may-be-people-who-like-centipedes-personally-i-would-regard/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“...an arthropod with twenty-one body segments and forty-two legs, is commonly called a centipede (one hundred feet) in English and a "mille-pattes" (thousand legs)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/an-arthropod-with-twenty-one-body-segments-and-forty-two-legs-is/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“The centipede was happy, quite, Until a toad in fun Said, “Pray, which leg goes after which?” This worked his mind to such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/the-centipede-was-happy-quite-until-a-toad-in-fun-said-pray-which-leg/) [Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/) > [The centipede has rhythm and flow in its hundred legs precisely because it does not have to think about it. Consider this the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/the-centipede-has-rhythm-and-flow-in-its-hundred-legs-precisely/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) [Browse all 15 Centipede quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centipede-623322/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since moved on once he realized that no one was ever going to bother him, so he could stand up on his hind hundred feet, hiss like a pissed cat, and deliver a deadly bite to a naked foot.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Moore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-once-lived-in-the-bottom-right/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Centipede" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-once-lived-in-the-bottom-right/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/christopher-moore-353_centipede_a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-on_476326.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/christopher-moore-353_centipede_a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-on_476326.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9c/christopher-moore-353_centipede_a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-on_476326.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since…” — Christopher Moore", "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": "Christopher Moore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A centipede the size of a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-once-lived-in-the-bottom-right/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-once-lived-in-the-bottom-right/#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 } } ] } ```