--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Name me any liquid except our own blood…" description: "\"Name me any liquid except our own blood that flows more intimately and incessantly through the labyrinth of symbols we have conceived to make our statu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/clifton-fadiman-11053_blood_name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood_166467.jpg" --- # Name me any liquid except our own blood that flows more… ![“Name me any liquid except our own blood that flows more intimately and incessantly through the labyrinth of symbols we have conceived to make our status as human beings, from the rudest peasant festival to the mystery of the Eucharist. To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the…” quote by Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/clifton-fadiman-11053_blood_name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood_166467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/clifton-fadiman-11053_blood_name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood_166467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/clifton-fadiman-11053_blood_name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood_166467.jpg) > “Name me any liquid except our own blood that flows more intimately and incessantly through the labyrinth of symbols we have conceived to make our status as human beings, from the rudest peasant festival to the mystery of the Eucharist. To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.” [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote likens language and symbols to a flowing river that carries human culture across time, from simple rituals to sacred rites, emphasizing its pervasive, intimate role in defining humanity. **In simple terms:** Language is a continuous river shaping human culture. Key Takeaway Recognize and honor the power of shared symbols. Themes culture communication ritual history humanity Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical poetic cultural When to use this quote - religious ceremonies - folk festivals - daily conversation - literary creation - artistic expression Key Concepts semiotics collective memory symbolic interaction Questions to Reflect On - How do symbols shape your identity? - What symbols feel most personal to you? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overlook non‑symbolic aspects of human experience such as instinct or emotion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Droplets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/droplets/) [Eucharist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eucharist/) [Festivals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/festivals/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Labyrinth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labyrinth/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Peasants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peasants/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbols/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Name me any liquid — except our own blood — that flows more intimately and incessantly through the labyrinth of symbols we have conceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood-that-flows-more-intimately-2/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-take-wine-into-our-mouths-is-to-savor-a-droplet-of-the-river-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To take wine into your mouth is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-take-wine-into-your-mouth-is-to-savor-a-droplet-of-the-river-of/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Just the way sound creates visible waves as it travels through a droplet of water, our "belief waves" ripple through the quantum fabric of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-braden/just-the-way-sound-creates-visible-waves-as-it-travels-through-a/) [Gregg Braden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-braden/) > [“When a Drop of Water falls on the floor from a 10 feet height, it gets divided into multi droplets. We Humans are Droplets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghuveer-maganti/when-a-drop-of-water-falls-on-the-floor-from-a-10-feet-height-it-gets/) [RAGHUVEER MAGANTI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghuveer-maganti/) > [What I deeply want... is for Rumi to become vitally present for readers, part of what John Keats called our soul-making, that process that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-barks/what-i-deeply-want-is-for-rumi-to-become-vitally-present-for-readers/) [Coleman Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-barks/) > [Droplets, droplets: we are all identical drips and drops of people, hovering, waiting to be tipped, waiting for someone to show us the way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/droplets-droplets-we-are-all-identical-drips-and-drops-of-people/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [The wonder is that the characteristic efficacy to touch and inspire deep creative centers dwells in the smallest nursery fairy tale-as the flavor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-wonder-is-that-the-characteristic-efficacy-to-touch-and-inspire/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Writing is easy. Just sit in front of a typewriter, open up a vein and bleed it out drop by drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-smith/writing-is-easy-just-sit-in-front-of-a-typewriter-open-up-a-vein-and/) [Red Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-smith/) > [“Tears are liquid droplets cascading from the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-antanaitis/tears-are-liquid-droplets-cascading-from-the-soul/) R.J. Antanaitis > [Mircea must have heard us come in, but he continued what he was doing. He stood with his back to us, the candlelight on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/mircea-must-have-heard-us-come-in-but-he-continued-what-he-was-doing/) [Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/) > [Innocent droplets of rain make almost all events quite natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/visar-zhiti/innocent-droplets-of-rain-make-almost-all-events-quite-natural/) [Visar Zhiti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/visar-zhiti/) > [Blazing? Droplets of thoughts can soothe it all. Don't feel depleted. Bask in the residue. That remains!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/blazing-droplets-of-thoughts-can-soothe-it-all-don-t-feel-depleted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I listen to the rainfall, my words wanna flow! Droplets run down the wall, where do they go? Letters in the raw, mesh together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-austin/i-listen-to-the-rainfall-my-words-wanna-flow-droplets-run-down-the/) [Leslie Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-austin/) > [So if big enough droplets fell far enough fast enough, someone floating right near the metallic hydrogen layer inside Jupiter maybe, just maybe, could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/so-if-big-enough-droplets-fell-far-enough-fast-enough-someone/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) ## More by Clifton Fadiman > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [A good memory is one trained to forget the trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/a-good-memory-is-one-trained-to-forget-the-trivial/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/a-bottle-of-wine-begs-to-be-shared-i-have-never-met-a-miserly-wine/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [ \[Books\] will visit you at your convenience, whether you are lonesome or not, on rainy days or fair. They propose themselves as either transient… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/books-will-visit-you-at-your-convenience-whether-you-are-lonesome-or/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Wine is a civilizing agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/wine-is-a-civilizing-agent/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [When you read a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/when-you-read-a-classic-you-do-not-see-more-in-the-book-than-you-did/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [To take wine into your mouth is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-take-wine-into-your-mouth-is-to-savor-a-droplet-of-the-river-of/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The adjective is the banana peel of the parts of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/the-adjective-is-the-banana-peel-of-the-parts-of-speech/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [“Don't be afraid of poetry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/don-t-be-afraid-of-poetry/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Being a child is in itself a profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/being-a-child-is-in-itself-a-profession/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [ Seriously, I do not know what to say of this book \[ Absalom, Absalom!\] except that it seem to point to the final blowup… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/seriously-i-do-not-know-what-to-say-of-this-book-absalom-absalom/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [A man who is careful with his palate is not likely to be careless with his paragraphs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/a-man-who-is-careful-with-his-palate-is-not-likely-to-be-careless/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [To feel at home, stay at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-feel-at-home-stay-at-home/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The kind of poetry to avoid in the pretty-pretty kind that pleased our grandmothers, the kind that Longfellow and Tennyson, good poets at their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/the-kind-of-poetry-to-avoid-in-the-pretty-pretty-kind-that-pleased/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [We prefer to believe that the absence of inverted commas guarantees the originality of a thought, whereas it may be merely that the utterer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/we-prefer-to-believe-that-the-absence-of-inverted-commas-guarantees/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) [Explore all 62 Clifton Fadiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) ## More Blood quotes > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Don't trust everyone, because one day you will shed tears of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/don-t-trust-everyone-because-one-day-you-will-shed-tears-of-blood/) [SunShine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [I have no intention of retiring. Even my blood sugar is better when I'm working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-even-my-blood-sugar-is-better-when-i/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [What about you three, where are you going?" Even before Halt answered, Will knew what he was going to say. But that didn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/what-about-you-three-where-are-you-going-even-before-halt-answered/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [A day without blood is like a day without sunshine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lee-ermey/a-day-without-blood-is-like-a-day-without-sunshine/) [R. Lee Ermey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-lee-ermey/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) Browse all 6,234 Blood quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Name me any liquid except our own blood that flows more intimately and incessantly through the labyrinth of symbols we have conceived to make our status as human beings, from the rudest peasant festival to the mystery of the Eucharist. To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clifton Fadiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood-that-flows-more-intimately/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood-that-flows-more-intimately/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/clifton-fadiman-11053_blood_name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood_166467.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/clifton-fadiman-11053_blood_name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood_166467.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/clifton-fadiman-11053_blood_name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood_166467.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Name me any liquid except our own blood that flows more intimately and incessantly through the labyrinth of…” — Clifton Fadiman", "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": "Clifton Fadiman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Name me any liquid except our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood-that-flows-more-intimately/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/name-me-any-liquid-except-our-own-blood-that-flows-more-intimately/#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 } } ] } ```