--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She is a cat,\" he thought. \"That's all…" description: "\"“She is a cat,\" he thought. \"That's all she is—a cat!\" But that was not how his mind saw her—quick beyond all dreams of speed, sharp, clever, unbelieva..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/cordwainer-smith-32342_dreams_she-is-a-cat-he-thought-that-s-all-she-i_2208551.jpg" --- # She is a cat," he thought. "That's all she is—a cat!" But… ![“She is a cat," he thought. "That's all she is—a cat!" But that was not how his mind saw her—quick beyond all dreams of speed, sharp, clever, unbelievably graceful, beautiful, wordless and undemanding. Where would he ever find a woman who could compare with her?” quote by Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/cordwainer-smith-32342_dreams_she-is-a-cat-he-thought-that-s-all-she-i_2208551.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/cordwainer-smith-32342_dreams_she-is-a-cat-he-thought-that-s-all-she-i_2208551.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/cordwainer-smith-32342_dreams_she-is-a-cat-he-thought-that-s-all-she-i_2208551.jpg) > ““She is a cat," he thought. "That's all she is—a cat!" But that was not how his mind saw her—quick beyond all dreams of speed, sharp, clever, unbelievably graceful, beautiful, wordless and undemanding. Where would he ever find a woman who could compare with her?”” [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator sees a cat as a perfect, effortless embodiment of beauty and grace. **In simple terms:** The cat is seen as pure, graceful beauty. Key Takeaway Appreciate effortless elegance. Themes beauty perception idealization Mood reflective poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - art critique - personal reflection - creative writing - relationship dynamics Key Concepts aestheticism subjective reality Questions to Reflect On - What does this ideal say about his desires? - How does perception shape love? A Different Perspective Idealizing may overlook deeper qualities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“Until recently I always thought that 'Cat Boarding' was the way America tortured their felines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-macallister/until-recently-i-always-thought-that-cat-boarding-was-the-way-america/) [Dean MacAllister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-macallister/) > [A woman should never compare her man to another man. That's one thing to get him pissed off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/a-woman-should-never-compare-her-man-to-another-man-that-s-one-thing/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [A beautiful woman is the one who never compare herself with others, because what others have doesn't make her feel insecure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-beautiful-woman-is-the-one-who-never-compare-herself-with-others/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a cat guy. Every night as I go to sleep, I have this particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-ve-always-been-a-cat-guy-every-night/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [We cannot without becoming cats, perfectly understand the cat mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-george-jackson-mivart/we-cannot-without-becoming-cats-perfectly-understand-the-cat-mind/) St. George Jackson Mivart > [I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;Her coat is one of the tabby kind,with tiger stripes and lepard spots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-a-gumbie-cat-in-mind-her-name-is-jennyanydots-her-coat-is-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The more the mouse pursues this line of of thought, the more it seems to him that the cat is a large, soft mouse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-millhauser/the-more-the-mouse-pursues-this-line-of-of-thought-the-more-it-seems/) [Steven Millhauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-millhauser/) > [“Sophie knew about power animals,everyone did...Sophie thought she might be a cat, she liked cats a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-tea/sophie-knew-about-power-animals-everyone-did-sophie-thought-she-might/) [Michelle Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-tea/) > [“I wonder if I brought my Silly-cat in…could you tell me what she’s thinking?’ ‘I can tell you what she’s thinking right now, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-wonder-if-i-brought-my-silly-cat-in-could-you-tell-me-what-she-s/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [“His mind is trying to catch the thought as a cat tries to catch a shadow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/his-mind-is-trying-to-catch-the-thought-as-a-cat-tries-to-catch-a/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [“So now you be facing me for ideas, eh? What makes you think a simple, brainless woman like myself would have any idea on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinley-macgregor/so-now-you-be-facing-me-for-ideas-eh-what-makes-you-think-a-simple/) [Kinley MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinley-macgregor/) > [I remember when I was a younger cat, I always thought the veteran guys talked too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajon-rondo/i-remember-when-i-was-a-younger-cat-i-always-thought-the-veteran-guys/) [Rajon Rondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajon-rondo/) > [“He thought of the kittens his cat Spike had birthed in his linen closet. Spike was the cat he’d thought was a fixed male.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mar-preston/he-thought-of-the-kittens-his-cat-spike-had-birthed-in-his-linen/) [Mar Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mar-preston/) > [I don't think it's very difficult to bring a virginal, angst-ridden, hip-hop grunting white boy to the screen. Not that I have any experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-peck/i-don-t-think-it-s-very-difficult-to-bring-a-virginal-angst-ridden/) [Josh Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-peck/) > [She was my first cat ever, and I thought she was marvelous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/she-was-my-first-cat-ever-and-i-thought-she-was-marvelous/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) ## More by Cordwainer Smith > [“It was not the site of the earth which surprised him – it was the smell. … This earth and air smelled alive. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/it-was-not-the-site-of-the-earth-which-surprised-him-it-was-the-smell/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“We shall take a star out of the skies and shall set thousands of worlds on fire...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/we-shall-take-a-star-out-of-the-skies-and-shall-set-thousands-of/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“Was that what people learned between the stars? To care for other people very much indeed and to spring upon them only to reveal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/was-that-what-people-learned-between-the-stars-to-care-for-other/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“There is no time for fear. It's much too interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/there-is-no-time-for-fear-it-s-much-too-interesting/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“... but remember that I shall love your sorrow...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/but-remember-that-i-shall-love-your-sorrow/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“There is no call for you to get tragic about it. Tragedy is easy enough to contrive. And if you want to be tragic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/there-is-no-call-for-you-to-get-tragic-about-it-tragedy-is-easy/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“Joan commented, upon sentence, "My body is your property, but my love is not. My love is my own, and I shall love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/joan-commented-upon-sentence-my-body-is-your-property-but-my-love-is/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“He looked at his dry old hand and it seemed to him that in this atmosphere, he had himself become more reptilian than human.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/he-looked-at-his-dry-old-hand-and-it-seemed-to-him-that-in-this/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“The revolution lasted six minutes and covered one hundred an twelve meters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/the-revolution-lasted-six-minutes-and-covered-one-hundred-an-twelve/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“Chang nodded sagely. “My father insisted on it. He said, ‘You may be proud of being a scanner. I am sorry you are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/chang-nodded-sagely-my-father-insisted-on-it-he-said-you-may-be-proud/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“... crowding together to see something which would ease the boredom of perfection and time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/crowding-together-to-see-something-which-would-ease-the-boredom-of/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“At sixteen Helen was already famous, and at seventeen already forgotten, and very much alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/at-sixteen-helen-was-already-famous-and-at-seventeen-already/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“It was all of this: The beat and the heat and the neat repeat of the notes which poured from the congohelium—metal never made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/it-was-all-of-this-the-beat-and-the-heat-and-the-neat-repeat-of-the/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) > [“She warned him, kindly enough, about manners when he forgot the simple ceremonies of eating which everyone knew, such as standing up to unfold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordwainer-smith/she-warned-him-kindly-enough-about-manners-when-he-forgot-the-simple/) [Cordwainer Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) [Explore all 15 Cordwainer Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordwainer-smith/) ## More Cats quotes > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I liked Cats as a kid, now its hard to say. I dont live in New York anymore so dont see so many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-moennig/i-liked-cats-as-a-kid-now-its-hard-to-say-i-dont-live-in-new-york/) [Katherine Moennig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-moennig/) > [“The next day, Trixie pawed Maddie awake, patting her arm gently. “I’m up,” Maddie groaned, blinking sleep out of her eyes. “Mrrow.” Trixie peered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jinty-james/the-next-day-trixie-pawed-maddie-awake-patting-her-arm-gently-i-m-up/) Jinty James > [“So Nikki came aboard as Jaqueline's spare cat, presumably in case our prime cat, Eliza, goes on vacation, takes industrial action, or requests a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-s-wren/so-nikki-came-aboard-as-jaqueline-s-spare-cat-presumably-in-case-our/) Christopher S. Wren > [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [When I see things through my eyes, I don't want to ever just be really negative towards someone's performance. There are many ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/when-i-see-things-through-my-eyes-i-don-t-want-to-ever-just-be-really/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. Or, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/in-the-morning-when-she-wishes-me-to-wake-she-crouches-on-my-chest/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Kittens can happen to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/kittens-can-happen-to-anyone/) [Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/) > [“Curiosity killed the cat, but not before teaching her that honey bees are not sweet, tweeting birds are slow to react, mice can serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/curiosity-killed-the-cat-but-not-before-teaching-her-that-honey-bees/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Quin took on the air of someone who has just realized it's time for the yearly visit to the spinster great-aunt in a desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-fecteau/quin-took-on-the-air-of-someone-who-has-just-realized-it-s-time-for/) [Amy Fecteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-fecteau/) > [“Save for the ancient Egyptians, he found, virtually no one kept cats as pets until the latter part of the 1700s. The first people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-mcauliffe/save-for-the-ancient-egyptians-he-found-virtually-no-one-kept-cats-as/) [Kathleen McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-mcauliffe/) [Browse all 3,253 Cats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She is a cat,\" he thought. \"That's all she is—a cat!\" But that was not how his mind saw her—quick beyond all dreams of speed, sharp, clever, unbelievably graceful, beautiful, wordless and undemanding. 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