---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creatures that hang themselves up like an…"
description: "\"Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep; And disgustingly upside down. Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags And gri..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/d-h-lawrence-426_animals_creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-a_1117141.png"
---

#  Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to…

![“Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep; And disgustingly upside down. Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags And grinning in their sleep. Bats!” quote by D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/d-h-lawrence-426_animals_creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-a_1117141.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/d-h-lawrence-426_animals_creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-a_1117141.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/d-h-lawrence-426_animals_creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-a_1117141.png)

> “Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep; And disgustingly upside down. Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags And grinning in their sleep. Bats!”

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker describes bats as grotesque, hanging upside down like old rags, emphasizing their unsettling appearance while they sleep.

**In simple terms:** Bats are portrayed as creepy, hanging upside down.

Key Takeaway

Notice how fear can be rooted in unfamiliar natural behaviors.

Themes

nature creature disgust night perception

Mood

uneasy curious

Type

descriptive poetic

When to use this quote

- camping
- night hikes
- wildlife observation
- storytelling

Key Concepts

biology symbolism anthropomorphism

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions do you make about nocturnal animals?
- How might perspective change your reaction?

A Different Perspective

The description may exaggerate negativity, ignoring bats' ecological benefits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Bats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bats/) [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [Creatures Hang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures-hang-3005266/) [Disgusting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disgusting/) [Grinning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grinning/) [Hanging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hanging/) [Rags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rags/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Sleep Bats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep-bats-3005265/) [Upside down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upside-down/)

## Related quotes

> [I've spent three hours hanging upside down while fighting off dinosaur attacks. That was a lot of fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-o-mara/i-ve-spent-three-hours-hanging-upside-down-while-fighting-off/)

[Jason O'Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-o-mara/)

> [He murmers into my hair, "Forget what I said earlier, let's stick with this, I might not survive anything more." I laugh. Then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/he-murmers-into-my-hair-forget-what-i-said-earlier-let-s-stick-with/)

[Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/)

> [“I’m just glad you took me back,” he said, grinning widely. Stupid grin. It made me want to kiss him, and I shouldn’t have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-alexander/i-m-just-glad-you-took-me-back-he-said-grinning-widely-stupid-grin-it/)

[Monica Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-alexander/)

> [I found myself grinning until my cheeks hurt, my scalp prickling till I thought it might lift off my head. My tongue ran away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-found-myself-grinning-until-my-cheeks-hurt-my-scalp-prickling-till/)

[Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/)

> [“You saying you can’t handle that?” Kelly needled, grinning. Nick could see that grin in the moonlight, had seen that grin a thousand times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-roux/you-saying-you-can-t-handle-that-kelly-needled-grinning-nick-could/)

[Abigail Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-roux/)

> [“My life is like a memento more painting from European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/my-life-is-like-a-memento-more-painting-from-european-art-there-is/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [Oh, brother wearers of motley, are there not moments when one grows sick of grinning and trembling and the jingling of cap and bells?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/oh-brother-wearers-of-motley-are-there-not-moments-when-one-grows/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [Seventeen, eh!" said Hagrid as he accepted a bucket-sized glass of wine from Fred. "Six years to the day we met, Harry, d’yeh remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seventeen-eh-said-hagrid-as-he-accepted-a-bucket-sized-glass-of-wine/)

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

> [“Because it’s a lit fuse, love – you light it yourself, and you stand around the powder keg afterward, grinning from ear to ear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-polansky/because-it-s-a-lit-fuse-love-you-light-it-yourself-and-you-stand/)

[Daniel Polansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-polansky/)

> [The shouts of triumph become infectious, and I lift my voice to join in, running toward my teammates. Christina holds the flag up high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/the-shouts-of-triumph-become-infectious-and-i-lift-my-voice-to-join/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/go-for-broke-always-try-and-do-too-much-dispense-with-safety-nets/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Actually, who hasn't been through the ghastly experience of sitting in front of a blank page, with its toothless mouth grinning at you: Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/actually-who-hasn-t-been-through-the-ghastly-experience-of-sitting-in/)

[Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/)

> [Skinny guy asian grinning wide little chinky eyed every line is true I get it straight no invisiline. You running it I'm at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-pryde/skinny-guy-asian-grinning-wide-little-chinky-eyed-every-line-is-true/)

[D Pryde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-pryde/)

> [Tea? At the beach? No time for luxuries, Holly. There is important work to be done.” He winked at Butler. “Are you sure you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/tea-at-the-beach-no-time-for-luxuries-holly-there-is-important-work/)

[Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/)

> [“He found himself grinning at her. His nervousness had disappeared, and suddenly he had a sense of his own size, his physical strength, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/he-found-himself-grinning-at-her-his-nervousness-had-disappeared-and/)

[Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/)

## More by D. H. Lawrence

> [Not I, not I, but the wind that blows through me! A fine wind is blowing the new direction of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/not-i-not-i-but-the-wind-that-blows-through-me-a-fine-wind-is-blowing/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [and Venus among the fishes skips and is a she-dolphin she is the gay, delighted porpoise sporting with love and the sea she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/and-venus-among-the-fishes-skips-and-is-a-she-dolphin-she-is-the-gay/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-i-had-my-way-i-would-build-a-lethal-chamber-as-big-as-the-crystal/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [We have to hate our immediate predecessors to get free of their authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/we-have-to-hate-our-immediate-predecessors-to-get-free-of-their/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [Reach me a gentian, give me a torch! Let me guide myself with the blue, forked torch of a flower down the darker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/reach-me-a-gentian-give-me-a-torch-let-me-guide-myself-with-the-blue/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [The war is dreadful. It is the business of the artist to follow it home to the heart of the individual fighters - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-war-is-dreadful-it-is-the-business-of-the-artist-to-follow-it/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [The nearer a conception comes towards finality, the nearer does the dynamic relation, out of which this concept has arisen, draw to a close.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-nearer-a-conception-comes-towards-finality-the-nearer-does-the/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [It is our business to go as we are impelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/it-is-our-business-to-go-as-we-are-impelled/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/ours-is-essentially-a-tragic-age-so-we-refuse-to-take-it-tragically/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [If only we could live two lives: the first in which to make one's mistakes, and the second in which to profit by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-only-we-could-live-two-lives-the-first-in-which-to-make-one-s/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [They say geniuses mostly have great mothers. They mostly have sad fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/they-say-geniuses-mostly-have-great-mothers-they-mostly-have-sad-fates/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [When one jumps over the edge, one is bound to land somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/when-one-jumps-over-the-edge-one-is-bound-to-land-somewhere/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [The living moment is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-living-moment-is-everything/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [If a woman's got nothing but her fair fame to feed on, why, it's thin tack, and a donkey would die of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-a-woman-s-got-nothing-but-her-fair-fame-to-feed-on-why-it-s-thin/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

[Explore all 570 D. H. Lawrence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep; And disgustingly upside down. Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags And grinning in their sleep. Bats!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "D. H. Lawrence"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-an-old-rag-to-sleep-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animals"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-an-old-rag-to-sleep-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/d-h-lawrence-426_animals_creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-a_1117141.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/d-h-lawrence-426_animals_creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-a_1117141.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/d-h-lawrence-426_animals_creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-a_1117141.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep; And disgustingly upside down. Hanging upside…” — D. H. Lawrence",
                "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": "D. H. Lawrence",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Creatures that hang themselves up like...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-an-old-rag-to-sleep-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/creatures-that-hang-themselves-up-like-an-old-rag-to-sleep-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
