---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you let the alembic cool, metaphor…"
description: "\"“If you let the alembic cool, metaphor becomes superstition.”\" — Dale Pendell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/dale-pendell-62973_metaphor_if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-bec_2598695.jpg"
---

#  If you let the alembic cool, metaphor becomes superstition.

![“If you let the alembic cool, metaphor becomes superstition.” quote by Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/dale-pendell-62973_metaphor_if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-bec_2598695.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/dale-pendell-62973_metaphor_if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-bec_2598695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/dale-pendell-62973_metaphor_if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-bec_2598695.jpg)

> ““If you let the alembic cool, metaphor becomes superstition.””

[Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

## About This Quote

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

When metaphorical language is over‑refined, it loses clarity and becomes superstition.

**In simple terms:** Over‑refined metaphor turns into superstition.

Key Takeaway

Keep metaphor clear and grounded.

Themes

language creativity communication philosophy

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

literary educational

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- literary criticism
- public speaking

Key Concepts

metaphor theory semantic clarity

Questions to Reflect On

- When does metaphor become confusing?
- How to balance creativity with clarity?

A Different Perspective

Complex metaphor may alienate audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition/)

## Related quotes

> [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/scientific-research-is-based-on-the-idea-that-everything-that-takes/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [“Though the continued march of intellect and education have nearly obliterated from the mind of the Scots a belief in the marvelous, still a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/though-the-continued-march-of-intellect-and-education-have-nearly/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [“I have said that the sole effect of my somewhat childish experiment—that of looking down within the tarn—had been to deepen the first singular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-have-said-that-the-sole-effect-of-my-somewhat-childish-experiment/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“The Jews are an ignorant and barbarous people, who have long united the most sordid avarice with the most detestable superstition and the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-jews-are-an-ignorant-and-barbarous-people-who-have-long-united/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [“Many people do simply awful things out of sincere religious belief, not using religion as a cover the way that Saddam Hussein may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/many-people-do-simply-awful-things-out-of-sincere-religious-belief/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [I make this chief distinction between religion and superstition, that the latter is founded on ignorance, the former on knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/i-make-this-chief-distinction-between-religion-and-superstition-that/)

[Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/)

> [If you were to leave the calendar on Friday the 13th, you will be killed by a witch the very next day.w](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-were-to-leave-the-calendar-on-friday-the-13th-you-will-be/)

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

> [“In spite of being complicated people choose superstitions over common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-spite-of-being-complicated-people-choose-superstitions-over-common/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [“All religions worthy of the name are now making great efforts to purify their doctrines and return to their original standpoint, — all except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/all-religions-worthy-of-the-name-are-now-making-great-efforts-to/)

[Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/)

> [“Do stories, apart from happening, being, have something to say? For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/)

[Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/)

> [I think superstition has a lot to do with fear: the less, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-think-superstition-has-a-lot-to-do-with-fear-the-less-the-better/)

[Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/)

> [“What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/what-is-to-be-will-be-and-no-prayers-of-ours-can-arrest-the-decree/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

## More by Dale Pendell

> [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/)

[Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

> [“Every plant is an individual. Wrong again. We are not individuals at all, we are all connected. We are individuals the way each blossom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/every-plant-is-an-individual-wrong-again-we-are-not-individuals-at/)

[Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

> [“The here and the beyond are enough, but there were a few angels for whom it was not enough: who demanded a third dimension--who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/the-here-and-the-beyond-are-enough-but-there-were-a-few-angels-for/)

[Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

> [“There is one class to whom reflection is a fault; is not only a fault, is a sin; is not only a sin, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/there-is-one-class-to-whom-reflection-is-a-fault-is-not-only-a-fault/)

[Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

[Explore all 5 Dale Pendell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

## More Metaphor quotes

> [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

> [Helvetica is the jeans, and Univers the dinner jacket. Helvetica is here to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/helvetica-is-the-jeans-and-univers-the-dinner-jacket-helvetica-is/)

[Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/)

> [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“Despite which, Charlie seems doomed to stumble around in the dark, clutching pieces of a puzzle he still can't see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/despite-which-charlie-seems-doomed-to-stumble-around-in-the-dark/)

[Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/)

> [I feel as much of a stud as... I can't come up with a metaphor. That's how lacking in studliness I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-as-much-of-a-stud-as-i-can-t-come-up-with-a-metaphor-that-s/)

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

> [Because you continue to inhabit and believe your metaphors, you cannot see what is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/because-you-continue-to-inhabit-and-believe-your-metaphors-you-cannot/)

[William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/)

> [“The bag contained a pair of white cotton gloves stained the color of age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-bag-contained-a-pair-of-white-cotton-gloves-stained-the-color-of/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“People think blood red, but blood don't got no colour. Not when blood wash the floor she lying on as she scream for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-james/people-think-blood-red-but-blood-don-t-got-no-colour-not-when-blood/)

[Marlon James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-james/)

> [You know what’s a great metaphor for love? Sleeping beauty. Because you have to plow through this incredible thicket of thorns in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-know-what-s-a-great-metaphor-for-love-sleeping-beauty-because-you/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [There's something about the superheroes and the idea behind their relationship with humans, whether it's a metaphor for the better part of ourselves, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-gregg/there-s-something-about-the-superheroes-and-the-idea-behind-their/)

[Clark Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-gregg/)

> [The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-explain-at-the-parties-that-i-believe-knitting-is-a-transformative/)

[Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/)

> [I was really interested in this ability for others to create virtual memories for us. In "The Cartographers" I explore this through Adam Woods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-weinstein/i-was-really-interested-in-this-ability-for-others-to-create-virtual/)

[Alexander Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-weinstein/)

> [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/)

[James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/)

> [“I am knee deep in sea water now, feeling the energy of the tidal waves as they roll inwards towards the shore. A tide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-l-marshall/i-am-knee-deep-in-sea-water-now-feeling-the-energy-of-the-tidal-waves/)

[Susan L. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-l-marshall/)

[Browse all 1,548 Metaphor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If you let the alembic cool, metaphor becomes superstition.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dale Pendell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-becomes-superstition/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Metaphor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-becomes-superstition/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/dale-pendell-62973_metaphor_if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-bec_2598695.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/dale-pendell-62973_metaphor_if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-bec_2598695.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/dale-pendell-62973_metaphor_if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-bec_2598695.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you let the alembic cool, metaphor becomes superstition.” — Dale Pendell",
                "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": "Dale Pendell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If you let the alembic cool,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-becomes-superstition/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/if-you-let-the-alembic-cool-metaphor-becomes-superstition/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
