--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Metaphor is a slippery eel, if it wasn't…" description: "\"“Metaphor is a slippery eel, if it wasn't for its shock I'd stick to the easy catch of prose.”\" — David Joseph Cribbin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/david-joseph-cribbin-51230_metaphor_metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t_352038.jpg" --- # Metaphor is a slippery eel, if it wasn't for its shock I'd… ![“Metaphor is a slippery eel, if it wasn't for its shock I'd stick to the easy catch of prose.” quote by David Joseph Cribbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/david-joseph-cribbin-51230_metaphor_metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t_352038.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/david-joseph-cribbin-51230_metaphor_metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t_352038.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/david-joseph-cribbin-51230_metaphor_metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t_352038.jpg) > ““Metaphor is a slippery eel, if it wasn't for its shock I'd stick to the easy catch of prose.”” [David Joseph Cribbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Metaphors are elusive and powerful; without their shock value, writers may default to plain prose, losing depth. **In simple terms:** Metaphors add depth; prose is safe but dull. Key Takeaway Embrace metaphor for richer expression. Themes language creativity expression Mood analytical inquisitive Type critical educational When to use this quote - creative writing - teaching literature - public speaking Key Concepts metaphor prose literary technique Questions to Reflect On - When does metaphor become confusing? - How can prose be made vivid without metaphor? A Different Perspective Overreliance on metaphor can obscure meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Catch Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catch-prose-3248932/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphor Slippery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor-slippery-3248931/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Slippery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slippery/) [Slippery Eel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slippery-eel-290449/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Love is a slippery eel that bites like hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/love-is-a-slippery-eel-that-bites-like-hell/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“They were completely vague. They expressed everything and nothing. 'It is the Æolian harp of style,' thought Julien. 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Just be careful, my hands are still slippery with your blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-burlew/fine-whatever-just-be-careful-my-hands-are-still-slippery-with-your/) [Rich Burlew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-burlew/) > [What opium is instilled into all disaster? It shows formidable as we approach it, but there is at last no rough rasping friction,but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/what-opium-is-instilled-into-all-disaster-it-shows-formidable-as-we/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Never bend the rules. You bend the rules a little bit and then it's a slippery slope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-peterffy/never-bend-the-rules-you-bend-the-rules-a-little-bit-and-then-it-s-a/) [Thomas Peterffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-peterffy/) > [Any departure from fact is the first step on a slippery slope toward unbelievability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-henry-iii/any-departure-from-fact-is-the-first-step-on-a-slippery-slope-toward/) [William A. Henry III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-henry-iii/) ## More by David Joseph Cribbin > [“Sincerity is the defence of every misanthrope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/sincerity-is-the-defence-of-every-misanthrope/) [David Joseph Cribbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/) > [“I wouldn't give ten gallons of my own piss for clear sentence that gives the sense of a tree as a tree, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/i-wouldn-t-give-ten-gallons-of-my-own-piss-for-clear-sentence-that/) [David Joseph Cribbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/) > [“A poem without metaphor is a gelding; useless to nightmares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/a-poem-without-metaphor-is-a-gelding-useless-to-nightmares/) [David Joseph Cribbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/) > [“Poetry is a beacon slicer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/poetry-is-a-beacon-slicer/) [David Joseph Cribbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/) > [“I was born with my eyes turned inward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/i-was-born-with-my-eyes-turned-inward/) [David Joseph Cribbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/) > [“Being there doesn't mean I'm present. I exist only in words. I want to be transmuted fully to white page and ink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/being-there-doesn-t-mean-i-m-present-i-exist-only-in-words-i-want-to/) [David Joseph Cribbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/) [Explore all 7 David Joseph Cribbin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/) ## 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. 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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. 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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": "“Metaphor is a slippery eel, if it wasn't for its shock I'd stick to the easy catch of prose.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Joseph Cribbin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t-for-its-shock-i-d-stick-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Metaphor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t-for-its-shock-i-d-stick-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/david-joseph-cribbin-51230_metaphor_metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t_352038.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/david-joseph-cribbin-51230_metaphor_metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t_352038.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/david-joseph-cribbin-51230_metaphor_metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t_352038.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Metaphor is a slippery eel, if it wasn't for its shock I'd stick to the easy catch of prose.” — David Joseph Cribbin", "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": "David Joseph Cribbin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-cribbin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Metaphor is a slippery eel, if...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t-for-its-shock-i-d-stick-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-cribbin/metaphor-is-a-slippery-eel-if-it-wasn-t-for-its-shock-i-d-stick-to/#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 } } ] } ```