--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lakoff's idea is that most of our thought…" description: "\"Lakoff's idea is that most of our thought is guided by underlying conceptual mappings between two domains that share some content, that overlap in the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/don-paterson-28839_assertion_lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-though_2211363.jpg" --- # Lakoff's idea is that most of our thought is guided by… ![“Lakoff's idea is that most of our thought is guided by underlying conceptual mappings between two domains that share some content, that overlap in the sets of their attributes. ... Contrary to the assertions of Lakoff and some of the cognitive metaphor theorists, people can read through to an…” quote by Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/don-paterson-28839_assertion_lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-though_2211363.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/don-paterson-28839_assertion_lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-though_2211363.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/don-paterson-28839_assertion_lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-though_2211363.jpg) > “Lakoff's idea is that most of our thought is guided by underlying conceptual mappings between two domains that share some content, that overlap in the sets of their attributes. ... Contrary to the assertions of Lakoff and some of the cognitive metaphor theorists, people can read through to an underlying mapping, but only when the surface metaphor is new to them.” [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our thinking relies on mapping concepts from one domain onto another, shaping how we understand and communicate. **In simple terms:** Thought uses cross‑domain mappings. Key Takeaway Recognize and question hidden metaphors. Themes cognition language metaphor Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - reading comprehension - education - advertising - cross‑cultural communication Key Concepts conceptual mapping embodied cognition semantic transfer Questions to Reflect On - How do hidden metaphors shape your judgments? - Can you identify a recent metaphor you overlooked? A Different Perspective New metaphors may be missed if they seem familiar, limiting insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assertion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assertion/) [Attributes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attributes/) [Cognitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cognitive/) [Cognitive Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cognitive-metaphor-4897578/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Domain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domain/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Lakoff Cognitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lakoff-cognitive-4897575/) [Lakoff Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lakoff-idea-4897576/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Mapping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mapping/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphor Theorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor-theorists-4897579/) [Our thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-thoughts/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) [Theorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theorists/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Underlying Conceptual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underlying-conceptual-4897577/) ## Related quotes > [“A mapping of discovery should be carried out”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/a-mapping-of-discovery-should-be-carried-out/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“The System Map is like an internal family tree, though it can be drawn out in whatever format, in whatever way is easy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-t-w/the-system-map-is-like-an-internal-family-tree-though-it-can-be-drawn/) [A.T.W](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-t-w/) > [If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas... Every dollar we invested to map the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-we-want-to-make-the-best-products-we-also-have-to-invest-in-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I have to really think hard about how to structure sentences, and do more mapping when I sit down to write, so it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-have-to-really-think-hard-about-how-to-structure-sentences-and-do/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [“Personal Kanban depicts a wealth of information. It shows you: What you want. What you do. How you do it. Who you do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-benson/personal-kanban-depicts-a-wealth-of-information-it-shows-you-what-you/) [Jim Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-benson/) > [DJ culture is all about collage - sampling, splicing, dicing - everything is part of the mix, and there are no boundaries between sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-spooky/dj-culture-is-all-about-collage-sampling-splicing-dicing-everything/) [DJ Spooky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-spooky/) > [Mapping, both literal and metaphorical, has always been about our quest for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/mapping-both-literal-and-metaphorical-has-always-been-about-our-quest/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [A computer is a machine for constructing mappings from input to output.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kirby/a-computer-is-a-machine-for-constructing-mappings-from-input-to-output/) [Michael Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kirby/) > [“If you walk five blocks north from the wholefoods in Berkeley along Telegraph Avenue and then turn right at Dwight way, you'll soon come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/if-you-walk-five-blocks-north-from-the-wholefoods-in-berkeley-along/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Tonight, I propose a 21st Century Crime Bill to deploy the latest technologies and tactics to make our communities even safer. Our balanced budget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/tonight-i-propose-a-21st-century-crime-bill-to-deploy-the-latest/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Design implies a sense of mapping something out and then you follow the plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/design-implies-a-sense-of-mapping-something-out-and-then-you-follow/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [On mobile, what are the core apps? It's basically messaging, mapping and review data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/on-mobile-what-are-the-core-apps-it-s-basically-messaging-mapping-and/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [The doctors may be mapping out the war games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-doctors-may-be-mapping-out-the-war-games-but-it-is-the-nurses-who/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“In order to get to know who is in your System, each individual alter needs to complete a piece of paper in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-t-w/in-order-to-get-to-know-who-is-in-your-system-each-individual-alter/) [A.T.W](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-t-w/) > [Atari always was a technology-driven company, and we were very keen on keeping the technological edge on everything. There's a whole bunch of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/atari-always-was-a-technology-driven-company-and-we-were-very-keen-on/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) ## More by Don Paterson > [“While you spoke, it reached into the room switching off the mirrors in their frames and undeveloping your photographs; it gently drew a knife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/while-you-spoke-it-reached-into-the-room-switching-off-the-mirrors-in/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [“Fate's book, but my italics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/fate-s-book-but-my-italics/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [The poem, in a sense, is no more or less than a little machine for remembering itself ... Poetry is therefore primarily a commemorative act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/the-poem-in-a-sense-is-no-more-or-less-than-a-little-machine-for/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [“Lurking behind this connecting silence is a brooding suspicion over the extent to which the perceptual user-preferences of the human animal limit and distort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/lurking-behind-this-connecting-silence-is-a-brooding-suspicion-over/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [“forget the ink, the milk, the blood - all was washed clean with the flood we rose up from the falling waters the fallen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/forget-the-ink-the-milk-the-blood-all-was-washed-clean-with-the-flood/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [There's no fury more righteous than that of a sinner accused of the wrong sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/there-s-no-fury-more-righteous-than-that-of-a-sinner-accused-of-the/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [We could easily have evolved eyelids thick enough to keep out the light, but we still need to see the shadows fall across them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/we-could-easily-have-evolved-eyelids-thick-enough-to-keep-out-the/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [“A poetic form is essentially a codified pattern of silence. We have a little silence at the end of a line, a bigger one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/a-poetic-form-is-essentially-a-codified-pattern-of-silence-we-have-a/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [So we start with an oversignifying reader. Those texts that appear to reward this reader for this additional investment - text that we find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/so-we-start-with-an-oversignifying-reader-those-texts-that-appear-to/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [“Critics all have this idea that authors inhabit another dimensional realm, right up to their first smack in the mouth - which feels to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/critics-all-have-this-idea-that-authors-inhabit-another-dimensional/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [Imagine your shadow burning off the page / As the dear world and the dead word disengage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/imagine-your-shadow-burning-off-the-page-as-the-dear-world-and-the/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [We turn from the light to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/we-turn-from-the-light-to-see/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [No fury more righteous than that of a sinner accused of the wrong sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/no-fury-more-righteous-than-that-of-a-sinner-accused-of-the-wrong-sin/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [“I can see exactly what not to do at the moment. No doubt through the usual process of elimination I'll arrive at my favourite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/i-can-see-exactly-what-not-to-do-at-the-moment-no-doubt-through-the/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) > [Mediocre art is far worse than bad art. Bad art does not waste our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/mediocre-art-is-far-worse-than-bad-art-bad-art-does-not-waste-our-time/) [Don Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) [Explore all 19 Don Paterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/) ## More Assertion quotes > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Metaphysical assertions, however, are statements of the psyche, and are therefore psychological. Whenever the Westerner hears the word “psychological,” it always sounds to him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/metaphysical-assertions-however-are-statements-of-the-psyche-and-are/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [At length weariness succeeds to labor, and the mind lies at ease in the contemplation of her own attainments without any desire of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/at-length-weariness-succeeds-to-labor-and-the-mind-lies-at-ease-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [When on a Sunday morning we hear the old bells ring out, we ask ourselves, "Is it possible! This is done on account of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-on-a-sunday-morning-we-hear-the-old-bells-ring-out-we-ask/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Knowledge as a past fact, as something dead and done with—knowledge by the time it gets into encyclopaedias and text-books—does consist of assertion, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-g-collingwood/knowledge-as-a-past-fact-as-something-dead-and-done-with-knowledge-by/) [R. G. Collingwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-g-collingwood/) > [What causes adolescents to rebel is not the assertion of authority but the arbitrary use of power, with little explanation of the rules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/what-causes-adolescents-to-rebel-is-not-the-assertion-of-authority/) [Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/) > [Those who know that the consensus of many centuries has sanctioned the conception that the earth remains at rest in the middle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/those-who-know-that-the-consensus-of-many-centuries-has-sanctioned/) [Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/) > [Upon the profound discontent of the young in every country do I set my faith. I beg you, the young, to be discontented. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/upon-the-profound-discontent-of-the-young-in-every-country-do-i-set/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Within certain limits terminology is always arbitrary. But the definition of being-true as unveiling, making manifest, is not an arbitrary, private invention of mine;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/within-certain-limits-terminology-is-always-arbitrary-but-the/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [There is in St. Paul's definite, soul-stirring assertion of the wrath of God and the reality of the judgment at hand, a truth more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-allen/there-is-in-st-paul-s-definite-soul-stirring-assertion-of-the-wrath/) [Roland Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-allen/) > [The Japanese see self-assertion as immoral and self- sacrifice as the sensible course to take in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-kurosawa/the-japanese-see-self-assertion-as-immoral-and-self-sacrifice-as-the/) [Akira Kurosawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-kurosawa/) > [But innovation is more than a new method. It is a new view of the universe, as one of risk rather than of chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/but-innovation-is-more-than-a-new-method-it-is-a-new-view-of-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [What I need to write is a complicated equation. Maybe if I knew I'd be one of those writers, one of the steady ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-keck/what-i-need-to-write-is-a-complicated-equation-maybe-if-i-knew-i-d-be/) [Kevin Keck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-keck/) > [There needs to be a public dawning - and it is beginning to dawn on some members of the public - that how science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-d-holt-jr/there-needs-to-be-a-public-dawning-and-it-is-beginning-to-dawn-on/) [Rush D. Holt, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-d-holt-jr/) > [So long as Muslims continue looking towards Western civilization as the only force that could regenerate their own stagnant society, they destroy their self-confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-asad/so-long-as-muslims-continue-looking-towards-western-civilization-as/) [Muhammad Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-asad/) [Browse all 279 Assertion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assertion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Lakoff's idea is that most of our thought is guided by underlying conceptual mappings between two domains that share some content, that overlap in the sets of their attributes. ... Contrary to the assertions of Lakoff and some of the cognitive metaphor theorists, people can read through to an underlying mapping, but only when the surface metaphor is new to them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don Paterson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-thought-is-guided-by-underlying/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assertion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-thought-is-guided-by-underlying/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/don-paterson-28839_assertion_lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-though_2211363.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/don-paterson-28839_assertion_lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-though_2211363.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/942/don-paterson-28839_assertion_lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-though_2211363.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lakoff's idea is that most of our thought is guided by underlying conceptual mappings between two domains…” — Don Paterson", "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": "Don Paterson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-paterson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Lakoff's idea is that most of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-thought-is-guided-by-underlying/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-paterson/lakoff-s-idea-is-that-most-of-our-thought-is-guided-by-underlying/#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 } } ] } ```