---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing on the wall: Will trade three…"
description: "\"Writing on the wall: Will trade three blind crabs for two with no teeth.\" — Edward Abbey"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/edward-abbey-254_blind_writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-bli_2262024.png"
---

#  Writing on the wall: Will trade three blind crabs for two…

![“Writing on the wall: Will trade three blind crabs for two with no teeth.” quote by Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/edward-abbey-254_blind_writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-bli_2262024.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/edward-abbey-254_blind_writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-bli_2262024.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/edward-abbey-254_blind_writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-bli_2262024.png)

> “Writing on the wall: Will trade three blind crabs for two with no teeth.”

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

## About This Quote

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

Exchanging absurd, useless things reveals the absurdity of materialism and the value of practicality.

**In simple terms:** Trading nonsense for useful items.

Key Takeaway

Seek practicality over novelty.

Themes

materialism absurdity pragmatism

Mood

reflective lighthearted

Type

satirical philosophical

When to use this quote

- budgeting
- resource management
- minimalist lifestyle

Key Concepts

economics philosophy humor

Questions to Reflect On

- What truly useful items do you need?
- How do you decide what to discard?

A Different Perspective

May overlook emotional value of objects.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing on the wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-on-the-wall/)

## Related quotes

> [Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-of-us-can-read-the-writing-on-the-wall-we-just-assume-it-s/)

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

> [Maybe I should have seen the signs. I should have read the writing on the wall and realized by the distance in your eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-i-should-have-seen-the-signs-i-should-have-read-the-writing-on/)

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

> [Humans are not as unsophisticated as mulch wrigglers, they can see the writing on the wall. Is it any surprise, that among the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/humans-are-not-as-unsophisticated-as-mulch-wrigglers-they-can-see-the/)

[Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/)

> [No no there wasn't any planned 14th season, we all saw the writing on the wall. The ratings had been going down and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hagman/no-no-there-wasn-t-any-planned-14th-season-we-all-saw-the-writing-on/)

[Larry Hagman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hagman/)

> [A lot of people will tell you the first step to starting something new is to have an idea. But to me the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-rottenberg/a-lot-of-people-will-tell-you-the-first-step-to-starting-something/)

[Linda Rottenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-rottenberg/)

> [“He was a scholar, so goddamned intelligent he couldn’t see the writing on the wall. He wanted answers to life’s tragedies when their very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skye-warren/he-was-a-scholar-so-goddamned-intelligent-he-couldn-t-see-the-writing/)

[Skye Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skye-warren/)

> [“What are you thinking? She smiled. I think you can figure it out. You can read the writing on the wall. And as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/what-are-you-thinking-she-smiled-i-think-you-can-figure-it-out-you/)

[Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/)

> [The parody is the last refuge of the frustrated writer. Parodies are what you write when you are associate editor of the Harvard Lampoon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-parody-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-frustrated-writer-parodies-are/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [I think the writing on the wall is definitely there this year that this is probably our last year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/i-think-the-writing-on-the-wall-is-definitely-there-this-year-that/)

[Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/)

> [It is also a warning. It is a warning that, if nobody reads the writing on the wall, man will be reduced to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/it-is-also-a-warning-it-is-a-warning-that-if-nobody-reads-the-writing/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“The Bible tells the story of the Hebrew prophet Daniel, who was able to read mysterious words that appeared on the wall of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-clarke/the-bible-tells-the-story-of-the-hebrew-prophet-daniel-who-was-able/)

[Richard A. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-clarke/)

> [“Dear Daniel, How do you break up with your boyfriend in a way that tells him, "I don't want to sleep with you on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/dear-daniel-how-do-you-break-up-with-your-boyfriend-in-a-way-that/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“She leaned into my shoulder. "Maybe you don't have to be a Caster to have power." I pushed her hair behind her ear. "Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia-margaret-stohl/she-leaned-into-my-shoulder-maybe-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-caster-to/)

[Kami Garcia &amp; Margaret Stohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia-margaret-stohl/)

> [I wish it had been something as sexy as the old Joey Tribbiani, falling-down-an-elevator shaft. But no. It just faded out. I wasn't related…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-sears/i-wish-it-had-been-something-as-sexy-as-the-old-joey-tribbiani/)

[Teddy Sears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-sears/)

> [“I could see the writing on the wall. It wasn’t the ’90s. It wasn’t even the Pacific Northwest anymore. Something had come and swept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-krilanovich/i-could-see-the-writing-on-the-wall-it-wasn-t-the-90s-it-wasn-t-even/)

[Grace Krilanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-krilanovich/)

## More by Edward Abbey

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Except for the scale of the operation, there was nothing unusual about Hitler's massacre of the Jews. Genocide's an old tradition, as human as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/except-for-the-scale-of-the-operation-there-was-nothing-unusual-about/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [By the age of eighteen, a human has acquired enough joy and heartache to provide the food of reflection for a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/by-the-age-of-eighteen-a-human-has-acquired-enough-joy-and-heartache/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“Our institutions are too big; they represent not the best but the worst characteristics of human beings. By submitting to huge hierarchies of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/our-institutions-are-too-big-they-represent-not-the-best-but-the/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Where all pretend to be thinking alike, it's likely that no one is thinking at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/where-all-pretend-to-be-thinking-alike-it-s-likely-that-no-one-is/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Nobody has so many friends that he can afford to lose one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/nobody-has-so-many-friends-that-he-can-afford-to-lose-one/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“But why, the questioner insists, why do people like you pretend to love uninhabited country so much? Why this cult of wilderness? Why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/but-why-the-questioner-insists-why-do-people-like-you-pretend-to-love/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Civilization is a youth with a molotov cocktail in his hand. Culture is the Soviet tank or L.A. cop that guns him down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/civilization-is-a-youth-with-a-molotov-cocktail-in-his-hand-culture/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [All revolutions have failed? Perhaps. But rebellion for good cause is self- justifying -- a good in itself. Rebellion transforms slaves into human beings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/all-revolutions-have-failed-perhaps-but-rebellion-for-good-cause-is/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“Me, I'm living under a sword too, as Jack may have told you. An old wino's disease, which could lay me in the grave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/me-i-m-living-under-a-sword-too-as-jack-may-have-told-you-an-old-wino/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“Look here, I want to say, for godsake folks get out of them there machines, take off those fucking sunglasses and unpeel both eyeballs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/look-here-i-want-to-say-for-godsake-folks-get-out-of-them-there/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Reason has seldom failed us because it has seldom been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/reason-has-seldom-failed-us-because-it-has-seldom-been-tried/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“What is the essence of the art of writing? Part One: Have something to say. Part Two: Say it well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/what-is-the-essence-of-the-art-of-writing-part-one-have-something-to/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

[Explore all 807 Edward Abbey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

## More Blind quotes

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [Love is so blind, it feels right when it's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/love-is-so-blind-it-feels-right-when-it-s-wrong/)

[Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/)

> [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/)

[Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/)

> [“What I shall feel to-morrow I cannot tell. Maybe I shall go blind again, for women are never two days alike in their minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-parker/what-i-shall-feel-to-morrow-i-cannot-tell-maybe-i-shall-go-blind/)

[Gilbert Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-parker/)

> [Now the stage today is to know that Self Realization gives you experiences and then your faith is established. Not blind but open enlightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/now-the-stage-today-is-to-know-that-self-realization-gives-you/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“The heart’s blind. It’s the head that causes all the trouble. Sometimes both are stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-bromberg/the-heart-s-blind-it-s-the-head-that-causes-all-the-trouble-sometimes/)

[K. Bromberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-bromberg/)

> [“In the story of the blind men and the elephant, what’s usually ignored is the fact that each man’s description was correct. What Faye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/in-the-story-of-the-blind-men-and-the-elephant-what-s-usually-ignored/)

[Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/)

> [My favorite performance would definitely be "Toxic," which was my blind audition song. It was the start of it all and it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/my-favorite-performance-would-definitely-be-toxic-which-was-my-blind/)

[Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/)

> [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [If you are the master be sometimes blind, if you are the servant be sometimes deaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/if-you-are-the-master-be-sometimes-blind-if-you-are-the-servant-be/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [I'm glad I'm blind and can't see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/i-m-glad-i-m-blind-and-can-t-see-it/)

[Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/)

> [Shut your eyes and you will know what I mean by thought entombed in darkness. Light comes through the senses, and not only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/shut-your-eyes-and-you-will-know-what-i-mean-by-thought-entombed-in/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

[Browse all 3,877 Blind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Writing on the wall: Will trade three blind crabs for two with no teeth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Abbey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-blind-crabs-for-two-with-no-teeth/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blind"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-blind-crabs-for-two-with-no-teeth/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/edward-abbey-254_blind_writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-bli_2262024.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/edward-abbey-254_blind_writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-bli_2262024.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/edward-abbey-254_blind_writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-bli_2262024.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Writing on the wall: Will trade three blind crabs for two with no teeth.” — Edward Abbey",
                "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": "Edward Abbey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Writing on the wall: Will trade...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-blind-crabs-for-two-with-no-teeth/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/writing-on-the-wall-will-trade-three-blind-crabs-for-two-with-no-teeth/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
