---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [But] we accept irony through a device…"
description: "\"[But] we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings.\" — Haruki Murakami"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-cal_949915.jpg"
---

#  \[But\] we accept irony through a device called metaphor…

![“&#91;But&#93; we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-cal_949915.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-cal_949915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-cal_949915.jpg)

> “\[But\] we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings.”

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

## About This Quote

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

Metaphor lets us see reality from a new angle, deepening empathy and self‑understanding.

**In simple terms:** Metaphor deepens our humanity.

Key Takeaway

Use metaphor to explore complex feelings.

Themes

creativity empathy self‑growth

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- therapy sessions
- education
- public speaking

Key Concepts

literary devices psychology cognitive framing

Questions to Reflect On

- How does metaphor change your perception of a problem?
- When might literal language be better?

A Different Perspective

Metaphor can obscure facts if overused.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accept Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accept-irony-1685853/) [Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Called Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-metaphor-1685855/) [Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) [Devices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devices/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony/) [Irony Device](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony-device-1685856/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphor Grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor-grow-1685854/) [Protagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protagonists/)

## Related quotes

> [“Everything in life is metaphor… We accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings. Irony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/everything-in-life-is-metaphor-we-accept-irony-through-a-device/)

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

> [“But irony deepens a person, helps them mature. It's the entrance to salvation on a higher plane, to a place where you can find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-irony-deepens-a-person-helps-them-mature-it-s-the-entrance-to/)

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

> [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/)

> [It may sound very strange, but I love the freedom that writing a novel gives me. It is an unhindered experience. If I come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-may-sound-very-strange-but-i-love-the-freedom-that-writing-a-novel/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [There is a social contract in "Fight Club" and in "Choke" where the protagonist has deceived a whole bunch of people. In "Choke" it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/there-is-a-social-contract-in-fight-club-and-in-choke-where-the/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [Terry Farish seems to breathe the reader into the emotional spaces of war, exile, and refugee life. The Good Braider is a delicate stunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uma-krishnaswami/terry-farish-seems-to-breathe-the-reader-into-the-emotional-spaces-of/)

[Uma Krishnaswami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uma-krishnaswami/)

> [Crime is a very hard genre to feminise. If you have a female protagonist she is going to be looking after her mum when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-mina/crime-is-a-very-hard-genre-to-feminise-if-you-have-a-female/)

[Denise Mina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-mina/)

> [You look like a protagonist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/you-look-like-a-protagonist/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [I always find something in common with my protagonist, particularly when I write in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-always-find-something-in-common-with-my-protagonist-particularly/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [This act of empathy, that women go through from the time we're little girls - we read all of literature, all of history, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/this-act-of-empathy-that-women-go-through-from-the-time-we-re-little/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [Mindi Scott has a real talent for getting inside her protagonist's head. She sketches out Coley's story in grand swathes, and then paints in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/mindi-scott-has-a-real-talent-for-getting-inside-her-protagonist-s/)

[Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/)

> [We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-knew-the-syrian-situation-was-complex-and-there-were-lots-of/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [We tend to think of orphans as being the protagonist of stories we read when we're kids, and yet here you are: you're an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/we-tend-to-think-of-orphans-as-being-the-protagonist-of-stories-we/)

[Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/)

> [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/)

[Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

[Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/)

## More by Haruki Murakami

> [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/)

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

> [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/)

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

> [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/)

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

> [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/)

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

> [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/)

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

> [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/)

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

> [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/)

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

> [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/)

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

> [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/)

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

> [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

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

> [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/)

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

> [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/)

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

> [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/)

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

> [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/)

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

> [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/)

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

[Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More Accepting quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/)

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

> [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/)

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

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/)

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

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/)

[Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/)

[Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "[But] we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human beings.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-called-metaphor-and-through-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-called-metaphor-and-through-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-cal_949915.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-cal_949915.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/haruki-murakami-21_accepting_but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-cal_949915.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“[But] we accept irony through a device called metaphor. And through that we grow and become deeper human…” — Haruki Murakami",
                "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": "Haruki Murakami",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "[But] we accept irony through a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-called-metaphor-and-through-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-we-accept-irony-through-a-device-called-metaphor-and-through-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
