---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing abstruse or ambivalent about it…"
description: "\"“Nothing abstruse or ambivalent about it, not a speck of the metaphoric or the symbolic.”\" — Haruki Murakami"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/haruki-murakami-21_quote_nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it_1004516.jpg"
---

#  Nothing abstruse or ambivalent about it, not a speck of…

![“Nothing abstruse or ambivalent about it, not a speck of the metaphoric or the symbolic.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/haruki-murakami-21_quote_nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it_1004516.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/haruki-murakami-21_quote_nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it_1004516.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/haruki-murakami-21_quote_nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it_1004516.jpg)

> ““Nothing abstruse or ambivalent about it, not a speck of the metaphoric or the symbolic.””

[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.

The statement rejects hidden meanings, insisting on straightforward, literal interpretation.

**In simple terms:** It says there is no hidden symbolism.

Key Takeaway

Focus on clear, literal reading.

Themes

literature interpretation clarity

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- reading novels
- teaching literature
- writing essays
- critical analysis

Key Concepts

literalism authorial intent

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you prefer literal or symbolic reading?
- How does this view affect literary criticism?

A Different Perspective

Some readers find deeper layers rewarding despite the claim.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Abstruse Ambivalent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstruse-ambivalent-2141641/) [Ambivalent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalent/) [Metaphoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphoric/) [Metaphoric Symbolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphoric-symbolic-2141642/) [Symbolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbolic/)

## Related quotes

> [Where hunger is imposed by external circumstances, the act of starvation remains literal, a tragic biological event that does not serve metaphoric or symbolic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/where-hunger-is-imposed-by-external-circumstances-the-act-of/)

[Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/)

> [Much more than an entertaining set of exaggerated facts, fiction is a metaphoric method of describing, dramatizing and condensing historical events, personal actions, psychological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/much-more-than-an-entertaining-set-of-exaggerated-facts-fiction-is-a/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [There are symbolic dreams-- dreams that symbolize some reality. Then there are symbolic realities -- realities that symbolize a dream. Symbols are what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-are-symbolic-dreams-dreams-that-symbolize-some-reality-then-2/)

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

> [“The darkness surrounding can envelop one,but if you light only one match, you have defeated it all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-m-r-ph-l/the-darkness-surrounding-can-envelop-one-but-if-you-light-only-one/)

[M.I.M. Răphæl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-i-m-r-ph-l/)

> [Metaphors are dangerous. Love begins with a metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/metaphors-are-dangerous-love-begins-with-a-metaphor/)

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

> [I was in the studio so much, it was about the search for air in a metaphoric sense, and the breathing has more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keren-ann/i-was-in-the-studio-so-much-it-was-about-the-search-for-air-in-a/)

[Keren Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keren-ann/)

> [Thought is metaphoric, and proceeds by comparison, and the metaphors of language derive therefrom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-a-richards/thought-is-metaphoric-and-proceeds-by-comparison-and-the-metaphors-of/)

[I. A. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-a-richards/)

> [Alan Moore does have a sheen of class. He's a smart guy, and I'm sure there was a metaphoric level, I'm not denying that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-brown/alan-moore-does-have-a-sheen-of-class-he-s-a-smart-guy-and-i-m-sure/)

[Chester Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-brown/)

> [Literature is conscious mythology: as society develops, its mythical stories become structural principles of story-telling, its mythical concepts, sun-gods and the like, become habits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/literature-is-conscious-mythology-as-society-develops-its-mythical/)

[Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/)

> [“You might be surrounded in a room of utter darkness, but if you light only one match, all the darkness is defeated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-ivezic/you-might-be-surrounded-in-a-room-of-utter-darkness-but-if-you-light/)

[Michelle Ivezic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-ivezic/)

> [A poem in form still has to have voice, gesture, a sense of discovery, a metaphoric connection, as any poetry does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/a-poem-in-form-still-has-to-have-voice-gesture-a-sense-of-discovery-a/)

[Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/)

> [What this means is that children, homemakers, executives, farmers, and long-living persons can all have high ego strength and good mental health if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-samples/what-this-means-is-that-children-homemakers-executives-farmers-and/)

[Bob Samples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-samples/)

> [Journeys up the Metaphoric River are hugely enjoyable and highly recommended. Since every genre is nourished by its heady waters, a paddle steamer can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/journeys-up-the-metaphoric-river-are-hugely-enjoyable-and-highly/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [Our job as writers and thinkers in the time is how to bring about the occasions that let people have that first-person experience -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/our-job-as-writers-and-thinkers-in-the-time-is-how-to-bring-about-the/)

[Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/)

> [But, like all metaphoric wars, the copyright wars are not actual conflicts of survival. Or at least, they are not conflicts for survival of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/but-like-all-metaphoric-wars-the-copyright-wars-are-not-actual/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

## 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 Ambivalent quotes

> [“I find it ironic that someone so ambivalent about living fights so hard to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/i-find-it-ironic-that-someone-so-ambivalent-about-living-fights-so/)

[Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/)

> [Americans have always had an ambivalent attitude toward intelligence. When they feel threatened, they want a lot of it, and when they don't, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-a-walters/americans-have-always-had-an-ambivalent-attitude-toward-intelligence/)

[Vernon A. Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-a-walters/)

> [When you 'make good,' you find out who your real friends are. You find out pretty quick. And it's a very ambivalent feeling, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-camp/when-you-make-good-you-find-out-who-your-real-friends-are-you-find/)

[Greg Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-camp/)

> [There is scarcely room for doubt that something in the psychological relation of a mother-in-law to a son-in-law breeds hostility between them and makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/there-is-scarcely-room-for-doubt-that-something-in-the-psychological/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [The attitude of the American public toward the external projection of American power has been much more ambivalent. The public supported America's engagement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-attitude-of-the-american-public-toward-the-external-projection-of/)

[Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/)

> [Gollum was so interesting to me because he's morally ambivalent, and I love the notion of a quest that is to lose something. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/gollum-was-so-interesting-to-me-because-he-s-morally-ambivalent-and-i/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [The American public is somewhat ambivalent about what they expect out of thenational forest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-regula/the-american-public-is-somewhat-ambivalent-about-what-they-expect-out/)

[Ralph Regula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-regula/)

> [What does it mean then to live with one another? It can be unhappy, it can be wretched, it can be ambivalent, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/what-does-it-mean-then-to-live-with-one-another-it-can-be-unhappy-it/)

[Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/)

> [“The unconscious operation of the attachment system via internal working models probably plays an important part in the choice of marital partner and relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-holmes/the-unconscious-operation-of-the-attachment-system-via-internal/)

[Jeremy Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-holmes/)

> [I'd like to see a much more open Monarchy, myself. I used to think they were completely useless and we should get rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-d-like-to-see-a-much-more-open-monarchy-myself-i-used-to-think-they/)

[Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/)

> [The more ambivalent you are and the more uncertain you are, then you can get something that you cannot anticipate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-more-ambivalent-you-are-and-the-more-uncertain-you-are-then-you/)

[Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/)

> [We all parent the best we can. Being human, we're ambivalent. We want perfection for our babies, but we also need sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/we-all-parent-the-best-we-can-being-human-we-re-ambivalent-we-want/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [It's time to "stop being ambivalent." ... They (groups like the Islamic State) have no ideology beyond violence and chaos and the slaughter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-time-to-stop-being-ambivalent-they-groups-like-the-islamic-state/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [We all have ambivalent feelings toward work ... We try to avoid it, and yet we seem to require it for our emotional well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/we-all-have-ambivalent-feelings-toward-work-we-try-to-avoid-it-and/)

[Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/)

> [I worked with fantastic actors, fantastic directors. People I would never otherwise have met. Was I limited? Yes. Did I use it as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-golino/i-worked-with-fantastic-actors-fantastic-directors-people-i-would/)

[Valeria Golino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-golino/)

[Browse all 89 Ambivalent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalent/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Nothing abstruse or ambivalent about it, not a speck of the metaphoric or the symbolic.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it-not-a-speck-of-the-metaphoric/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ambivalent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it-not-a-speck-of-the-metaphoric/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/haruki-murakami-21_quote_nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it_1004516.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/haruki-murakami-21_quote_nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it_1004516.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/haruki-murakami-21_quote_nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it_1004516.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothing abstruse or ambivalent about it, not a speck of the metaphoric or the symbolic.” — 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": "“Nothing abstruse or ambivalent about it,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it-not-a-speck-of-the-metaphoric/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/nothing-abstruse-or-ambivalent-about-it-not-a-speck-of-the-metaphoric/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
