--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To make a mountain out of a mole-hill." description: "\"To make a mountain out of a mole-hill.\" — Havelock Ellis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/havelock-ellis-3921_hill_to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill-22_2212286.png" --- # To make a mountain out of a mole-hill. ![“To make a mountain out of a mole-hill.” quote by Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/havelock-ellis-3921_hill_to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill-22_2212286.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/havelock-ellis-3921_hill_to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill-22_2212286.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/havelock-ellis-3921_hill_to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill-22_2212286.png) > “To make a mountain out of a mole-hill.” [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Exaggerating minor issues makes them seem huge and unmanageable. **In simple terms:** Blowing things out of proportion. Key Takeaway Keep perspective on problems. Themes communication exaggeration perception Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - personal conflicts - media reporting - political rhetoric Key Concepts cognitive distortion metaphor overreaction Questions to Reflect On - When have you overreacted to a small issue? - How can you maintain perspective? A Different Perspective Not all problems are as large as they appear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hill/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Make Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-mountain-1482158/) [Mole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mole/) [Mole Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mole-hill-4814951/) [Moles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moles/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [Mountain Mole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain-mole-4903953/) ## Related quotes > [you've always been living on prospects; for my part, I'd rather have a mole-hill in possession than a mountain in prospect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/you-ve-always-been-living-on-prospects-for-my-part-i-d-rather-have-a/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [There are times when I surprise myself with the kind of patience I have shown and then there are times when I felt that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-pendse/there-are-times-when-i-surprise-myself-with-the-kind-of-patience-i/) [Neha Pendse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-pendse/) > [Eventually she came. She appeared suddenly, exactly like she'd done that day- she stepped into the sunshine, she jumped, she laughed and threw her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/eventually-she-came-she-appeared-suddenly-exactly-like-she-d-done/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I felt completely at home in Mexico - speaking Spanish to my cousins, running around Acapulco and stuffing my face with mole and homemade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-garcia/i-felt-completely-at-home-in-mexico-speaking-spanish-to-my-cousins/) [Aimee Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-garcia/) > [Edward Snowden may not be a Chinese mole, but he might as well be. He's just handed Beijing a major score, while the NSA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-l-herman/edward-snowden-may-not-be-a-chinese-mole-but-he-might-as-well-be-he-s/) [Arthur L. Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-l-herman/) > [Children are prepared for democracy by being led to discuss current events without first learning the systematic subjects (politics, economics, history) which are necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/children-are-prepared-for-democracy-by-being-led-to-discuss-current/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [I want to do another reality show. It's based on The Mole. It's about sexually transmitted diseases. It's called "God, I Hope That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-galifianakis/i-want-to-do-another-reality-show-it-s-based-on-the-mole-it-s-about/) [Zach Galifianakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-galifianakis/) > [The mole is an animal that digs passages searching for the sun. Sometimes he reaches the surface. When he looks at the sun he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/the-mole-is-an-animal-that-digs-passages-searching-for-the-sun/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [The sides are steep and the nights are long and cold down in the hole, light and love and the world above mean nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-taylor/the-sides-are-steep-and-the-nights-are-long-and-cold-down-in-the-hole/) [James Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-taylor/) > [Even if you were green and had a beard and a male appendage between your legs. Even if your eyebrows were orange and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/even-if-you-were-green-and-had-a-beard-and-a-male-appendage-between/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I also love Mole, the unsung hero of reality programming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-griffin/i-also-love-mole-the-unsung-hero-of-reality-programming/) [Kathy Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-griffin/) > [But my future is a secret. / It is as shy as a mole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/but-my-future-is-a-secret-it-is-as-shy-as-a-mole/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [The mole has very small eyes and it always lives under ground; and it lives as long as it is in the dark but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-mole-has-very-small-eyes-and-it-always-lives-under-ground-and-it/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [All but blind In his chambered hole Gropes for worms The four-clawed Mole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/all-but-blind-in-his-chambered-hole-gropes-for-worms-the-four-clawed/) [Walter de La Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [A person may be totally unimaginative and have the social vision of a mole, and we still call him a decent man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-halsey/a-person-may-be-totally-unimaginative-and-have-the-social-vision-of-a/) [Margaret Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-halsey/) ## More by Havelock Ellis > [The mother is the child's supreme parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/the-mother-is-the-child-s-supreme-parent/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [All progress in literary style lies in the heroic resolve to cast aside accretions and exuberances, all the conventions of a past age that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-progress-in-literary-style-lies-in-the-heroic-resolve-to-cast/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Dreams are real as long as they last. Can we say more of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/dreams-are-real-as-long-as-they-last-can-we-say-more-of-life/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [The immense value of becoming acquainted with a foreign language is that we are thereby led into a new world of tradition and thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/the-immense-value-of-becoming-acquainted-with-a-foreign-language-is/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Greek is the embodiment of the fluent speech that runs or soars, the speech of a people which could not help giving winged feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/greek-is-the-embodiment-of-the-fluent-speech-that-runs-or-soars-the/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Those persons who are burning to display heroism may rest assured that the course of social evolution will offer them every opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/those-persons-who-are-burning-to-display-heroism-may-rest-assured/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [All arguments are meaningless until we gain personal experience. One must win one's own place in the spiritual world painfully and alone. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-arguments-are-meaningless-until-we-gain-personal-experience-one/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [However well organised the foundations of life may be, life must always be full of risks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/however-well-organised-the-foundations-of-life-may-be-life-must/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Dancing and building are the two primary and essential arts. The art of dancing stands at the source of all the arts that expressthemselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/dancing-and-building-are-the-two-primary-and-essential-arts-the-art/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Failing to find in women exactly the same kind of sexual emotions, as they find in themselves, men have concluded that there are none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/failing-to-find-in-women-exactly-the-same-kind-of-sexual-emotions-as/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [The husband - by primitive instinct partly, certainly by ancient tradition - regards himself as the active partner in matters of love and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/the-husband-by-primitive-instinct-partly-certainly-by-ancient/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [“All civilisation has from time to time become a thin crust over a volcano of revolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-civilisation-has-from-time-to-time-become-a-thin-crust-over-a/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [For every fresh stage in our lives we need a fresh education, and there is no stage for which so little educational preparation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/for-every-fresh-stage-in-our-lives-we-need-a-fresh-education-and/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [The sexual regions constitute a particularly vulnerable spot, and remain so even in man, and the need for their protection which thus exists conflicts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/the-sexual-regions-constitute-a-particularly-vulnerable-spot-and/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Sexual pleasure, wisely used and not abused, may prove the stimulus and liberator of our finest and most exalted activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/sexual-pleasure-wisely-used-and-not-abused-may-prove-the-stimulus-and/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) [Explore all 119 Havelock Ellis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) ## More Hill quotes > [George Roy Hill, Redford, and I have been looking for a script to do together for 13 years. We haven't been able to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/george-roy-hill-redford-and-i-have-been-looking-for-a-script-to-do/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [Single-sex private schools, especially in the middle of nowhere on a bleak hill in County Durham - I don't think they make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-deacon/single-sex-private-schools-especially-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-on-a/) [Giles Deacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-deacon/) > [I keep all my clothes on in House on Haunted Hill, Mary Jane's Last Dance, and The Way of the Gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taye-diggs/i-keep-all-my-clothes-on-in-house-on-haunted-hill-mary-jane-s-last/) [Taye Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taye-diggs/) > [They'll totally hire me if I say I got fired from my job on the Hill because of a sex scandal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-cutler/they-ll-totally-hire-me-if-i-say-i-got-fired-from-my-job-on-the-hill/) [Jessica Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-cutler/) > [All the great shows owe a lot to 'Hill Street Blues.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennie-james/all-the-great-shows-owe-a-lot-to-hill-street-blues/) [Lennie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennie-james/) > [The first album I ever purchased and ever remember listening to in full length was 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doechii/the-first-album-i-ever-purchased-and-ever-remember-listening-to-in/) [Doechii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doechii/) > [It happened to me on 'King of the Hill,' where I'd left it before the end and didn't really participate in the ending, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-daniels/it-happened-to-me-on-king-of-the-hill-where-i-d-left-it-before-the/) [Greg Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-daniels/) > [When I was 16, I made some little 35mm documentaries about the poor in London. I went round Notting Hill, which was a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suchet/when-i-was-16-i-made-some-little-35mm-documentaries-about-the-poor-in/) [David Suchet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suchet/) > [I love walking down Clinton Hill's Greene Avenue. It's very neighborhoody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-devito/i-love-walking-down-clinton-hill-s-greene-avenue-it-s-very/) [Lucy DeVito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-devito/) > [According to a Public Policy Polling survey, most Americans find lice and colonoscopies more appealing than Capitol Hill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/according-to-a-public-policy-polling-survey-most-americans-find-lice/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [When I was growing up in Rock Hill, South Carolina, I was always the fastest kid around - in pickup games, in school, wherever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordarrelle-patterson/when-i-was-growing-up-in-rock-hill-south-carolina-i-was-always-the/) [Cordarrelle Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordarrelle-patterson/) > [I was still on track to go UNC at Chapel Hill, I had no plans to be a musician. It wasn't even a goal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porter-robinson/i-was-still-on-track-to-go-unc-at-chapel-hill-i-had-no-plans-to-be-a/) [Porter Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porter-robinson/) > [It's a bit of a cliche but throughout London, even in places like Notting Hill, you'll see utter luxury alongside council flats - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/it-s-a-bit-of-a-cliche-but-throughout-london-even-in-places-like/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [Hill sprints are good for everyone!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-goucher/hill-sprints-are-good-for-everyone/) [Kara Goucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-goucher/) > [I called it 'Unleash the Dragon,' but I didn't exactly unleash the dragon. I kind of held back, mainly because I felt an obligation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/i-called-it-unleash-the-dragon-but-i-didn-t-exactly-unleash-the/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) [Browse all 427 Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hill/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To make a mountain out of a mole-hill.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Havelock Ellis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hill" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/havelock-ellis-3921_hill_to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill-22_2212286.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/havelock-ellis-3921_hill_to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill-22_2212286.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/havelock-ellis-3921_hill_to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill-22_2212286.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To make a mountain out of a mole-hill.” — Havelock Ellis", "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": "Havelock Ellis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To make a mountain out of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill/#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 } } ] } ```