--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They construct billboards out in the sea…" description: "\"“They construct billboards out in the sea, painted allegories adorn their facades, hawking sex and sentiment to the opulent, the fortunate of the peopl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/holly-walrath-79496_gods_they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea_2147190.jpg" --- # They construct billboards out in the sea, painted… ![“They construct billboards out in the sea, painted allegories adorn their facades, hawking sex and sentiment to the opulent, the fortunate of the people of fortune, who bury their dead in the sand where the light of heaven is closest at dawn, and farther and farther away at twilight.” quote by Holly Walrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/holly-walrath-79496_gods_they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea_2147190.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/holly-walrath-79496_gods_they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea_2147190.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/holly-walrath-79496_gods_they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea_2147190.jpg) > ““They construct billboards out in the sea, painted allegories adorn their facades, hawking sex and sentiment to the opulent, the fortunate of the people of fortune, who bury their dead in the sand where the light of heaven is closest at dawn, and farther and farther away at twilight.”” [Holly Walrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-walrath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Commercialism decorates reality with seductive images, while the privileged ignore deeper truths, burying meaning in fleeting pleasures. **In simple terms:** Society hides truth behind flashy ads, ignoring deeper meaning. Key Takeaway Question superficial values and seek depth. Themes consumerism illusion class perception Mood critical skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - advertising - urban life - wealth disparity Key Concepts Symbolism social critique Questions to Reflect On - What truths are hidden by modern advertising? - How does wealth affect perception of reality? A Different Perspective The metaphor may be too abstract for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allegories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allegories-440572/) [Allegories Adorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allegories-adorn-4497798/) [Billboards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billboards/) [Billboards Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billboards-sea-4497797/) [Construct Billboards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/construct-billboards-4497799/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Speculative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speculative/) ## Related quotes > [Allegories are, in the realm of thought, what ruins are in the realm of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/allegories-are-in-the-realm-of-thought-what-ruins-are-in-the-realm-of/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [“Allegories are told with a purpose whose possibility is lost Until a potato-eater appears and eats potatoes ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyn-hejinian/allegories-are-told-with-a-purpose-whose-possibility-is-lost-until-a/) [Lyn Hejinian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyn-hejinian/) > [“good writing and brilliant discourse are perpetual allegories. This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-writing-and-brilliant-discourse-are-perpetual-allegories-this/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Ambivalence and contradiction energize nearly every figure Michaelangelo carved, from the adolescent Madonna of the Stairs onward...But the four allegories atop the sarcophagi raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-scigliano/ambivalence-and-contradiction-energize-nearly-every-figure/) [Eric Scigliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-scigliano/) > [Why, ever since Adam, who has got to the meaning of this great allegory - the world? Then we pygmies must be content to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/why-ever-since-adam-who-has-got-to-the-meaning-of-this-great-allegory/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Because, as we know, almost anything can be read into any book if you are determined enough. This will be especially impressed on anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-as-we-know-almost-anything-can-be-read-into-any-book-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Moral allegories about people determined to root out wickedness in others while denying it in themselves.” “Actually,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/moral-allegories-about-people-determined-to-root-out-wickedness-in/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“I've always found allegories kind of comforting. When you encounter people named Liar and Abstinence, you might not be crazy about them, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-de-los-santos/i-ve-always-found-allegories-kind-of-comforting-when-you-encounter/) [Marisa de los Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-de-los-santos/) > [Each has its lesson; for our dreams in sooth, come they in shape of demons, gods, or elves, are allegories with deep hearts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-timrod/each-has-its-lesson-for-our-dreams-in-sooth-come-they-in-shape-of/) [Henry Timrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-timrod/) > [The writer's function is to prevent myths turning into allegories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-tournier/the-writer-s-function-is-to-prevent-myths-turning-into-allegories/) [Michel Tournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-tournier/) > [We are used to discounting the river-gods and dryads of the Greeks as poetical fancies, and even the chief figures in the classical Pantheon-Venus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/we-are-used-to-discounting-the-river-gods-and-dryads-of-the-greeks-as/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [Allegories, when well chosen, are like so many tracks of light in a discourse, that make everything about them clear and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/allegories-when-well-chosen-are-like-so-many-tracks-of-light-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The fumes of the most disordered imaginations were recorded in their religious code, as special communications of the Deity; and as it could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-fumes-of-the-most-disordered-imaginations-were-recorded-in-their/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I don't like allegories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/i-don-t-like-allegories/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [Allegories drawn to great length will always break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/allegories-drawn-to-great-length-will-always-break/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More by Holly Walrath > [“It’s amazing how much easier it is to bake a cake when you’ve got an eternity to get it right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-walrath/it-s-amazing-how-much-easier-it-is-to-bake-a-cake-when-you-ve-got-an/) [Holly Walrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-walrath/) > [“But he goes all quiet. His ghost eyes roll / up in his head, white-on-white-on-white, / and he runs his shaking hands over his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-walrath/but-he-goes-all-quiet-his-ghost-eyes-roll-up-in-his-head-white-on/) [Holly Walrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-walrath/) [Explore all 3 Holly Walrath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-walrath/) ## More Billboards quotes > [Try Jesus, you won't regret it, a billboard read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/try-jesus-you-won-t-regret-it-a-billboard-read/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [I've been on a show before where I was on a billboard and then, after like three or four weeks, they took the billboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/i-ve-been-on-a-show-before-where-i-was-on-a-billboard-and-then-after/) [Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/) > [I've come up through art school, through painting, through graphic design, through advertising, through TV commercials and music video. I've designed books, built billboards,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/i-ve-come-up-through-art-school-through-painting-through-graphic/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [Oh my God..." Xhex's heart stopped as she looked at him in the mirror. Across his upper back, in a glorious spread of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/oh-my-god-xhex-s-heart-stopped-as-she-looked-at-him-in-the-mirror/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [The sterile, arid environment created by truly jarring and discordant signage and gargantuan billboards is a turnoff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-katz/the-sterile-arid-environment-created-by-truly-jarring-and-discordant/) [Jonathan Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-katz/) > [When I was the first time for a job in New York, I saw Natalia Vodianova on an oversized billboard in Times Square on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-stone/when-i-was-the-first-time-for-a-job-in-new-york-i-saw-natalia/) [Lara Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-stone/) > [We are bored in the city, there is no longer any Temple of the Sun. Between the legs of the women walking by, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-chtcheglov/we-are-bored-in-the-city-there-is-no-longer-any-temple-of-the-sun/) [Ivan Chtcheglov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-chtcheglov/) > [I was in Shanghai recently, where Twitter is blocked, and yet there were ads and billboards across town with hashtags on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-costolo/i-was-in-shanghai-recently-where-twitter-is-blocked-and-yet-there/) [Dick Costolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-costolo/) > [I definitely consider myself extremely blessed to have great partners in endorsing products. It's not about being on billboards. I endorse something because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-tebow/i-definitely-consider-myself-extremely-blessed-to-have-great-partners/) [Tim Tebow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-tebow/) > [I think that I shall never see A billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/i-think-that-i-shall-never-see-a-billboard-lovely-as-a-tree-perhaps/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [If you're a conscious rap artist and you're worried about Billboard charts, you're gonna have a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/if-you-re-a-conscious-rap-artist-and-you-re-worried-about-billboard/) [KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/) > [In this drawing we just let our imagination run wild. We visualized Superman toys, games, and a radio show - that was before TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-shuster/in-this-drawing-we-just-let-our-imagination-run-wild-we-visualized/) [Joe Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-shuster/) > [Just being able to make exactly what I want with my brother and a lot of my best friend and to have a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-duplass/just-being-able-to-make-exactly-what-i-want-with-my-brother-and-a-lot/) [Mark Duplass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-duplass/) > [You are who God says you are. Spiritually alive. Heavenly positioned. Connected to the Father. A billboard of mercy. An honored child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/you-are-who-god-says-you-are-spiritually-alive-heavenly-positioned/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticide grain, For strip-mined mountain's majesty above the asphalt plain. America, America, man sheds his waste on thee, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/oh-beautiful-for-smoggy-skies-insecticide-grain-for-strip-mined/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) [Browse all 130 Billboards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billboards/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They construct billboards out in the sea, painted allegories adorn their facades, hawking sex and sentiment to the opulent, the fortunate of the people of fortune, who bury their dead in the sand where the light of heaven is closest at dawn, and farther and farther away at twilight.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Holly Walrath" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-walrath/they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea-painted-allegories-adorn/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Billboards" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-walrath/they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea-painted-allegories-adorn/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/holly-walrath-79496_gods_they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea_2147190.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/holly-walrath-79496_gods_they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea_2147190.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/holly-walrath-79496_gods_they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea_2147190.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They construct billboards out in the sea, painted allegories adorn their facades, hawking sex and sentiment…” — Holly Walrath", "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": "Holly Walrath", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-walrath/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They construct billboards out in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-walrath/they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea-painted-allegories-adorn/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-walrath/they-construct-billboards-out-in-the-sea-painted-allegories-adorn/#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 } } ] } ```