--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Besides, there was that foolish feeling…" description: "\"“Besides, there was that foolish feeling of his that reality was not solid, and that facts were only plastic toys; or, rather, that they were poisonous..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/hope-mirrlees-23151_foolish_besides-there-was-that-foolish-feeling-o_1688245.jpg" --- # Besides, there was that foolish feeling of his that… ![“Besides, there was that foolish feeling of his that reality was not solid, and that facts were only plastic toys; or, rather, that they were poisonous plants, which you need not pluck unless you choose. And, even if you do pluck them, you can always fling them from you and leave them to wither on…” quote by Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/hope-mirrlees-23151_foolish_besides-there-was-that-foolish-feeling-o_1688245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/hope-mirrlees-23151_foolish_besides-there-was-that-foolish-feeling-o_1688245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/hope-mirrlees-23151_foolish_besides-there-was-that-foolish-feeling-o_1688245.jpg) > ““Besides, there was that foolish feeling of his that reality was not solid, and that facts were only plastic toys; or, rather, that they were poisonous plants, which you need not pluck unless you choose. And, even if you do pluck them, you can always fling them from you and leave them to wither on the ground. He”” [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reality is fluid; facts can be manipulated or discarded like toys, highlighting existential uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Reality is malleable; facts are not fixed. Key Takeaway Question the solidity of perceived facts. Themes reality perception existentialism Mood introspective philosophical Type literary existential When to use this quote - creative writing - psychological analysis - philosophical debate Key Concepts philosophical skepticism subjective truth mental health Questions to Reflect On - What determines which facts we keep? - How do we balance flexibility with stability? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on fluidity may lead to nihilism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) [Foolish Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-feeling-1027634/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Poisonous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poisonous/) [Poisonous Plants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poisonous-plants-1027636/) [Toys Poisonous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toys-poisonous-1027635/) ## Related quotes > [“So why create the poisonous plants at all?” Mack queried, handing back the twig. (Sarayu answers) “Your question presumes that poison is bad; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wm-paul-young/so-why-create-the-poisonous-plants-at-all-mack-queried-handing-back/) [Wm. 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They look like giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/let-me-explain-there-are-dragons-and-then-there-are-drakons-drakons/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“All things are poison and nothing is without poison. Only the dose determines whether something is poisonous or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-owen/all-things-are-poison-and-nothing-is-without-poison-only-the-dose/) [Joanne Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-owen/) > [Even as a kid, I was a businessman. I figured out that if you plucked all the berries off my neighbor's tree and smashed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/even-as-a-kid-i-was-a-businessman-i-figured-out-that-if-you-plucked/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“There is no substance which is not a poison; all are poisonous. Only the dose determines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippus-theophrastus/there-is-no-substance-which-is-not-a-poison-all-are-poisonous-only/) [Philippus Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippus-theophrastus/) > [You know how they say the grass is always greener on the other side? It is greener, because you're not there. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/you-know-how-they-say-the-grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) ## More by Hope Mirrlees > [A house with old furniture has no need of ghosts to be haunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/a-house-with-old-furniture-has-no-need-of-ghosts-to-be-haunted/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“It was as if the future were a treacly adhesive fluid that had been spilt all over the present, so that everything he touched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/it-was-as-if-the-future-were-a-treacly-adhesive-fluid-that-had-been/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [There is not a single homely thing that, looked at from a certain angle, does not become fairy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/there-is-not-a-single-homely-thing-that-looked-at-from-a-certain/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“And there were ruined castles covered with ivy - the badge of the old order, clinging to its own; and into the ivy doves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/and-there-were-ruined-castles-covered-with-ivy-the-badge-of-the-old/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“You should regard each meeting with a friend as a sitting he is unwillingly giving you for a portrait - a portrait that, probably,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/you-should-regard-each-meeting-with-a-friend-as-a-sitting-he-is/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“Stop a minute, Ambrose!" interrupted Master Nathaniel. "I've got a sudden silly whim that we should take an oath I must have read when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/stop-a-minute-ambrose-interrupted-master-nathaniel-i-ve-got-a-sudden/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“But it is best to let sleeping facts lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/but-it-is-best-to-let-sleeping-facts-lie/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“The Written Word is a Fairy, as mocking and elusive as Willy Wisp, speaking lying words to us in a feigned voice. So let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/the-written-word-is-a-fairy-as-mocking-and-elusive-as-willy-wisp/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“...it is never safe to classify the souls of one's neighbors; one is apt, in the long run, to be proved a fool. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/it-is-never-safe-to-classify-the-souls-of-one-s-neighbors-one-is-apt/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“As Master Nathaniel jogged leisurely along his thoughts turned to the Farmer Gibberty, who many a time must have jogged along this path, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/as-master-nathaniel-jogged-leisurely-along-his-thoughts-turned-to-the/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“...it is never safe to classify the souls of one's neighbors; one is apt, in the long run, to be proved a fool. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/it-is-never-safe-to-classify-the-souls-of-one-s-neighbors-one-is-apt-2/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“It was not so much a modification of the darkness, as a sigh of relief, a slight relaxing of tension, so that one felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/it-was-not-so-much-a-modification-of-the-darkness-as-a-sigh-of-relief/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“What's the use of crying, and retching, and belching, all day long, like your lady downstairs? Life has its sad side, and we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/what-s-the-use-of-crying-and-retching-and-belching-all-day-long-like/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [“Let a thing be but a sort of punctual surprise, like the first cache of violets in March, let it be delicate, painted and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/let-a-thing-be-but-a-sort-of-punctual-surprise-like-the-first-cache/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) > [Reason I know, is only a drug, and, as such, its effects are never permanent. But, like the juice of the poppy, it often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-mirrlees/reason-i-know-is-only-a-drug-and-as-such-its-effects-are-never/) [Hope Mirrlees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) [Explore all 26 Hope Mirrlees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-mirrlees/) ## More Foolish quotes > [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [I was so foolish to ever leave your side, Searching for what was right before my eyes. 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We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [You know what they say, 'You have to work at wisdom; you have to take pains to be reasonable, but to be foolish, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-colet/you-know-what-they-say-you-have-to-work-at-wisdom-you-have-to-take/) [Louise Colet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-colet/) > [Am I foolish and insignificant or am I great? I gave all the individuals in the world cause to kneel down in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/am-i-foolish-and-insignificant-or-am-i-great-i-gave-all-the/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) [Browse all 1,867 Foolish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Besides, there was that foolish feeling of his that reality was not solid, and that facts were only plastic toys; or, rather, that they were poisonous plants, which you need not pluck unless you choose. And, even if you do pluck them, you can always fling them from you and leave them to wither on the ground. 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