--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man, the creature who knows he must die…" description: "\"Man, the creature who knows he must die, who has dreams larger than his destiny, who is forever working a confidence trick on himself, needs an ally. M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/j-b-priestley-9291_allies_man-the-creature-who-knows-he-must-die-w_675727.png" --- # Man, the creature who knows he must die, who has dreams… ![“Man, the creature who knows he must die, who has dreams larger than his destiny, who is forever working a confidence trick on himself, needs an ally. Mine has been tobacco.” quote by J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/j-b-priestley-9291_allies_man-the-creature-who-knows-he-must-die-w_675727.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/j-b-priestley-9291_allies_man-the-creature-who-knows-he-must-die-w_675727.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/j-b-priestley-9291_allies_man-the-creature-who-knows-he-must-die-w_675727.png) > “Man, the creature who knows he must die, who has dreams larger than his destiny, who is forever working a confidence trick on himself, needs an ally. Mine has been tobacco.” [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing mortality while dreaming beyond limits creates inner conflict; seeking solace in habits like tobacco. **In simple terms:** Dreams clash with fate, leading to coping habits. Key Takeaway Recognize and address self‑deception. Themes mortality ambition self‑deception Mood introspective cautionary Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career pressure - creative pursuits - health crises Key Concepts existentialism psychology addiction Questions to Reflect On - What “ally” do you rely on? - How can you replace harmful coping? A Different Perspective Habits may worsen distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allies/) [Cigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigar/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoking/) ## Related quotes > [The Western world needs to ally themselves against the evil that is political Islam. To unite with its practitioners would be to unite with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/the-western-world-needs-to-ally-themselves-against-the-evil-that-is/) [Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/) > [May your dreams be larger than mountains and may you have the courage to scale their summits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-king/may-your-dreams-be-larger-than-mountains-and-may-you-have-the-courage/) [Harley King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-king/) > [Tobacco is the passion of honest men and he who lives without tobacco is not worthy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/tobacco-is-the-passion-of-honest-men-and-he-who-lives-without-tobacco/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Some sigh for this and that; My wishes don't go far; The world may wag at will, So I have my cigar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hood/some-sigh-for-this-and-that-my-wishes-don-t-go-far-the-world-may-wag/) [Thomas Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hood/) > [Divine in hookas, glorious in a pipe When tipp'd with amber, mellow, rich, and ripe;... Yet thy true lovers more admire by far Thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/divine-in-hookas-glorious-in-a-pipe-when-tipp-d-with-amber-mellow/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [A cigar has "...a fire at one end and a fool at the other."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-greeley/a-cigar-has-a-fire-at-one-end-and-a-fool-at-the-other/) [Horace Greeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-greeley/) > [If you can't send money, send tobacco.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/if-you-can-t-send-money-send-tobacco/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I have to laugh when I think of the first cigar, because it was probably just a bunch of rolled-up tobacco leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-have-to-laugh-when-i-think-of-the-first-cigar-because-it-was/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [What smells so? Has somebody been burning a Rag, or is there a Dead Mule in the Back yard? No, the Man is Smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-field/what-smells-so-has-somebody-been-burning-a-rag-or-is-there-a-dead/) [Eugene Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-field/) > [Yes, social friend, I love thee well, In learned doctor's spite; Thy clouds all other clouds dispel And lap me in delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sprague-sargent/yes-social-friend-i-love-thee-well-in-learned-doctor-s-spite-thy/) Charles Sprague Sargent > [Sublime tobacco! which from east to west, Cheers the tar's labour or the Turkman's rest; Which on the Moslem's ottoman divides His hours, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/sublime-tobacco-which-from-east-to-west-cheers-the-tar-s-labour-or/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [More than one cigar at a time is excessive smoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/more-than-one-cigar-at-a-time-is-excessive-smoking/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The difference between a man and his valet: they both smoke the same cigars, but only one pays for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-difference-between-a-man-and-his-valet-they-both-smoke-the-same/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [I have made it a rule never to smoke more than one cigar at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-made-it-a-rule-never-to-smoke-more-than-one-cigar-at-a-time/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Hey, I stopped smoking cigarettes. Isn't that something? I'm on to cigars now. I'm on to a five-year plan. I eliminated cigarettes, then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-candy/hey-i-stopped-smoking-cigarettes-isn-t-that-something-i-m-on-to/) [John Candy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-candy/) ## More by J. B. Priestley > [In a world shaped and colored more and more by politicians, the nations meet politically, and hardly any other way to settle their differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/in-a-world-shaped-and-colored-more-and-more-by-politicians-the/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [Many a man is praised for his reserve and so-called shyness when he is simply too proud to risk making a fool of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/many-a-man-is-praised-for-his-reserve-and-so-called-shyness-when-he/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [To make the most of Christmas, focus on Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/to-make-the-most-of-christmas-focus-on-christ/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [A novelist who writes nothing for 10 years finds his reputation rising. Because I keep on producing books they say there must be something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/a-novelist-who-writes-nothing-for-10-years-finds-his-reputation/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [To show a child what once delighted you, to find the child's delight added to your own - this is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/to-show-a-child-what-once-delighted-you-to-find-the-child-s-delight/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/the-first-fall-of-snow-is-not-only-an-event-it-is-a-magical-event-you/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [I fancy that the Hell of Too Many People would occupy a respectable place in the hierarchy of infernal regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/i-fancy-that-the-hell-of-too-many-people-would-occupy-a-respectable/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [It is good fiction, so largely ignored now, that brings us so much closer to the real facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/it-is-good-fiction-so-largely-ignored-now-that-brings-us-so-much/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/i-have-always-been-delighted-at-the-prospect-of-a-new-day-a-fresh-try/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [Perhaps it would be better not to be a writer, but if you must, then write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/perhaps-it-would-be-better-not-to-be-a-writer-but-if-you-must-then/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [What a grand, higgledy-piggledy, sensible old place Norwich is!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/what-a-grand-higgledy-piggledy-sensible-old-place-norwich-is/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [There are plenty of clever young writers. But there is too much genius, not enough talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/there-are-plenty-of-clever-young-writers-but-there-is-too-much-genius/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [If you are a genius, you'll make your own rules, but if not - and the odds are against it - go to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/if-you-are-a-genius-you-ll-make-your-own-rules-but-if-not-and-the/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [But some of us are beginning to pull well away, in our irritation, from...the exquisite tasters, the vintage snobs, the three-star Michelin gourmets. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/but-some-of-us-are-beginning-to-pull-well-away-in-our-irritation-from/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [Much of writing might be described as mental pregnancy with successive difficult deliveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/much-of-writing-might-be-described-as-mental-pregnancy-with/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) [Explore all 73 J. B. Priestley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) ## More Allies quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/) Joseph Joffre > [As far as Japan is concerned, I want to help all of our allies, but we are losing billions and billions of dollars. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-far-as-japan-is-concerned-i-want-to-help-all-of-our-allies-but-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What would your life be like if your body were your friend and ally?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/what-would-your-life-be-like-if-your-body-were-your-friend-and-ally/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) > [“Bacteria and viruses were the most effective allies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-hughes-galeano/bacteria-and-viruses-were-the-most-effective-allies/) [Eduardo Hughes Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-hughes-galeano/) > [When black women are down with you and in your corner, you have an ally that will move Heaven and Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/when-black-women-are-down-with-you-and-in-your-corner-you-have-an/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [There is an irreplaceable ally. It's called the United States of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/there-is-an-irreplaceable-ally-it-s-called-the-united-states-of/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [It would have been easier to fight alone with inadequate forces than to have to accept...responsibility for our ally's lack of fighting qualities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kesselring/it-would-have-been-easier-to-fight-alone-with-inadequate-forces-than/) [Albert Kesselring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kesselring/) > [It isn't until you begin to fight in your own cause that you become really committed to winning and become a genuine ally of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/it-isn-t-until-you-begin-to-fight-in-your-own-cause-that-you-become/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [ Again, I hear almost everyday from atheists who write off religion as primitive, premodern nonsense. I summon Aquinas, Augustine, Paul \[of Tarsus\], Teresa of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/again-i-hear-almost-everyday-from-atheists-who-write-off-religion-as/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [My own take on the word "transgender" is that it's an umbrella term for anyone who breaks any rules, laws, guidelines or protocol of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bornstein/my-own-take-on-the-word-transgender-is-that-it-s-an-umbrella-term-for/) [Kate Bornstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bornstein/) [Browse all 1,053 Allies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Man, the creature who knows he must die, who has dreams larger than his destiny, who is forever working a confidence trick on himself, needs an ally. Mine has been tobacco.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J. B. 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