--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seemed to me that, somehow, the blue…" description: "\"It seemed to me that, somehow, the blue jay was trying to communicate with me. I would see him fly into the house across the way, pick up the telephone..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/jack-handey-829_blue_it-seemed-to-me-that-somehow-the-blue-ja_1925619.jpg" --- # It seemed to me that, somehow, the blue jay was trying to… ![“It seemed to me that, somehow, the blue jay was trying to communicate with me. I would see him fly into the house across the way, pick up the telephone, and dial. My phone would ring, and it would be him, but it was just this squawking and cheeping. "What?! What?!" I would yell back, but he never…” quote by Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/jack-handey-829_blue_it-seemed-to-me-that-somehow-the-blue-ja_1925619.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/jack-handey-829_blue_it-seemed-to-me-that-somehow-the-blue-ja_1925619.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/jack-handey-829_blue_it-seemed-to-me-that-somehow-the-blue-ja_1925619.jpg) > “It seemed to me that, somehow, the blue jay was trying to communicate with me. I would see him fly into the house across the way, pick up the telephone, and dial. My phone would ring, and it would be him, but it was just this squawking and cheeping. "What?! What?!" I would yell back, but he never did speak English.” [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator imagines a bird trying to send a message, highlighting how we project meaning onto random events. **In simple terms:** We often see patterns where none exist. Key Takeaway Question the stories we tell ourselves. Themes perception communication imagination Mood curious playful Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - watching nature - creative writing - mindfulness - interpreting signs Key Concepts anthropomorphism subjective reality Questions to Reflect On - What does this story reveal about your tendency to find meaning? - How might you respond differently to ambiguous signals? A Different Perspective Our brains can misinterpret random stimuli as intentional communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Blue Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-jay-1078311/) [Blue jays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-jays/) [Communicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communicate/) [Deep thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-thought/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Jay Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jay-trying-1868326/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Rings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rings/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Speak english](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-english/) [Squawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squawking-2982594/) [Squawking Cheeping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squawking-cheeping-2982593/) [Telephones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telephones/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Communicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-communicate-470639/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [“In a pine tree, A few yards away from my window sill, A brilliant blue jay is springing up and down, up and down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wright/in-a-pine-tree-a-few-yards-away-from-my-window-sill-a-brilliant-blue/) [James Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wright/) > [People think because I've got some success, I've made it, but in my eyes it's like, 'How long has Jay Z been in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole-2/people-think-because-i-ve-got-some-success-i-ve-made-it-but-in-my/) [J. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole-2/) > [“ The Blue Jay's Lullaby— Spiders and sowbugs and beetles and crickets, Slugs from the roses and ticks from the thickets, Grasshoppers, snails, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/the-blue-jay-s-lullaby-spiders-and-sowbugs-and-beetles-and-crickets/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“Oh, quit your infernal squawking!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-van-holst/oh-quit-your-infernal-squawking/) [Richard Van Holst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-van-holst/) > [“Caw! Caw, Hartley, caw!" Chase narrowed his eyes again. "Sam?" I nodded. Then crossed to the window again and called down to Sam. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-halliday/caw-caw-hartley-caw-chase-narrowed-his-eyes-again-sam-i-nodded-then/) [Gemma Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-halliday/) > [And that unusual squawking sound is actually the mating call of the the rare...oh, it's just an oboe player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-irwin/and-that-unusual-squawking-sound-is-actually-the-mating-call-of-the/) [Steve Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-irwin/) > [“Atticus said to Jem one day, "I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/atticus-said-to-jem-one-day-i-d-rather-you-shot-at-tin-cans-in-the/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Because Tavis had been the one to take the lion’s share of the heat when it turned out that Blue Jays’ spectators in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/because-tavis-had-been-the-one-to-take-the-lion-s-share-of-the-heat/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day's sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay's call, ice melting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/when-i-go-biking-i-repeat-a-mantra-of-the-day-s-sensations-bright-sun/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [It's a cliche, but true, that writing is intensely solitary and at times really lonely. I sit in one room and talk to squirrels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/it-s-a-cliche-but-true-that-writing-is-intensely-solitary-and-at/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Later than usual one summer morning in 1984, Zoyd Wheeler drifted awake in sunlight through a creeping fig that hung in the window, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/later-than-usual-one-summer-morning-in-1984-zoyd-wheeler-drifted/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [“I thought of many an autumn I had known: Seemly autumns approaching deliberately, with amplitude. I thought of wild asters, Michaelmas daisies, mushrooms, leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/i-thought-of-many-an-autumn-i-had-known-seemly-autumns-approaching/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/shoot-all-the-blue-jays-you-want-if-you-can-hit-em-but-remember-it-s/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“If we are lucky, we get to live very long and healthy lives. If we are even luckier, we will be astonished by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-halpern/if-we-are-lucky-we-get-to-live-very-long-and-healthy-lives-if-we-are/) [Sue Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-halpern/) > [I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me that I should never point it at anything in the house; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-remember-when-my-daddy-gave-me-that-gun-he-told-me-that-i-should/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More by Jack Handey > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [I think the best Thanksgiving we ever had was one where we didn't even have a turkey. Mom and Dad sat us kids down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-think-the-best-thanksgiving-we-ever-had-was-one-where-we-didn-t/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist," because you could save money on tooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/at-first-i-thought-if-i-were-superman-a-perfect-secret-identity-would/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Sometimes I wonder if I'm patriotic enough. Yes, I want to kill people, but on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-i-wonder-if-i-m-patriotic-enough-yes-i-want-to-kill-people/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [I don't understand people who say life is a mystery, because what is it they want to know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-don-t-understand-people-who-say-life-is-a-mystery-because-what-is/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [It's probably not a good idea to be chewing on a toothpick if you're talking to the president, because what if he tells a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/it-s-probably-not-a-good-idea-to-be-chewing-on-a-toothpick-if-you-re/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Probably to a shark, about the funniest thing there is is a wounded seal, trying to swim to shore, because WHERE DOES HE THINK…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/probably-to-a-shark-about-the-funniest-thing-there-is-is-a-wounded/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [I wish I lived back in the Old West days, because I'd save up my money for about twenty years so I could buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-wish-i-lived-back-in-the-old-west-days-because-i-d-save-up-my-money/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Why do there have to be rules for everything? It's gotten to the point that rules dominate just about every aspect of our lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/why-do-there-have-to-be-rules-for-everything-it-s-gotten-to-the-point/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Most people don't realize that large pieces of coral, which have been painted brown and attached to the skull by common wood screws, can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/most-people-don-t-realize-that-large-pieces-of-coral-which-have-been/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Here's a suggestion for a new animal, if some new ones get created or evolve: something that stings you, then laughs at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/here-s-a-suggestion-for-a-new-animal-if-some-new-ones-get-created-or/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [When you go ice-skating, try not to swing your arms too much, because that really annoys me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/when-you-go-ice-skating-try-not-to-swing-your-arms-too-much-because/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [When you go to a party at somebody's house, don't automatically assume that the drinks are free. Ask, and ask often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/when-you-go-to-a-party-at-somebody-s-house-don-t-automatically-assume/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [He was a cowboy, mister, and he loved the land. He loved it so much he made a woman out of dirt and married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/he-was-a-cowboy-mister-and-he-loved-the-land-he-loved-it-so-much-he/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [If you were a gladiator in olden days, I bet the inefficiency of how the gladiator fights were organized and scheduled would just drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/if-you-were-a-gladiator-in-olden-days-i-bet-the-inefficiency-of-how/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) [Explore all 358 Jack Handey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## More Blue quotes > [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Human beings should stick together. Honestly, if I see a red-haired person with blue eyes now, I say, 'Is your granny black?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/human-beings-should-stick-together-honestly-if-i-see-a-red-haired/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [The Louvre! The Louvre has me in its clutches. Every time I'm there rich blessings rain down upon me. I am coming to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-modersohn-becker/the-louvre-the-louvre-has-me-in-its-clutches-every-time-i-m-there/) [Paula Modersohn-Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-modersohn-becker/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Mother, she likes the blue material just fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/mother-she-likes-the-blue-material-just-fine/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [You know, I'm the only one in this family who has no problems, . . . And you know why? Because any time I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-i-m-the-only-one-in-this-family-who-has-no-problems-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [it'll be this kind of deep blue”she said. “The kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/it-ll-be-this-kind-of-deep-blue-she-said-the-kind-of-color-that/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [It is moonlight. Alone in the silence I ascend my stairs once more, While waves remote in pale blue starlight Crash on a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/it-is-moonlight-alone-in-the-silence-i-ascend-my-stairs-once-more/) [Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/) > [The grape Hyacinth is the favorite spring flower of my garden - but no! I though a minute ago the Scilla was! and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/the-grape-hyacinth-is-the-favorite-spring-flower-of-my-garden-but-no/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) [Browse all 3,452 Blue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It seemed to me that, somehow, the blue jay was trying to communicate with me. I would see him fly into the house across the way, pick up the telephone, and dial. My phone would ring, and it would be him, but it was just this squawking and cheeping. \"What?! 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