--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Metaphor lives a secret life all around…" description: "\"Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute.\" — James Geary" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/james-geary-25748_about_metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around_483333.png" --- # Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about… ![“Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute.” quote by James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/james-geary-25748_about_metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around_483333.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/james-geary-25748_about_metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around_483333.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/james-geary-25748_about_metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around_483333.png) > “Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute.” [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Metaphors are pervasive, shaping thought and communication, often unnoticed. **In simple terms:** Metaphors are everywhere, influencing how we think. Key Takeaway Recognize and use metaphors consciously. Themes language perception communication Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - public speaking - writing - teaching - marketing Key Concepts cognitive framing semantic influence Questions to Reflect On - Do you notice metaphors in daily conversation? - How do metaphors affect your decisions? A Different Perspective Overreliance on metaphors can obscure literal meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute. Metaphorical thinking is essential to how we understand ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around-us-we-utter-about-six-2/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [“There are only 2 paths to happiness in life. Utter Stupidity or Exceptional Wealth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/there-are-only-2-paths-to-happiness-in-life-utter-stupidity-or/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [Metaphors hide in plain sight, and their influence is largely unconscious. We should mind our metaphors, though, because metaphors make up our minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphors-hide-in-plain-sight-and-their-influence-is-largely/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [After the first International Days of Protest in October, 1965, Senator Mansfield criticized the 'sense of utter irresponsibility' shown by the demonstrators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/after-the-first-international-days-of-protest-in-october-1965-senator/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [My definition of utter waste is a coachload of lawyers going over a cliff, with three empty seats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-hunt/my-definition-of-utter-waste-is-a-coachload-of-lawyers-going-over-a/) [Lamar Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-hunt/) > [The paleo diet is utter nonsense - it is such pseudoscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/the-paleo-diet-is-utter-nonsense-it-is-such-pseudoscience/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [It's a little difficult when something goes from being an utter obsession - a thing where your skill defines you as a person -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/it-s-a-little-difficult-when-something-goes-from-being-an-utter/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [A seventeenth-century house can be recognized by its steep roof, massive central chimney and utter porchlessness. Some of those houses have a second-story overhang,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/a-seventeenth-century-house-can-be-recognized-by-its-steep-roof/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I've always been a campaigner, ever since I was a child. It sounds like an utter clich but it's in my DNA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pearson/i-ve-always-been-a-campaigner-ever-since-i-was-a-child-it-sounds-like/) [Adam Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-pearson/) > [We have experienced an utter explosion in investigative techniques. Walk the streets, look at the cameras! They are now recognising people automatically from photos;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitfield-diffie/we-have-experienced-an-utter-explosion-in-investigative-techniques/) [Whitfield Diffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitfield-diffie/) > [The fact that an icon would even utter my name or have any idea of who I am is absolutely unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-wagner/the-fact-that-an-icon-would-even-utter-my-name-or-have-any-idea-of/) [Ashley Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-wagner/) > [Music is 10% exhilaration and 90% utter disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barrow/music-is-10-exhilaration-and-90-utter-disappointment/) [John Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barrow/) > [I've never really suffered complete and utter writer's block, really. I equate it with sex: in the beginning of my career, I was writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loudon-wainwright-iii/i-ve-never-really-suffered-complete-and-utter-writer-s-block-really-i/) [Loudon Wainwright III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loudon-wainwright-iii/) > [Being asked to play 'The Doctor' is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/being-asked-to-play-the-doctor-is-an-amazing-privilege-like-the/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More by James Geary > [A simile is just a metaphor with the scaffolding still up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/a-simile-is-just-a-metaphor-with-the-scaffolding-still-up/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [You only really discover the strength of your spine when your back is against the wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/you-only-really-discover-the-strength-of-your-spine-when-your-back-is/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [“Why must an aphorism be brief? Because only a fool gives a speech in a burning house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/why-must-an-aphorism-be-brief-because-only-a-fool-gives-a-speech-in-a/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [In the margin for error lies all our room for maneuver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/in-the-margin-for-error-lies-all-our-room-for-maneuver/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [There is no aspect of our experience not molded in some way by metaphor's almost imperceptible touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/there-is-no-aspect-of-our-experience-not-molded-in-some-way-by/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [“For life is short and the art of writing books is very, very long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/for-life-is-short-and-the-art-of-writing-books-is-very-very-long/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Heroism often results as a response to extreme events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/heroism-often-results-as-a-response-to-extreme-events/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Metaphor impinges on everything, allowing us - poets and non-poets alike - to experience and think about the world in fluid, unusual ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphor-impinges-on-everything-allowing-us-poets-and-non-poets-alike/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute. Metaphorical thinking is essential to how we understand ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around-us-we-utter-about-six-2/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [I believe aphorisms are best when first read in the wild, free from the confines of any categories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/i-believe-aphorisms-are-best-when-first-read-in-the-wild-free-from/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Aphorisms are literature's hand luggage. Light and compact, they fit easily into the overhead compartment of your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/aphorisms-are-literature-s-hand-luggage-light-and-compact-they-fit/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Sometimes, you need a door slammed in your face before you can hear opportunity knock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/sometimes-you-need-a-door-slammed-in-your-face-before-you-can-hear/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Advice is given freely because so much of it is worthless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/advice-is-given-freely-because-so-much-of-it-is-worthless/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [London always reminds me of a brain. It is similarly convoluted and circuitous. A lot of cities, especially American ones like New York and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/london-always-reminds-me-of-a-brain-it-is-similarly-convoluted-and/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Metaphor matters because it creates expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphor-matters-because-it-creates-expectations/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) [Explore all 22 James Geary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Geary" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around-us-we-utter-about-six/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around-us-we-utter-about-six/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/james-geary-25748_about_metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around_483333.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/james-geary-25748_about_metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around_483333.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/james-geary-25748_about_metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around_483333.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute.” — James Geary", "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": "James Geary", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Metaphor lives a secret life all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around-us-we-utter-about-six/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/metaphor-lives-a-secret-life-all-around-us-we-utter-about-six/#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 } } ] } ```