--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as I was thinking I would never find…" description: "\"“Just as I was thinking I would never find my animus, I caught sight of my shadow and laughed out loud. I'd thrown myself onto the floor in frustration..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/jane-prowse-57654_cat_just-as-i-was-thinking-i-would-never-fin_2723697.jpg" --- # Just as I was thinking I would never find my animus, I… ![“Just as I was thinking I would never find my animus, I caught sight of my shadow and laughed out loud. I'd thrown myself onto the floor in frustration - my head resting on one arm and waving the other to cool myself down. There on the wall was the perfectly formed shadow of a cat, curled up - with…” quote by Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/jane-prowse-57654_cat_just-as-i-was-thinking-i-would-never-fin_2723697.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/jane-prowse-57654_cat_just-as-i-was-thinking-i-would-never-fin_2723697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a58/jane-prowse-57654_cat_just-as-i-was-thinking-i-would-never-fin_2723697.jpg) > ““Just as I was thinking I would never find my animus, I caught sight of my shadow and laughed out loud. I'd thrown myself onto the floor in frustration - my head resting on one arm and waving the other to cool myself down. There on the wall was the perfectly formed shadow of a cat, curled up - with a swishing tail! ...I even heard myself purr!”” [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A frustrated moment turns humorous when a cat's shadow appears, prompting self‑laugh and purring. **In simple terms:** Frustration can become joy through unexpected humor. Key Takeaway Find humor in setbacks. Themes humor frustration self‑reflection Mood lighthearted playful Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - stress relief - personal growth - mindful pause Key Concepts Narrative therapy mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your laughter in tension? - How can you use humor to defuse stress? A Different Perspective Humor may mask underlying issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animus Caught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animus-caught-2901578/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Heard Purr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard-purr-1625905/) [Ninja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ninja/) [Shadow Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow-cat-2901577/) [Shadow Laughed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow-laughed-2901576/) [Thinking Animus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-animus-2901579/) ## Related quotes > [“The room flashed brighter still and then gasps filled the room. They were all gathered around Roxy and she was unsure why. She didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-turner/the-room-flashed-brighter-still-and-then-gasps-filled-the-room-they/) [Amanda Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-turner/) > [“When all else fails, when you hit a brick wall, let the enemy reveal themselves by giving them what they're looking for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/when-all-else-fails-when-you-hit-a-brick-wall-let-the-enemy-reveal/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [“Anything can be a weapon in imaginative hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/anything-can-be-a-weapon-in-imaginative-hands/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [“What’s an “Animus”?’ asked Mad Dog. Literally, it means “animating spirit” – that’s the essence of your core being, the spirit that defines you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/what-s-an-animus-asked-mad-dog-literally-it-means-animating-spirit/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [“Think about Praying Mantis. The deadliest ninja predator. Why isn't his animus a lion or a polar bear - two of the most successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/think-about-praying-mantis-the-deadliest-ninja-predator-why-isn-t-his/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [Got to keep thatin mind. I'm a ninja now... I swore I'd never freeze up or run away again... AND I WON'T...!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masashi-kishimoto/got-to-keep-thatin-mind-i-m-a-ninja-now-i-swore-i-d-never-freeze-up/) [Masashi Kishimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masashi-kishimoto/) > [I have a very broad demographic, from the 8-year-old who knows every word to 'Ice Ice Baby' and the college kid who grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanilla-ice/i-have-a-very-broad-demographic-from-the-8-year-old-who-knows-every/) [Vanilla Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanilla-ice/) > [P.S. You'll have to meet with Dan's principal when you get back. He got in trouble for doing ninja moves in class. Don't worry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/p-s-you-ll-have-to-meet-with-dan-s-principal-when-you-get-back-he-got/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [No ninjas! How was that possible? Five daughters brought up at home without any ninjas! I never heard of such a thing. Your mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/no-ninjas-how-was-that-possible-five-daughters-brought-up-at-home/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [Rabbits are played. Nowadays it's all about the turtles. Tell them it's a ninja, they'll freak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/rabbits-are-played-nowadays-it-s-all-about-the-turtles-tell-them-it-s/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [So I think we need to set up an 'American Ninja Warrior' obstacle course at the border and whoever can make it - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kennedy-montgomery/so-i-think-we-need-to-set-up-an-american-ninja-warrior-obstacle/) [Lisa Kennedy Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kennedy-montgomery/) > [I remember thinking all TV was black and white, but that was because we had a really old, broken TV. And then I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-rose/i-remember-thinking-all-tv-was-black-and-white-but-that-was-because/) [Ruby Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-rose/) > [My favorite superheroes when I was younger were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and they still are. Simply because they rule and you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reeves/my-favorite-superheroes-when-i-was-younger-were-the-teenage-mutant/) [Jason Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reeves/) > [Maybe Park had paralyzed her with his ninja magic, his Vulcan handhold, and now he was going to eat her. That would be awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/maybe-park-had-paralyzed-her-with-his-ninja-magic-his-vulcan-handhold/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [Yee haw! Ninja cowboy! -Donatello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/yee-haw-ninja-cowboy-donatello/) [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/) ## More by Jane Prowse > [“Think about Praying Mantis. The deadliest ninja predator. Why isn't his animus a lion or a polar bear - two of the most successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/think-about-praying-mantis-the-deadliest-ninja-predator-why-isn-t-his/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [“What’s an “Animus”?’ asked Mad Dog. Literally, it means “animating spirit” – that’s the essence of your core being, the spirit that defines you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/what-s-an-animus-asked-mad-dog-literally-it-means-animating-spirit/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [“Anything can be a weapon in imaginative hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/anything-can-be-a-weapon-in-imaginative-hands/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [“Knowing when to leave requires training.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/knowing-when-to-leave-requires-training/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) > [“When all else fails, when you hit a brick wall, let the enemy reveal themselves by giving them what they're looking for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-prowse/when-all-else-fails-when-you-hit-a-brick-wall-let-the-enemy-reveal/) [Jane Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) [Explore all 6 Jane Prowse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-prowse/) ## More Cat quotes > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/) [Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/) > [Kittens can happen to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/kittens-can-happen-to-anyone/) [Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“All right, you deadly little ghostlings,” I muttered. “Mama says go back to bed! - Cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/all-right-you-deadly-little-ghostlings-i-muttered-mama-says-go-back/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [Man wishes woman to be peaceable, but in fact she is essentially warlike, like the cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/man-wishes-woman-to-be-peaceable-but-in-fact-she-is-essentially/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [There are videos I used to take at home, pretending to be a newscaster, interviewing the teapot or my house cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wagner/there-are-videos-i-used-to-take-at-home-pretending-to-be-a-newscaster/) [Alex Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wagner/) [Browse all 2,996 Cat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Just as I was thinking I would never find my animus, I caught sight of my shadow and laughed out loud. 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