--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Vanessa called me Moth. But Charissa told…" description: "\"“Vanessa called me Moth. But Charissa told me I hadn't declared my true colors yet. What did she mean?' 'She meant that your allegiance remains undeter..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/joanne-harris-1428_argent_vanessa-called-me-moth-but-charissa-told_409430.jpg" --- # Vanessa called me Moth. But Charissa told me I hadn't… ![“Vanessa called me Moth. But Charissa told me I hadn't declared my true colors yet. What did she mean?' 'She meant that your allegiance remains undetermined,' said Burnet. 'Argent is a name that can refer both to a Moth and a Butterfly. It means that you choose your colors, instead of having them…” quote by Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/joanne-harris-1428_argent_vanessa-called-me-moth-but-charissa-told_409430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/joanne-harris-1428_argent_vanessa-called-me-moth-but-charissa-told_409430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/joanne-harris-1428_argent_vanessa-called-me-moth-but-charissa-told_409430.jpg) > ““Vanessa called me Moth. But Charissa told me I hadn't declared my true colors yet. What did she mean?' 'She meant that your allegiance remains undetermined,' said Burnet. 'Argent is a name that can refer both to a Moth and a Butterfly. It means that you choose your colors, instead of having them imposed by birth.”” [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character is told that their true identity is undecided, urging them to choose their path rather than inherit it. **In simple terms:** Your allegiance is yours to decide, not given by birth. Key Takeaway Own your identity choices. Themes identity choice self‑determination Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - relationships - creative projects - life direction Key Concepts existentialism personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What colors will you choose? - How does heritage influence your choices? A Different Perspective Choosing identity can be daunting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Butterfly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/) [Main character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-character/) [True colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-colors/) ## Related quotes > [“Because I love you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-davis/because-i-love-you/) [Jeff Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-davis/) > [“La Tour d’Argent (15 quai Tournelle),”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-henry-de-tessan/la-tour-d-argent-15-quai-tournelle/) Christina Henry De Tessan > [Moth, that wasn't very nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/moth-that-wasn-t-very-nice/) [Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/) > [“The spiraling flights of moths appear haphazard only because of the mechanisms of olfactory tracking are so different from our own. Using binocular vision,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-spiraling-flights-of-moths-appear-haphazard-only-because-of-the/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Mustardseed grinned at Bertie. "I was never any good at geometry, but you’re stuck in a love triangle, aren’t you?" "Shut up," she ordered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mantchev/mustardseed-grinned-at-bertie-i-was-never-any-good-at-geometry-but/) [Lisa Mantchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mantchev/) > [“Then Freddie was transformed into a moth. His old empty body fell forward face first into the water with a splash. Slicked back hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-livingston/then-freddie-was-transformed-into-a-moth-his-old-empty-body-fell/) Stephen Livingston > [“An idea was knocking about in the back of her head, like a moth at a dimly lit window.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hilary/an-idea-was-knocking-about-in-the-back-of-her-head-like-a-moth-at-a/) [Sarah Hilary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hilary/) > [You are the light in the dark room, and I am the moth that cant resist it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naye-naye/you-are-the-light-in-the-dark-room-and-i-am-the-moth-that-cant-resist/) [Naye-Naye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naye-naye/) > [There was a moth in there, and it still had its wings crumpled up, and it was just starting to pump its wings up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-clark/there-was-a-moth-in-there-and-it-still-had-its-wings-crumpled-up-and/) [Laurel Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-clark/) > [“...like a moth lost in dawn's light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gis-le-pineau/like-a-moth-lost-in-dawn-s-light/) Gisèle Pineau > [“A beetle will chase after an opening of light, while a cockroach will scatter at a crack of it. How are we different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/a-beetle-will-chase-after-an-opening-of-light-while-a-cockroach-will/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [As a moth gnaws a garment, so doth envy consume a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/as-a-moth-gnaws-a-garment-so-doth-envy-consume-a-man/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [“Fear can make a moth seem the size of a bull elephant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/fear-can-make-a-moth-seem-the-size-of-a-bull-elephant/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [Pleasure's a Moth, that sleeps by day And dances by false glare at night; But Joy's a Butterfly, that loves To spread its wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-davies/pleasure-s-a-moth-that-sleeps-by-day-and-dances-by-false-glare-at/) [W. H. 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It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [“For a moment something almost as rare as the sight that they had just witnessed occurred: Loki was totally lost for words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/for-a-moment-something-almost-as-rare-as-the-sight-that-they-had-just/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [“There's no such thing as a trivial thing. Everything costs; it all adds up until finally the balance shifts and we're gone again, back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-trivial-thing-everything-costs-it-all-adds/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [“Work. Like pain, I sensed that this was an experience I would want to avoid as often as possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/work-like-pain-i-sensed-that-this-was-an-experience-i-would-want-to/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [And so Nat stood up and joined the group, and followed, and watched, and awaited his chance as the light of Chaos lit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/and-so-nat-stood-up-and-joined-the-group-and-followed-and-watched-and/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I could do with a bit more excess. 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It's my specialty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/sometimes-walking-away-is-best-i-should-know-it-s-my-specialty/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I let it go. It's like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/i-let-it-go-it-s-like-swimming-against-the-current-it-exhausts-you/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [“Knowledge is currency here…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/knowledge-is-currency-here/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I carried recipes in my head like maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/i-carried-recipes-in-my-head-like-maps/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [One of the things that writing has taught me is that fiction has a life of its own. 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