--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Big white whale is a metaphor for…" description: "\"“Big white whale is a metaphor for everything. You live for pretentious metaphors.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/john-green-12_metaphors_big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everyt_2084129.jpg" --- # Big white whale is a metaphor for everything. You live for… ![“Big white whale is a metaphor for everything. You live for pretentious metaphors.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/john-green-12_metaphors_big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everyt_2084129.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/john-green-12_metaphors_big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everyt_2084129.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/john-green-12_metaphors_big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everyt_2084129.jpg) > ““Big white whale is a metaphor for everything. You live for pretentious metaphors.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Metaphors can become pretentious when overused, obscuring meaning. **In simple terms:** Avoid pretentious metaphors. Key Takeaway Use clear imagery. Themes literature metaphor authenticity Mood critical creative Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - public speaking - teaching - marketing Key Concepts Literary criticism communication Questions to Reflect On - When does a metaphor add value? - How can you keep language honest? A Different Perspective Some metaphors enrich understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors/) [Pretentious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretentious/) [Pretentious Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretentious-metaphors-2456499/) [Whale Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whale-metaphor-4086370/) [White Whale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-whale-627404/) ## Related quotes > [You live for pretentious metaphors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-live-for-pretentious-metaphors/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“when I've thought about him dying-which admittedly isn't that much-I always thought of it like you said, that all the strings inside him broke.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-i-ve-thought-about-him-dying-which-admittedly-isn-t-that-much-i-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The thing about Moby Dick is that, at heart, it's a very simple plot - there's only one white whale in the ocean. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-o-connor/the-thing-about-moby-dick-is-that-at-heart-it-s-a-very-simple-plot/) [Gavin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-o-connor/) > [“Long ago, in a town called Nantucket in the state of Massachusetts, there lived an old, eccentric sea captain named Ahab.  He was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-james/long-ago-in-a-town-called-nantucket-in-the-state-of-massachusetts/) [Max James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-james/) > [“There is a sailor saying: To survive a sudden gale, it takes a quantity of skill, a dose of luck, and if you will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/modern-mariner/there-is-a-sailor-saying-to-survive-a-sudden-gale-it-takes-a-quantity/) [Modern Mariner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/modern-mariner/) > [“She felt like Captain Ahab, for the first time sighting his great white whale.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/she-felt-like-captain-ahab-for-the-first-time-sighting-his-great/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“I have often been mildly amused when I think that the great American novel was not written about New England or Chicago. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-have-often-been-mildly-amused-when-i-think-that-the-great-american/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“Well, the cat is flourishing and gets more spoiled and more beautiful every day. His whiskers measure, from tip to tip, including his mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/well-the-cat-is-flourishing-and-gets-more-spoiled-and-more-beautiful/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [“One morning, as usual, Ahab went for a walk along the quarter-deck. He stopped before the mainmast and glanced at the gold coin nailed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/one-morning-as-usual-ahab-went-for-a-walk-along-the-quarter-deck-he/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“Hast seen the white whale?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/hast-seen-the-white-whale/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“The bones cry for the blood of the white whale, The fat flukes arch and whack about its ears, The death-lance churns into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/the-bones-cry-for-the-blood-of-the-white-whale-the-fat-flukes-arch/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“I do not know where I can find a better place than just here, to make mention of one or two other things, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/i-do-not-know-where-i-can-find-a-better-place-than-just-here-to-make/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“And he was pretentious:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-he-was-pretentious/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Because you continue to inhabit and believe your metaphors, you cannot see what is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/because-you-continue-to-inhabit-and-believe-your-metaphors-you-cannot/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [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/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Metaphor quotes > [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [Helvetica is the jeans, and Univers the dinner jacket. Helvetica is here to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/helvetica-is-the-jeans-and-univers-the-dinner-jacket-helvetica-is/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“Despite which, Charlie seems doomed to stumble around in the dark, clutching pieces of a puzzle he still can't see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/despite-which-charlie-seems-doomed-to-stumble-around-in-the-dark/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [I feel as much of a stud as... I can't come up with a metaphor. That's how lacking in studliness I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-as-much-of-a-stud-as-i-can-t-come-up-with-a-metaphor-that-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because you continue to inhabit and believe your metaphors, you cannot see what is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/because-you-continue-to-inhabit-and-believe-your-metaphors-you-cannot/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [“The bag contained a pair of white cotton gloves stained the color of age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-bag-contained-a-pair-of-white-cotton-gloves-stained-the-color-of/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“People think blood red, but blood don't got no colour. Not when blood wash the floor she lying on as she scream for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-james/people-think-blood-red-but-blood-don-t-got-no-colour-not-when-blood/) [Marlon James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-james/) > [You know what’s a great metaphor for love? Sleeping beauty. Because you have to plow through this incredible thicket of thorns in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-know-what-s-a-great-metaphor-for-love-sleeping-beauty-because-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [There's something about the superheroes and the idea behind their relationship with humans, whether it's a metaphor for the better part of ourselves, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-gregg/there-s-something-about-the-superheroes-and-the-idea-behind-their/) [Clark Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-gregg/) > [The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-explain-at-the-parties-that-i-believe-knitting-is-a-transformative/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [I was really interested in this ability for others to create virtual memories for us. In "The Cartographers" I explore this through Adam Woods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-weinstein/i-was-really-interested-in-this-ability-for-others-to-create-virtual/) [Alexander Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-weinstein/) > [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/) [James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/) > [“I am knee deep in sea water now, feeling the energy of the tidal waves as they roll inwards towards the shore. A tide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-l-marshall/i-am-knee-deep-in-sea-water-now-feeling-the-energy-of-the-tidal-waves/) [Susan L. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-l-marshall/) [Browse all 1,548 Metaphor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Big white whale is a metaphor for everything. You live for pretentious metaphors.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everything-you-live-for-pretentious/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Metaphor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everything-you-live-for-pretentious/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/john-green-12_metaphors_big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everyt_2084129.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/john-green-12_metaphors_big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everyt_2084129.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/906/john-green-12_metaphors_big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everyt_2084129.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Big white whale is a metaphor for everything. You live for pretentious metaphors.” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Big white whale is a metaphor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everything-you-live-for-pretentious/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/big-white-whale-is-a-metaphor-for-everything-you-live-for-pretentious/#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 } } ] } ```