--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But there is an important difference, and…" description: "\"“But there is an important difference, and that important difference was manifested in Colin's throbbing pain. Bees sting people only once, and then di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/john-green-12_hornets_but-there-is-an-important-difference-and_3201946.jpg" --- # But there is an important difference, and that important… ![“But there is an important difference, and that important difference was manifested in Colin's throbbing pain. Bees sting people only once, and then die. Hornets, on the other hand, can sting repeatedly. Also, hornets, at least the way Colin figured it, are meaner. Bees just want to make honey…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/john-green-12_hornets_but-there-is-an-important-difference-and_3201946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/john-green-12_hornets_but-there-is-an-important-difference-and_3201946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/john-green-12_hornets_but-there-is-an-important-difference-and_3201946.jpg) > ““But there is an important difference, and that important difference was manifested in Colin's throbbing pain. Bees sting people only once, and then die. Hornets, on the other hand, can sting repeatedly. Also, hornets, at least the way Colin figured it, are meaner. Bees just want to make honey. Hornets want to kill you.”” [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. Bees and hornets illustrate different motivations: bees create, hornets destroy; the latter are more dangerous. **In simple terms:** Bees help, hornets harm. Key Takeaway Recognize intent behind actions. Themes nature conflict motivation Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical illustrative When to use this quote - garden management - pest control - team dynamics Key Concepts ecology behavioral biology Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate constructive vs destructive forces? - What strategies protect against repeated attacks? A Different Perspective Metaphor may oversimplify complex human behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bees Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bees-sting-526943/) [Die Hornets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-hornets-5948010/) [Hornets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hornets/) [Pain Bees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-bees-5948009/) [Repeatedly Hornets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repeatedly-hornets-5948011/) ## Related quotes > [“Honey doesn’t lose its sweetness because it is made by bees that sting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/honey-doesn-t-lose-its-sweetness-because-it-is-made-by-bees-that-sting/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [The sceptics, like bees, give their one sting and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sceptics-like-bees-give-their-one-sting-and-die/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“and the Lion," he said to the Woodman, "and the bees cannot sting them." This the Woodman did, and as Dorothy lay close beside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/and-the-lion-he-said-to-the-woodman-and-the-bees-cannot-sting-them/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [One thing I've learned - and I've said this to Republicans and Democrats - is, bees cannot sting and make honey at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-cleaver/one-thing-i-ve-learned-and-i-ve-said-this-to-republicans-and/) [Emanuel Cleaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-cleaver/) > [From restless thoughts, that, like a deadly swarm Of hornets arm'd, no sooner found alone, But rush upon me thronging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/from-restless-thoughts-that-like-a-deadly-swarm-of-hornets-arm-d-no/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [The issue of fracking is a stick in the hornet's nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/titus-welliver/the-issue-of-fracking-is-a-stick-in-the-hornet-s-nest/) [Titus Welliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/titus-welliver/) > [A jealous wife is like a hornets' nest in your mattress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/a-jealous-wife-is-like-a-hornets-nest-in-your-mattress/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [Laws catch flies but let hornets go free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrthrill/laws-catch-flies-but-let-hornets-go-free/) [Mrthrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrthrill/) > [ You will stir up the hornets. \[Lat., Irritabis crabones.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/you-will-stir-up-the-hornets-lat-irritabis-crabones/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner's Office in consultation with team chairman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stern/since-the-nba-purchased-the-new-orleans-hornets-final-responsibility/) [David Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stern/) > [When the hornet hangs in the hollyhock, And the brown bee drones in the rose, And the west is a red-streaked four-o'clock, And summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawein/when-the-hornet-hangs-in-the-hollyhock-and-the-brown-bee-drones-in/) [Madison Cawein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawein/) > [Concerning the generation of animals akin to them, as hornets and wasps, the facts in all cases are similar to a certain extent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/concerning-the-generation-of-animals-akin-to-them-as-hornets-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It's amazing now the amount of love we get around this city from all the Hornets' fans. Growing up, you really don't understand it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/it-s-amazing-now-the-amount-of-love-we-get-around-this-city-from-all/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [The wing structure of the hornet, in relation to its weight, is not suitable for flight, but he does not know this and flies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-wing-structure-of-the-hornet-in-relation-to-its-weight-is-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## 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 Hornets quotes > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The wing structure of the hornet, in relation to its weight, is not suitable for flight, but he does not know this and flies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-wing-structure-of-the-hornet-in-relation-to-its-weight-is-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It's amazing now the amount of love we get around this city from all the Hornets' fans. Growing up, you really don't understand it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/it-s-amazing-now-the-amount-of-love-we-get-around-this-city-from-all/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [Concerning the generation of animals akin to them, as hornets and wasps, the facts in all cases are similar to a certain extent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/concerning-the-generation-of-animals-akin-to-them-as-hornets-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [When the hornet hangs in the hollyhock, And the brown bee drones in the rose, And the west is a red-streaked four-o'clock, And summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawein/when-the-hornet-hangs-in-the-hollyhock-and-the-brown-bee-drones-in/) [Madison Cawein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawein/) > [Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner's Office in consultation with team chairman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stern/since-the-nba-purchased-the-new-orleans-hornets-final-responsibility/) [David Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stern/) > [ You will stir up the hornets. \[Lat., Irritabis crabones.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/you-will-stir-up-the-hornets-lat-irritabis-crabones/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Laws catch flies but let hornets go free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrthrill/laws-catch-flies-but-let-hornets-go-free/) [Mrthrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrthrill/) > [A jealous wife is like a hornets' nest in your mattress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/a-jealous-wife-is-like-a-hornets-nest-in-your-mattress/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [The issue of fracking is a stick in the hornet's nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/titus-welliver/the-issue-of-fracking-is-a-stick-in-the-hornet-s-nest/) [Titus Welliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/titus-welliver/) > [From restless thoughts, that, like a deadly swarm Of hornets arm'd, no sooner found alone, But rush upon me thronging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/from-restless-thoughts-that-like-a-deadly-swarm-of-hornets-arm-d-no/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Mr. President at this time it is suicide, murder, and will lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/mr-president-at-this-time-it-is-suicide-murder-and-will-lose-us-every/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [To anger an Aes Sedai is to put your head in a hornets' nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/to-anger-an-aes-sedai-is-to-put-your-head-in-a-hornets-nest/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [People think of the Charlotte Hornets, and they think of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/people-think-of-the-charlotte-hornets-and-they-think-of-me/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [In my mind, I would always be a Celtic. I was very thankful and humbled that the Hornets saw fit to allow me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-parish/in-my-mind-i-would-always-be-a-celtic-i-was-very-thankful-and-humbled/) [Robert Parish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-parish/) [Browse all 42 Hornets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hornets/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But there is an important difference, and that important difference was manifested in Colin's throbbing pain. Bees sting people only once, and then die. Hornets, on the other hand, can sting repeatedly. Also, hornets, at least the way Colin figured it, are meaner. Bees just want to make honey. 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